"Two young teenagers die in a gang shoot out in Detroit", "Chinese youth dies from starvation and dehydration brought about by playing games on the net for 36 hours straight", "15 year old girl gets raped in Havana". These are just a few of the numerous headlines which appear in newspaper publications, magazines and television programmes around the world. Looking back to the 80's and the early 90's such severe crimes and disturbing events were very rare. Most people and critics attribute it to globalization and the new wave of western culture setting in around the globe. When this approach is taken the question arises how does this sudden increase in violence come about. Is it because of technological advancements or is it because the values in society are falling apart?

One thing that comes into my mind straight away is the internet. The internet was originally used by the American Military to exchange information between organizations which needed to keep in constant contact with one another. Although over the years as everything evolves so did the internet. It became a means of human connectivity all around the globe. Exchanging ideas and information was the key concept but the diversification of the internet could not be controlled. Filtering programmes which are on the internet is very difficult and therefore information once loaded onto the internet is freely available to anyone.

In the last decade or so there has been a technological boom and computers and related media appliances have grown by the dozen daily. Almost every urban household has internet access and therefore children have access not only to educational information but also programmes and information that can be detrimental to the young minds.

Especially in conservative countries the internet has brought about a break down of values and morals in society. Because of sexually explicit content been freely available even conservative societies have experienced teenage pregnancies, rape and the spread of several sexually transmitted diseases. Due to programmes being freely available childrens minds can be corrupted and it can lead to serious issues.

The internet also has online gaming centers which are interactive and become quite violent at times. Children trying to emulate the simulated games also begin taking the law into their own hands and become part of street gangs. This can lead to drug trafficing, robbery and also gang shoot outs that can end in several juveniles in prison and even worse sometimes a young child dead. The internet also can become quite addictive.

Because of this children can in most cases neglect their studies because of all the options and "wonderful" programmes the internet has to offer. Studies getting neglected can lead to the general education levels degrading and also a lack of partcipation in other activities. Some children choose to spend most of their time on social networking websites like Facebook or myspace, others like to chat in chatrooms or indulge in downloading the latest movies or music. Because of this addiction some children don't have time to partcipate in outdoor activities or community service activities. This can lead to unhealthy conditions or even isolation due to the fact that the child is seated at home the whole day sitting in front of the computer.

The internet can also lead to young children getting into very dangerous situations. Chatrooms are home to pedophiles who can lead children into unwanted things which happen purely because of the naiveity of the child. Adult stalkers pretend to be fellow teenagers and try to induce other teenagers to meet them. This can lead to rape and in some cases deaths.

Even information about how to build a homemade bomb is available on the internet. Children at a young age are vulnerable to all of these hazards that the internet has to offer. Another problem that has recently arisen amongst young teenage girls is the promotion of low self esteem. This can be due to the access to celebrity websites and other fashion related web pages. In pursuit of looking like - figure wise girls can even resort to stop eating and going on diets which are recommended by numerous sites on the internet which are not properly authorized to give out such information.

The internet is like any other appliance or thing in this world. It has two sides to the story. If it is not used properley it can lead to the breakdown of morals and ethics in the society, violence and health related hazards. Therefore I believe that exposing children to the internet at a young age without adult supervision can be detrimental to the young minds and lead to the breakdown of society.
