Most teens have experienced a time when parents are super strict about using the internet, including limiting screen time and making strict and ridiculous rules. Moreover, many parents simply don’t give their teens any technological devices.

However, these ways of limiting internet use for teens aren’t effective because teens are smart and they can find other ways to use the internet, which is dangerous for both teens and parents. Moreover, when used properly, the internet can make people’s lives easier.

Here are some reasons why teens should have internet access.

Teens can communicate with friends through the internet

Social relationships are very important for teens because interacting with people who have similar interests, goals, and situations, makes teens feel less lonely. Also, teenagers are able to stay in touch with their friends through the internet.

For example, I have been able to know my friends better through the internet. The more we chat, the better our relationships become. The internet has become a great tool for me to connect with friends. Even when I’m not with my friends, I can still chat with them on the internet every day, which makes it easier for me to maintain my friendships. Through the internet, we can share our daily experiences, stories, and emotions together, which make us feel closer. Overall, I think social media and the internet have made it easier for teens like me to communicate and build relationships with friends, even when life is busy.

Teens should learn to use the most powerful tool in the world

The internet is a powerful tool that makes our lives easier. By using the internet, teens have access to a huge amount of knowledge. For example, teens can learn how to code or draw through the internet. Moreover, the internet provides tons of educational resources.

For example, once I was super confused with the concept of linear equations, and even though my math teacher explained it to me several times, I still couldn’t understand. Afraid to ask my teacher again, I decided to look up some videos and information online. In the end, I not only understood the concept of linear equations, but I also was able to solve more complicated linear equations.

Yet, many parents don’t trust their kids to use the internet because parents often think that their kids are using the internet in a bad way, and they want to monitor their teens. This causes unnecessary conflict between teens and their parents.

For example, my friend Lily had a phone, but her parents made her download an app that monitored her phone use. Her parents were so strict about Lily’s use on the internet that they always monitored her use on the phone. Even though her parents’ intentions were good, it hurt Lily’s feelings. Lily was super uncomfortable with it.

She told me that whenever her parents checked her phone, she was always angry. Because of this tension, her relationships with her parents suffered. After tons of arguments and compromise, her parents finally realized that they should trust their daughter’s use of the internet instead of invading her privacy.

After this, Lily and her parents’ relationship got better. In the end, not only were Lily’s grades unaffected, she became happier, and she learned to cope with the tool that is the internet.

This shows that giving teens more freedom to internet access might not have a bad influence on them. Instead, learning to cope with the internet is more beneficial.

The more parents restrict teens’ internet access, the more teens want to be online

Parents might think that their teens will chat with a stranger and get kidnapped or get hurt through the internet. However, just because the internet has risks, it doesn’t mean that parents should ban their kids from using the internet.

Banning teens from using the internet will make things worse because they will find other ways to get online, which is dangerous for kids and their parents.

Instead, parents should teach their teenagers how to properly and efficiently use the internet. Parents can use this chance to teach teens how to protect themselves online and avoid scams.

For example, one of my friends, Anne, has parents who are strict about internet access. Her parents limit her internet use to only half an hour per day, which is much too little for a teenage girl. So, when Anne had a chance to meet up with her friend, instead of doing fun things together, she would always be on her friend’s phone, watching dramas and playing video games.

This shows that when parents limit internet use, that doesn’t limit the desire for internet access. In short, for teens, learning how to use the internet wisely is more beneficial than being banned from using the internet.

Giving strict rules to limit the internet access for kids isn’t good for them

According to research conducted by communication scientists Eszter Hargittai and Drew Cingel, limiting teens’ internet use can cause problems. Among 1,100 freshmen in American colleges, kids who were allowed to use the internet as they wanted had grades just as good as those whose parents had strict rules regarding the internet.

Hargittai, one of the researchers of this study, suggested that kids who grow up having many internet limitations on the use of the internet have parents that also control kids’ social lives and studies. So kids who grew up having controlling parents have less self control, and when these kids are in college, these kids might end up not handling the temptation of the internet, which results in a bad performance in college.

In short, the consequence is that if teens don’t make good use of the internet, then the teens would face the consequence, an example being bad grades. Therefore, parents should give teens opportunities to learn to control their internet use on their own, instead of just setting limits. This can give teens the opportunity to learn and develop self control, which is beneficial for their long term life and success.

–

Even though the internet has its risks, limiting the internet for teens isn’t the best choice. From having a large amount of information and resources online to maintaining social relationships, the internet is beneficial for teens.

Instead of limiting or setting screen time to their kids’ devices, parents should set a good example and teach teens to use the internet wisely, which is more beneficial and helpful than limiting internet use.