Dangers Of Internet Abuse And It’s Destructive Effects In The Society

Internet abuse/addiction is an evil whose aims are to steal, kill and destroy a glorious future in these last days and Satan is really achieving these three main goals in the society, particularly in the lives of youths.

It is no longer news in our society that we have cases of children of the same parents having sex with each other, people having sex with animals, rape cases involving minors have also increased tremendously and it is very sad that youths of these days are desperate to become billionaires even while they are still in primary, secondary or tertiary institution.

What is internet abuse / addiction?
Internet abuse is simply improper use of the internet. e.g. internet fraud, pornography and cyber sex, sexting, impersonation and identity theft etc

Internet addiction is simply excessive use of the internet in such a way that it has become an idol. e.g Cyber sex addiction, cyber relationship addiction e.g. using online relationship to replace real life friends and family, internet gambling, video & gaming addiction, excessive use of social networking sites etc.

Internet abuse has no respect for your age, status or academic qualification. No matter how highly placed you are, you can be addicted to the internet and it can affect every other aspect of your life negatively. Internet abuse / addiction will take you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.

Q: Who is an internet addict?
A: Your feeling when you are not online answers the question.

Practical and sensitive questions on internet abuse / addiction:

Please answer the questions personally and sincerely.

Do you spend more time than you really intend on the internet?

Do you feel restless or moody when you can’t go online?

How do you feel when your phone battery is down for some time?

How do you react when you misplace your mobile phone?

Can you do without your mobile phone for one week?
Can you do without checking your face book, 2go, whatssap, my space, email etc in a day?

What exactly are the things you do online and do they add values to your life in anyway?

Do you still enjoy your prayer life like in those days when you knew nothing about social networking sites?

Do you spend as much time on the word of God the same way you do on social networking sites?

Do you still enjoy your quite time every day?
How many phones do you have and how many bibles do you have?

Do you buy materials that can help you grow spiritually or academically the same way you buy expensive phones?

Does your internet usage serve as an escape from problems or relief from a bad mood or terrible situation?

Finally, have you made repeated but unsuccessful attempts to stop or control your internet use? Then you may be one of a growing number of people addicted to the internet unknowingly.

How do we overcome the dangers of internet abuse?

1. Keep your heart pure: everything you do in life originates from the heart. The word of God in Proverb 4:23 says “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”. Before you can keep your heart pure, the first step is to surrender that heart to God sincerely.

2. Spend more time to pray on your heart and dedicate it to God everyday because that is the source of everything you do in life.

3. You should be conscious of the fact that internet abuse / addiction is the strongest weapon that Satan is using to steal, kill and destroy the future of a people in these last days and finally send them to hell fire.

4. Make sure you always do your quite time before you visit any site on your phone or computer.

5. Make up your mind that it is not everybody you must chart with.

6. Always remember that there are different kinds of people on social networking sites. i.e. Some people are looking for victims and they can go extra mile to make sure you become their victim in any way. Please take note that you cannot differentiate between an impersonator and a real person on the internet.

7. Reduce the number of telephone lines and social networking sites you registered with.

8. Have a definite time for your internet usage every day and write all you want to do in a paper. i.e. If it is one hour, make sure you don’t exceed one hour and don’t do anything different from what you wrote down. It is more advisable to let all your contacts know that you have a definite time for internet usage.

9. Don’t be desperate. Make sure you are contented with what you have.

10. When you cannot help yourself, contact a counselor on the matter before it is too late.

Written by Rotimi Onadipe +234- (0)8095899404 Email: [email protected]