Today almost every teen in metropolis and even in small towns has access to media channels (Internet, cell-phones, television) and they are used to it. A recent study by Gartner Group shows that teens are spending on an average 44.5 hours per week browsing Internet, talking on cell phones and watching TV. It is more than what they spend in school in whole week. The issue is not just the amount of time spent, but also what they are getting from these media channels. Make Your Move Teens hate to be monitored every minute by their parents. They are at a very crucial stage of their life and want more freedom & decision making authority for themselves. Keeping a watch on their activities requires some tricks and a lot of patience. Good and Bad Content It is not debatable as whether the content on the popular channels or media like Internet is appropriate or not. People have been debating over issues like moral policing of the children. Modernization has been confused with values and norms, resulting in the inculcation of negative behavioural traits in the new generation of youngsters. Internet – bane or boon The content on the Internet has been the most abused as viewing restrictions are not applicable. No doubt, the technology has changed the outlook and the learning capacity of the children, but numerous cases of abuse of the content have also been reported. Parental Help For monitoring the Internet activities of your children you can install software like KeyLogger. Parents who are more aware about technology can use the service and set a simple filter to block porn sites or sites containing inappropriate content. Creating a day schedule from early childhood solves most of the problems. Unfortunately, most parents do not pay attention to it. It is always advisable to give some space to your teen and at the same time be vigilant about his activities. The safe use and misuse of technology will always be an issue. But, there is a lot we can do to prevent our children from falling into the wrong activities.
