Teenagers are spending an increasing amount of time on the Internet and this is having a negative effect on their social skills Do you agree or disagree

Nowadays, Internet is easily accessible and teenagers are occupying most of their time on it. Although it has created problems on social interaction, I agree it also has some positive effects.

On the negative side, it seems that with increasing use of Internet, the social skills of teenagers would be significantly affected. First and foremost, family ties would slowly become loose and keep at a distance as teenagers became engrossed with online activities. Watching pornography or Internet gambling for instance is unproductive and could result in physical and mental tiredness that would in turn have an impact on their social interaction. Furthermore, as a great proportion of time is spent on such entertainment, their studies would be neglected resulting in low self-esteem and further isolation from others. At this point, Internet would seem to be their only channel for communication.

However, there are convincing arguments in favour of online use. Teenagers who interact with international friends on social network would be able to share or exchange ideas and thus foster better relationship. Cultural diversity and customary practices could be experienced using Internet as they communicate with each other. In addition, online learning of languages could also assist student to acquire and master the proficiency skills and effective ways to socially converse with others. As such, Internet can be seen as a platform for teenagers to learn and improve their social interactions.

In summary, although Internet has ill impacts on teenagers, the benefits outweight the drawbacks. In order to have the positive effects, there should be a balance on its usage.