When you consider this generation, referred to as the smartphone/internet generation, what ways would you suggest that teens and youths can be positively channel their drive with these packages?
Smartphones and other electronic devices, as well as the internet, are good packages for everyone and they come with various uses. You can use them for academic, social purposes. Many youths use them more for social purposes, and many times, with imaginary people, and they eventually become addicted and even lose focus on their academic work. There are productive ways to use the internet. You can use it to do assignments, search for information to get better understanding of things, and even to improve spoken or written English, provided you’re using it the right way. There are so many things you can do with the internet, but some of them use the internet unproductively, and get into danger.
Then, there’s too much exposure, and they share too much personal information via the internet, which shouldn’t be there. Sometimes, you find them taking selfies in class to upload on the internet. Instead of taking selfies, in the classroom, you can use the smart devices to take photographs of results, assignments, record lectures, among so many good functions they can be used for. Unfortunately, they use them to connect with people for the wrong reasons.
Instead of making connections that are unproductive, you can connect with people with whom you can improve in your academics, such as doing assignments together. The problem is not with the internet and smart devices, but with the usage.
As an individual, you have to regulate your usage of the internet and smart phones so you don’t become addicted. Sometimes, you see people fidgeting because they don’t have their smartphones with them – it is sometimes that bad. Some people cannot help but reach for their phones immediately they wake up. There are people who cannot sleep without their phones beside them – that is addiction. And whatever the addiction is, it is as bad as getting addicted to cocaine or marijuana and it becomes a psychological problem and it affects them academically because it can distract from listening during lectures. You can have your phone in class and choose to chat with people, rather than use the same phone to record lectures; you can use your phone to chat with your friends while the sermon is on, rather than use the same phone to read the Bible. It depends on maturity, and the way you use these smart devices, and it is quite easy for young people to be distracted through them. The World Wide Web is really a web and when it catches you as such, you’re in.
You’re in an academic environment. What ways do you think lecturers can also take advantage of these packages to make for better learning environment?
You can’t lump lecturers together. Age is a factor. There are the older ones, who are used to paper and pen, although there are some older ones who are adventurous and are interested in using these packages. Sometimes, for the older generation of lecturers, their fears may not be unrelated to the fact that with the internet, it is hard to withdraw or erase information, like if one wants to make a correction, once it is out there on the web, unlike what you can achieve with paper and pen. And with the generation of the people, who did not grow up with the internet, you cannot expect them to make a turnaround overnight. Another thing is that many times, students misuse such opportunities the lecturers provide. Sometimes, when you give assignments through the internet, they just do copy-and-paste. Some of them are smart in the misuse of, and cheating with, these packages. Another thing is, is the society ready for it? There is the factor of bad or slow connection, epileptic power supply, and the like, and it can be quite frustrating. The right factors must be in place for that to work across board. We can have classes using the internet, without necessarily being in the classroom. We have to ask ourselves if we are really ready for virtual learning.
As a psychologist, how would you advise families on spotting the signs of mental challenges?
We should be our brothers’ keepers. Let us watch out for signs and symptoms in our children because suicides don’t just happen. It starts with little things – isolation, unwillingness to interact, lack of motivation, not taking care of self, disinterestedness. When that happens, we should take action and seek counsel from the appropriate quarters. Another thing is that families need to create more time to spend together.
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