The first Internet generation is suffering from loneliness, a study reveals. It’s shocking but true that technology is killing the joys of childhood. Commiss-ioned by Yours magazine, the study included people aged between 18 and 80, and found that over a third of people spend more time chatting online than going out with friends, and this lack of personal contact eventually leads the way to loneliness.
Child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Deepak Gupta confirms that he is seeing a rise in the number of parents who come to him with this problem. “Teens are heavily into Facebook and BBMs ((Blackberry messenger). They are glued to both 24x7 and it has majorly affected their daily routine including interacting with family members. Strangely, youngsters show no remorse. Most say it’s the need of the hour and there’s nothing wrong with it.”
First year Delhi University student Sanya Batra bursts into laughter when asked if she’s addicted to FB and BBM. “Yes, I am, who isn’t?” she says. “I am a social person and have many friends. What’s the harm in being connected if I don’t let it affect my studies and my parents are cool with it? I love being on BB and can’t live without it,” Sanya adds.
Talking about how this growing attachment with technology is alienating youngsters from social scene and can scar their lives, Dr Deepak says, “This problem isn’t restricted to teens alone. Today, 12-year-olds own Blackberry. There is no face-to-face social interaction, every message is conveyed through the screen. How can they guage others’ reaction? If one is not being sensitive to human emotion, it can make one socially and emotionally insensitive. If not handled early, it can expose them to high risk behaviour such as depression.”
Class 11 student Vasundhara Singh Bhati has deactivated her BBM as her parents threatened to confiscate her phone. She, however, is okay with this and says, “I had activated BBM for just five days, when my parents started complaining that I am spending too much time on it. I deactivated it soon. My friends constantly pressurise me to activate BBM but I can’t upset my parents. Even my juniors in school complain that their parents don’t like them spending their free time on the Facebook.”
Lifestyle management expert at Artemis Health Institute, Dr Rachna K. Singh says, “Parents are aware about changes in their kids, but don’t see this as a growing problem. They come to us with issues like ‘child is shy’, but not for therapy. Different age groups have different reactions. For a seven-year-old it could be his PSP, for a teen his cellphone or FB. The older they get, the more lonely they feel. A parent was sharing with me that when his child meets his friends, they have nothing to say to each other.”
Dr Singh adds, “Youngsters no longer know the joy or sadness in a relationship. They are unable to share sadness and pain. An emoticon or a LOL cannot make you feel the joy of real laughter. A teen exposed to this behaviour in later years wouldn’t be able to sustain relations, he/she is most likely to experiment with substance abuse, alcohol, sex to find a vent for his/her growing uneasiness.”