Oooops…. more homework for my tween….Teens

Facebook and cell phones have so much engulfed our lives. These generational gadgets are most prevalent among teens. The most usual way of teen communication is texting messages or having access  to social media sites. A 17-year-old girl admits that she would rather give up a kidney than have her phone taken away. This alarming statement must concern all of us as it proves the extent of the addiction. But why are Facebook and cell phones so appealing especially among teens?

Firstly, the developmental needs of teenagers are met through facebook use. We all know that adolescence is a period during which teens mould themselves into what they want to be, and at the same time establish themselves as independent entities looking cool and impressing members of the opposite sex. Because they suffer from excruciating shyness and aching self-consciousness , social networking sites facilitate communication. For instance, if a teenager with a humongous spot is confessing his love to a beautiful girl, she isn’t aware of that. However, parents and teachers are concerned about online predators and say that online communication is so detached. Also teenagers are enslaved to their screens for endless hours instead of hanging out with their friends doing their homework or even enjoying their favourite hobbies.

There are solutions to this problem though. First of all parents should monitor their teens use of internet and give them a specific amount of time to surf the net. Moreover, if their teen is reducing the amount of time on the net , it  would be an effective idea if parents rewarded them with a present eg an mp3, trip to the museum etc.

Some parents prefer to install software to monitor their child’s internet usage. There are a number of programs on the market that can provide a detailed account of the sites that a  child has visited and the interactions they have been involved in online.

All in all, social networking sites and cell phones are just another generational thing. We must therefore accept it. Remember even with the advent of the television there were radical changes in people’s lives and the society itself. In the end, if you can keep your own life centered in reality and use social networking as a small part of it, you should be just fine.

1 According to the above text why is it that teenagers especially are so preoccupied with smartphones and social media sites like facebook?

2 Can you imagine what the life of a teenager was like before the advent of cells and facebook? Write down a short account of their pastime activities and interactions with the other people esp. their peers.

3 What can parents do to monitor their child’s use of the Net and social media sites?

4 Think of the radical changes television brought in people’s lives in the past. Write down a few concerns people may have held at that time as regards the “invasion” of the one-eyed-monster in all homes.

5 “if you can keep your own life centered in reality” what exactly does this  phrase mean?

6 Form meaningful sentences with the words in bold type (red in color) in the text.