Dear Parents,
I am here to tell you about a generation that lives on this wonderful thing that we like to call “The Internet”. Youth nowadays live on social media and the internet, and to a lot of parents it’s a problem. They want their kids to get out more, to be more active. While that’s all well and good, we want to be able to live an online life. The internet is what connects some of us to each other, it’s a mood booster and it’s fantastic for school.
I’ve met a few of my best friends online while playing video games. When I got accepted to University I was told that I couldn’t take my PlayStation 4 with me. With that in mind I was worried that I would lose connection to those best friends. I feel like I lost the connection I had with them from our previous communication methods, and we lost touch a little bit.
“Internet memes are one of the most uplifting aspects of my life…a funny meme gives me better reactions than most people actually can,” said Joel Schellenberger, 19, who is a student at Wilfrid Laurier University. The internet is a provider of happiness for many.
It is considered an escape from reality for many and just a way to express themselves for others. Katelyn Westra, 18, also a student at Laurier said, “There is a lot of positive reinforcement…you have easier access to information that would take a long time to find in libraries, so it is really useful for research purposes.”
The internet is also a way to stay connected for people that are unable to leave their bed. For example, Ethan Mills, 20, went through a crash and was hospitalized for three months. “The internet allowed me to maintain contact with my closest friends even though I had no ability to move from my bed or speak,” he said.
See parents? The internet is a wonderful tool that this generation runs off of. Technology is the future of the world and I suppose in a way, the current generation is just getting a head start on what’s to come. It’s a source of connection to yourself, your peers and to the world itself. The internet is a wonderful place that with some getting used to, you will begin to understand why we use it so often.
The internet always comes with a price. There are many risks involved. It can cause strain on eyes, and make us not want to go outside because we are too busy doing things online. There are more risks but the good outweighs it.
Dear parents: understand it from our perspective. This is life, this is the reality. Internet is here to stay and we love to use it. Take these points and think about it. Ask your child what they do on the internet. Relate to them and understand.
Sincerely,
The Youth
Liam Bullock is 18 and from Toronto.
To read UNICEF's State of the World’s Children 2017:Children in a Digital World, visit http://www.unicef.org/SOWC2017
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, young people have the right to give their opinion, to be taken seriously by adults and to express themselves in different ways, unless it harms themselves or others. UNICEF Canada respects the views of young people to express their views as they see or experience the world around them, and provides regular and diverse opportunities through our youth guest blogs, Kids of Canada and other platforms.
