A new report from the UK is showing some interesting (perhaps alarming) statistics about young people. In studying a group of several thousand teenagers, they discovered that fully 45% were sometimes happier in their online lives than in real life. Some teens reported they only felt comfortable revealing that they were gay in anonymous chat rooms.
The study found that among those who spoke to strangers online 60% lied about their age, and 40% lied about personal relationships. And just as telling, 47% of all the teens said they behaved differently online than in real life. One teen said, "You can say anything online. You can talk to people that you don’t normally speak to and you can edit your pictures so you look better. It is as if you are a completely different person."
Psychotherapist Peter Bradley was quoted as saying: "These findings suggest that children see cyberspace as detachable from the real world and a place where they explore parts of their behaviour and personality that they possibly would not show in real life. We can’t allow cyberworlds to be happier places than our real communities, otherwise we are creating a generation of young people not functioning adequately in our society." To say nothing of the conserns in a community of faith.
The study found that among those who spoke to strangers online 60% lied about their age, and 40% lied about personal relationships. And just as telling, 47% of all the teens said they behaved differently online than in real life. One teen said, "You can say anything online. You can talk to people that you don’t normally speak to and you can edit your pictures so you look better. It is as if you are a completely different person."
Psychotherapist Peter Bradley was quoted as saying: "These findings suggest that children see cyberspace as detachable from the real world and a place where they explore parts of their behaviour and personality that they possibly would not show in real life. We can’t allow cyberworlds to be happier places than our real communities, otherwise we are creating a generation of young people not functioning adequately in our society." To say nothing of the conserns in a community of faith.
But teens aren't the only ones checking out. Many adults feel more comfortable in the virtual world than in the real world, interacting with real people. Released this past week... The Confessions App. This new iPhone App allows you to plug in all your info about age and when you last confessed, allows you to make your confession and even recommends up to 7 acts of contrition. At $1.99, it's not quite an indulgence, but it has been blessed officially by the Catholic church. One has to wonder if it's better to be tempted by a shiny apple or a shiny Apple device...
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