The Dangers of Technology

The Dangers of Technology

Harnaaj Bual (9th), Reporter

Technology has improved our lives very much. There are a lot of benefits of technology, but there can also be many dangers posed by it. For example, many teenagers have been a victim of cyberbullying. There are many dangers posed by technology like:

Scams– Scams are frauds set up by a dishonest individual, or a group in order to get money or any other valuable item. Scammers use all kinds of tricks to gain your personal information by attempting to gain your personal information such as your credit card number or openning your bank account.  Scammers can also fake making charity websites so they could collect donations after a tragedy has struck.

Finding/ Sharing inappropriate/ Personal information– Teenagers are sharing their information online more often now. Whether teens post a photo of them online or post their email or phone number online, this is dangerous. This also includes sexting or sharing the information online with a person you don’t know.

Meeting online predators– Anyone who has access to technology has a risk of meeting online predators. They are people who make fake identities to lure you into their trap for sexual abuse or for money.  They lure their prey by using affection, attention, and kindness. They can locate you by tracing your location or ask you for your personal information, which they can use to harm you.

Cyberbullying– Many of us might be familiar with cyberbullying, a form of bullying using technology. Recently it has become a huge issue among teens. It can happen through text, and other apps like Instagram or Snapchat. Many of us might have been a victim of cyberbullying or might have cyberbullied someone. Often cyberbullying has led to teenagers trying to or actually committing suicide. It leads to suicide when teenager are too afraid to open up to their friends, parents or their teachers.

Everyone has their own opinion about if technology is dangerous. So, I decided to ask a student at Pitman who wants to remain anonymous about their view on technology:

“I think that that technology has its pros and cons. It can be dangerous and beneficial at the same time. When teens use technology sometimes they can actually give out their information without knowing. They can also meet strangers online who will pretend to know you or someone the same person you know, whether it is a family member you don’t know about or a person who pretends to know your friend or classmate.”

I agree with the person’s opinion, if you use technology cautiously then it can be beneficial. Many teenagers use technology for 4-5 hours minimum and that is a lot. I’m not trying to say to never use technology again but to be cautious and limit the time spent using it. Many teenagers use technology for 4-5 hours minimum and that is a lot.