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Media Authority (2015), the country has experienced this situation due to the availability of
strong networks as well as gadgets. Many young people can easily access internet services using
a wide range of internet-enabled devices. It is beyond any doubt that this resource has impacted
populations positively and negatively. For example, the internet has made communication fast
and convenient where people from different parts of the world can share information instantly.
On the other hand, different societies around the globe are worried by the deleterious effects such
as moral erosion and security concerns in the form of cyberbullying, which are anti-social traits
(Bipeta 2016). Websites and social media have made it easy for the youth to access different
resources. Some of the online contents are constructive while others are destructive. It can be
argued that the internet is creating a generation of anti-social youth. This paper will focus on
publishing sexually explicit content which has a negative social impact on young people who
interact with the pornographic sites. The authors further reveal that about 12% of the websites
which translates to 4.2 million were actively publishing pornographic content by 2008.
Whenever the young people access these types of material, their sexual attitudes are adversely
affected. It has been proven that there is a likelihood of young people to develop psychological
disposition on sensitive sexual issues such as rape, prostitution, infidelity, and fornication among
others (Wei, Ven-Hwei & Wu 2010). Pornographic sites significantly contribute to youths
knowledge regarding a variety of immoral sexual behaviour. The findings provided by Wei, Ven-
Hwei and Wu (2010) reveal a strong relationship between internet interactivity and acquisition of
The Internet is Creating a Generation of Anti-Social Youth 3
antisocial sexual attitudes. Love et al. (2015) provide different suggestions that underlying neural
process is responsible for pornographic addiction. This implies that failure to establish and
address these factors exposes increases the vulnerability for this form of obsession. However,
Love et al. (2015) do not elaborate on other theories that contribute to conduct learning among
teenagers. This makes availability and high levels of exposure, as the primary risk factor
people around the world are developing antisocial behaviour as a result of online technologies. In
their article Baldry, Farrington and Sorrentino (2016) argue that there has been an upward trend
of cyberbullying among teenagers and students. The emergence of social media technologies
such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, and electronic mailing tools are an example of the target
sites that this crime is perpetrated. Baldry, Farrington and Sorrentino (2016) also explain how
other studies have unearthed the issue. For instance, about 19% of online visitors between 1999
and 2000 were either bullied online or committed this offense to other users. Later, it was
established that 32.6% of students in America were either victims or effectors of the crime
(Baldry, Farrington and Sorrentino 2016). Almost similar trends were obtained in other
researches conducted in England, Canada, Spain, Ireland, Colombia and Korea among other
nations. It is clear that the numbers at hand exhibit an upward trend of growth in antisocial
character. Baldry, Farrington and Sorrentino (2016) further elaborate that there is overlap the
between cyberbullying and school bullying where one form can be used to fuel the other. For
example, a student can be attacked online by posting negative comments, and the same effect can
be felt at school whenever their colleagues access such content on the social media. Some bullies
may prefer using the technology because it is fast, cheap, efficient and capable of reaching out to
many targets. The mode also reduces levels of physical interaction which gives more
The Internet is Creating a Generation of Anti-Social Youth 4
opportunities for the criminals to threaten while at the same time creating fear and uncertainty
for preys to bow to pressure. Many young people who interact with the internet are likely to be
targets or potential offenders of this antisocial traits facing the society today. According to an
article published by Brantley (2017), young people self-bully themselves on social media. This
implies that some percentage of reported cases can fall under the category of self-infliction.
However, this was only published in a news website, and more studies have to be conducted to
different online tools which contribute to antisocial reaction due to addiction. According to Alam
et al. (2013), many scholars have focused their studies on the impacts of internet usage. It has
been revealed that about 83.4% of young people between the age of 20 and 40 years often access
this resource at high rates (Alam et al. 2013). A percent of these young people visit websites for
no particular reason while many spent a substantive amount of time interacting on the social
media. Most of these social networking tools like Facebook and Whatsapp have gained
familiarity among the young generation in the last decade. Evidence provided by psychiatrists
indicate that internet addiction is a problem that faces the modern society (Alam et al. 2013).
This has been categorized as an impulse control disorder of behavioural addiction which
manifests in a similar manner as pathological gambling. Persistence of this problem can present a
situation classified as social impairment. Users are often slowly but steadily drifted away from
the society as they spend most of their time online. Forms of this problem that is likely to emerge
among the youth include online sexual, relationship, gambling, and gaming addiction. Many
internet users initially discover an online tool, experiment, exhibit escalation, compulsion and
finally proceed to the level of hopelessness. Alam et al. (2013) explain that this form of
compulsion affects interpersonal relationships where young people may develop character
The Internet is Creating a Generation of Anti-Social Youth 5
challenges. This can be attributed to the limited time that the users spend on physical, social
interaction. Alam et al. (2013) also reveal that addiction can make people unable to control their
emotions since they only understand how to interact with machines and not people. In most
cases, the problem magnifies due to the psychological disorientation of individuals. For instance,
the high external locus of control is often exhibited by heavy internet users. This category of
people do not believe that they can have total control over events that occur around them. Since
the mind is affected, their reaction is also attacked due to addiction. In the end, addiction makes
it possible for young people to share problems, believes and emotions. Individuals fail to develop
the ability to read body languages, emotions, and modes of striking conversations in social
gatherings. In addition, communication techniques such as speech and creativity fail to develop.
This shows that continued use of the internet leads to addiction which escalates to present an
anti-social problem. Love et al. (2015) presents a counterargument which claims that previous
studies adopted misleading methodologies for studying internet addiction. The author further
claims that this type of addiction is only an expression of other disorders that individuals may
have. However, Love et al. (2015) do not provide sufficient evidence to confirm such
assumptions.
The internet has many benefits but also presents the society with several challenges that
affect youths ability to adhere to social fabrics. Different scholars have pointed out that this
resource is contributing towards the creation of an antisocial generation among the youth. Some
of the adverse effects of this technology include cyberbullying, internet addiction and
pornography. It is important for communities and families around the world to establish a means
of saving the young generation from developing these traits. One of the possible ways is through
guidance and counseling to ensure that the youth are adequately supported in the entire process
of psychosocial development. Guardians should spend adequate time with the young people and
The Internet is Creating a Generation of Anti-Social Youth 6
help them develop positive behavior. Policies and technologies should be introduced to curb
Reference List
Alam, S., Hashim, N., Ahmad, H., Wel, C., Nor, S., & Omar, N., 2013, 'Negative and positive
warn it could be driving up suicide rates. Daily Mail, 1 November, viewed 13 September
2018, <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5039859/Huge-increase-teens-self-
cyberbullying-report-warns.html.>
Love, T., Laier, C., Brand, M., Hatch, L., & Hajela, R., 2015, 'Neuroscience of internet
pornography addiction: A review and update,' Behavioral Sciences, vol. 5, pp. 388-433.
Wei, R., Ven-Hwei, L., & Wu, H., 2010, 'Internet pornography and teen sexual attitudes and