Parental Guidance, the option for social media and responsibility. The world has changed quite a bit if you take into account the events that are currently taking place and the events that took place maybe ten years ago. It’s a modern world we live in, and with the Internet at its absolute peak, everyone these days is ‘connected’. Whether it’s a sixty year old man just starting his life of retirement, or whether it’s a ten year old child, just getting out of the stages of playing with Legos – it seems like everyone is on the internet, and uses the internet in one way or the other: whether that is for the purpose of some guidance or just for fun, the evidence remains circumstantial.
But since everyone these days is on the internet, and mainly on social media websites like Facebook and Twitter, doesn’t that mean that there are some grounds as to what people should and should not be doing on such websites? Is there a moral ground? Are there any limits, and are there any rules? Well, in most cases, people are pretty misinformed as to what they should and should not be doing on such websites, and it is for those people that this article would serve the greatest purpose to. What should you be doing on such websites, and what are your moral obligations, your responsibilities?
Well, for starters the case starts for parents. Children are more often than not misinformed about their surroundings, making them naïve and prone to people looking for targets. The Internet can be a scary place because it is endless. People are now carrying their dirty work on the Internet, so this could mean that even YOU have a murderer in your friend list. After all, adding random strangers on Facebook can be dangerous. Since children are naïve, they should be informed as to what they should be doing on the Internet. Parents should be held accountable for the actions of their children, and the case should be no different when their children are under the influence of the Internet. The parents should keep a check on exactly what their child does on the Internet. Now, many would argue the case for privacy – and this case may be valid if their child is NOT a child anymore. Children in their early teens are often immature and hence need guidance. So yes, while a case for privacy can be made in the later years, children of younger age should be under surveillance from their parents, because at the end of the day, what the parents do is for the betterment of their own children, isn’t it?
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Another problem, which we often see on the Internet, and especially on social media websites, is that many people cannot handle the opinions of other people. Everyone in this world has their own opinions, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and the case should be no different for the people present on the Internet. We often see people fighting over the Internet, whether it’s a fight on religion, or particulars of a country, everyone seems to get into the argument. Hence it should be the responsibility of anyone present on the Internet that they should learn to respect the opinions of other people, and have a listen to what they are saying, or what they are trying to say. And even if there rises the need for an argument or a debate, it should be carried out in a civilized and a respectable manner, because degrading or harassing a person online goes to show how poor a taste you yourself hold.
One more problem, which people, often adults forget is that while sharing content on Facebook or Twitter, they forget that they might have children in their friend list. Whether it is a person’s nephew, or his/her own child, people often forget that the content they share just might be too vulgar for children. There’s a bit of trend on Facebook these days, that being of dark humor. The memes with regards to dark humor can, and most of the time are extremely vulgar for the normal user. Though the purpose is harmless, after all, it is just humor, however, the content may prove to a tad too excessive. So it would be advisable that if such content is to be shared, then it should be shared privately between friends, and not out in the open.
So yes, everyone has a responsibility on social media websites – be it children, parents or even senior citizens. Everyone has to do their part to make sure that the Internet is a safe place for children, and the future generations.
