A few nights ago, my sister and I engaged in a little experiment. We were chatting about how relatively anything is available via a simple Google search nowadays, and I wondered whether or not something inappropriate would appear if I attempted to search for it through my phones internet application.
Sure enough, a quick search for pornography revealed numerous websites readily available and staring back at mine and my sisters reasonably shocked expressions.
This startling discovery prompted my sister and I to share our concerns about the amount of young children using mobile phones in today’s world. Based on our experiment, we concluded that if a ten-year-old who happened to own a phone heard the term pornography and wanted to figure out what it is would be able to do so pretty effortlessly.
From there, my sister and I started debating how dangerous internet accessibility can be in contemporary society. Never have we lived in a world in which literal children are using mobile phones and other forms of technology as intensely are they are now, and my little experiment goes to show how readily available inappropriate and consequential content on the internet can be discovered, both intentionally and unintentionally.
I imagine many parents are aware of this effortless access to the internet and the repercussions that can arise as a result. But, I question how many parents are unaware of this rather concerning observation, and further, what their children may be looking at when they’re using the internet.
While I can’t offer a sure resolution to this dilemma, I can point out that young children, in my opinion, really don’t need to be using a cellphone or the internet for that matter without parental supervision. As for a good way to prevent these findings from happening? Encourage kids to go outside and play, which is what they should be doing.
ontheedgeofeverything 