Digital world: what are the limits?

Heart To Heart

By Dr. Muhammad Hafizullah

Digital world offers incredible opportunities for having fun, learning and keeping in touch with the rest of the world, and much more - everyone agrees. Whereas adults may be mature enough to steer their way and follow dos and don'ts, it may be very different in case of children.

Many parents in their youth never had a chance to charter into the digital world. This is one field, which children know more than their parents. Many parents find themselves on the wrong side of generational digital divide; unsure of what their children are finding online, how it is affecting them and how to regulate their access to it.

From within the confine of their rooms, a new exciting world lies at the click of a mouse. Like Alice in the wonderland, one world leads to another and another yet to another world.

Entry from one world to another world is smooth and unnoticeable. Unfortunately these worlds are not too far apart and trespassing initially may be accidental and later on planned. This world too vibrates with life and there arrives a junction where it becomes difficult to distinguish between the real and digital world. Most importantly, young children struggle with distinguishing real from the virtual world. This can mar their judgment as many of their actions derive the stimulation from web world. Younger minds waiver and falter with chaffing reality from imagination. The real world may not be that forgiving and surely does not offer any rehearsals or retakes.

Children always would instinctively like to touch and explore the boundaries. How to control them is almost next to possible.

Easy availability of undesirable sites especially pertaining to sex incites children and adults.

One experience leads to another and attracts many more. These sites expose children to highly objectionable material in a most distorted way at a very young and highly impressionable age. This discovery of new world, without any chaperones, can cause serious problems. More so, in our inhibited societies, where there is no formal education or open discussions on topics like these.

Many countries and societies have tried to control this onslaught.  Those who promote such unhealthy activities are far more organised, knowledgeable and powerful. All efforts, so far have met with limited success.

Time required for studies and physical games is wasted on these activities while 'appearing busy doing something' sitting in front of computers in their study rooms.

Many activities pertaining to digital world are initially attractive and intriguing and later habit forming to the extent of addiction. Chatting can start as a benign activity and hobby but a child or for that matter an adult may waste a lot of time on this counter productive activity. Disguised identities devoid one of any real intellectual discussion; it usually revolves around frivolous topics and activities.

Anonymous apparently harmless chatting can turn into amoral real relationship. It some times, may lead to development of relationship where a boy may turn out to be a lady and a young pretty girl as middle aged gentleman. These relationships which have developed essentially on deception like students posing as millionaires, and every one showing off as the most handsome man on the earth and most beautiful girl in the world, mostly do not mature into real relationships. But some times these 'net friendships' do turn into real relationships and many incidences are known where people have developed strong bonds across the globe.

Games and netsurfing are big distracters. They can consume precious time which could be and should be devoted to more healthy activities like games. Many children and adults spend enormous amount of time on playing video games either on web or otherwise.

The technology and software has developed tremendously with improved graphics and sound effects. Animation technology has reached its epitome and gives real life effects. Though newer video games may offer some physical exercise like playing tennis or swinging for golf but they are no substitute for 'real' physical games.

An unfortunate aspect of these games turns out to be violence; most games are based on either planning or actual commitment of crimes. Violent video games can induce violence and violent behavior. Many games focus on actually planning of dacoits or burglary and extra marks or bonuses are given for meticulous execution and extra bonuses for 'super kills' and 'net chivalry'. Such games include choosing of 'right equipment' -guns and bombs and mercenaries to brutally use them. Games like Grand theft Auto where players impersonate psychotic criminals armed with machine pistols and basket ball bats stealing, killing and indulging in whatever pleases them at their will.

The way we have been teaching our children - how to cross roads and manage real world risks with devising rules, exercising supervision and implementing monitoring; similar approach has to be adopted for the web world as well.

This all has to be done while respecting their learning initiatives, experience and independence. While encouraging them to discover the world, we have to offer some guidelines to follow and then ensure that these guidelines are adhered to! Ignorance of what cyber-net universe contains and how it operates is no excuse any longer; the single greatest threat to a computer literate child with unlimited powers of a keyboard and mouse is a parent with head struck in electronic sand.