So yeah I woke up at like 3am today (I slept at 12am) because the weather is so asdfgh hot even though I sleep with two fans pointing at me at speed 3 each. And I still wake up sweating. I mean I can sleep through it but it's really uncomfortable so yeah might as well wake up. Though I originally planned for 4am or 5am to eat because fasting. Because I've been eating one meal a day and I know I won't die of starvation but my mental state just can't take it haha so yeah. But ugh I swear my body insists on a maximum of 5hours of sleep a day no matter how much sleep debt there is and no matter how much I try to pay back that debt. -_-

Anyway, getting to the point because I don't want to mislead readers by thinking that I'm not posting what I originally planned to, here it is. Because while waiting for the rice to cook (yes, quite upsetting to wake up to one tiny handful of rice to eat so yeah), I shall blog/rant formally.

Why parents should not deprive their teenage children of the Internet

In this day and age, it's hard to imagine life without the Internet - in first world countries, at least. One of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, the internet has revolutionised the way we work and play. No longer do companies face huge amounts of paperwork, and no longer do gamers, or those with too much time on their hands, spend their time on classic, now out of demand, Windows games such as Pinball and Solitaire. Yes, while the Internet is a double edged sword, one side is definitely sharper than the other. And yes, while the Internet is a double edged sword, we are all swordsmen.

Getting to the point of how Internet has impacted the young, tech-savvy generation, it is beyond doubt that teenagers today account for one of the largest groups of Internet users, and also the group who make use of the Internet for a diverse range of purposes. Teenagers not only make use of the Internet for work, in this case, schoolwork and assignments, or online learning (e-learning), but also for social purposes, such as social media for social interaction and social entrepreneurship to raise social awareness about issues.

Parents, on the other hand, come from a very different background, thus, have very different views and uses of the Internet. The generation gap, though may be closing, is still existent. A large number of parents use the Internet as a work tool and also a means of communication, however, in contrast to that of children, it can be said that the usage is for a more formal and basic purpose.

While both groups have varying interests and ideals, it is important to note that parents have the superiority over children, especially in Asian countries, thus, have the power to limit their children's use of the Internet, among other things. Coupled with the perception that parents know better , and know what’s best for their children, this mindset has led parents to take action, that is, to deprive their teenage children of the Internet. Some of the more popular reasons, though shallow, cited include the assumption that teenage children do not do anything productive while on the Internet, or that the Internet does more harm than good, distracting its users rather than helping them attain maximum efficiency in completing a task. However, parents fail to realise - or chose to ignore, or refuse to believe - the implications of such actions of depriving the use of the Internet.

The use of the Internet is so greatly influential and so widely available that it is impossible for anyone to control it - unless one is the Government of China - even if they tried. In a country like Singapore, the need to stay connected is even encouraged by the Government of Singapore, with the implementation of government-sponsored Internet access around the island like Wireless@SG. Shopping malls, food and beverage outlets, schools and even places of worship also provide such services, free of charge. The decision of parents who decide to cut off the Internet access at home can be aptly described by the Malay traditional saying of "membuang garam ke laut" - literally meaning throwing salt into the sea. Such actions would only lead to even worse outcomes, as children would tend to rebel, and seek other sources of Internet access by going out, or resort to other more unconventional or illegal methods which would bring in a greater set of challenges for parents. Thus, it is, in all Singaporean-ness, a 'stupid thing to do'.

Some would be familiar with the phrase, "The Internet is a playground", which comes from the title of the bestselling debut book by David Thorne. While the book is about amusing incidents relating to the use of the Internet, it is beyond doubt that the Internet IS a playground, for Internet users to play, learn and have fun. With news giants such as BBC and local news providers such as Channel News Asia and The Straits Times stepping up to the social media platform, news is now presented in bite-sized information - ideal for the busy life of working adults and students alike. Breaking news also reach out to the population faster and more efficiently, via tweets and retweets on Twitter. Like a playground, there may be dangers lurking on the Internet, such as false information and impersonation. However, like all dangers and possible threats, it is important and necessary for those involved to take precaution and assess the risks involved. Just as dangers and failures are part and parcel of life, they should not be concealed and hidden from the Internet by means of depriving children from the Internet. After all, the best way to learn is from hands-on experience, of which the Internet is a rather rich source of, as quoted from a Chinese proverb, "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

Like most technological advancements, if not all, the Internet was created for efficiency, and there are those who work more efficiently with the use of the Internet. Depriving access to the Internet would not only decrease the quality of the work produced, but also the attitude of the worker, hindering what could have been productive work sessions. The Internet is not only essential for working conditions, but also for non-working conditions. Taking breaks is important, and for some, the Internet is an outlet to relieve stress. Thus, the absence or lack of access to the Internet could and would cause greater disturbance as well as inefficiency in carrying out a particular task.

Looking at the big picture, the Internet may be a tool, but what matters even more is its user. Teenage children, the next generation, are what carries humanity’s future, hopes and dreams. That being said, with high levels of education, surpassing even that of the older generations, there is no doubt that these teenage children possess the necessary skill sets in order to face the challenges that they are facing - which is clearly different from that being faced by the older generation. Being young adults themselves, these teenagers carry a certain degree of responsibility and are aware of it. Certainly, somewhere along the way some may have fallen into the abyss of Internet addiction, the plain truth is that it is only the minority. Even if these Internet addicts do make up a larger than expected portion of the population, there are also a significant number of adults who are addicted to the Internet too, thus, parents are in no way more superior than their teenage children, to the point of denying access of the Internet.

In conclusion, while the intentions of parents to deny teenage children of Internet access may have been good, the harsh reality is that times have changed, and that parents may not necessarily know what’s best for their teenage children, especially when they have vastly different experiences and outlooks to life. Being mature individuals, teenage children are more aware than ever of the consequences of excessive Internet usage, thus, should be allowed the right to dictate their own lives and make their own choices.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank:
- My parents for the muse because they deprived me of the Internet for the whole of Saturday night up until Monday morning (I'm posting this outside my home, obviously).
- My family for finishing the rice and giving me no choice but to cook more (yes I NEED rice because Asian) so while waiting for it to cook I wrote this.
- The extremely hot and humid weather of Singapore for waking me up at 3am and writing this until 5am.
- The Internet, which I love. Sadly, this post was written with no Internet sources or references, hence the quality.
- My phone and Google Docs because technology. Haha you don't expect me to have written this out, pen and paper, right. (Tbh imo I'm addicted to my phone with Internet access, not Internet access in general lol.)

DISCLAIMER
This is what I would have written for General Paper examinations, had such a question been set. Thus, this is the quality of work I probably would have submitted so I am sorry for the bad English haha. Yes I am aware the quality of writing and thought gets worse like after the 6th paragraph because I stopped and continued at like 12pm. :( And I hope you readers would be as nice as my examiners and read without judgement. Please ask for permission if you intend to reproduce/feature/quote my work. Thanks.

PROFILE OF WRITER
Just the usual teenager addicted to the Internet (I admit, but I don't think the effects are very detrimental. Yet.) I am Asian. I got B+ for Language Arts for Junior High 3 and 4 (secondary 3 and 4 equivalent), and am taking Higher 2 English Language and Linguistics at A-level and am currently getting an S (sub-pass) grade for General Paper (oops).