A recent study of 200 14-to-18-year-olds in 55 schools found about 75 percent had 200 or more Facebook and Twitter followers, while a third had more than 500. Almost half of the teens said they had never met their online “friends” in real life. This has caused concern by experts and parents about these teens real life relationships. Many teens get addicted to their online social life and neglect their real life relationships.
Neurologist Baroness Greenfield, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, said that these teens social skills and “ability to relate to others will also suffer.” She noted that when teens are spending their time online, it could mean their identity is more fragile and there is a need for constant approval.
“It also has implications for empathy. We all know that words are only about ten per cent of the impact you have when you talk to someone. There’s also eye contact, body language and physical touching…But when would a young kid learn to do that if they’re communicating through several hundred friends? When would you learn when to put your arm around someone, how it’s appropriate or how to establish eye contact?”
Do you think parents should be concerned about kids spending too much time with online relationships and not enough time in real life relationships?
