by Dossie M Terrell

Created on: April 16, 2009   Last Updated: May 13, 2012

When most folks think about social networking websites, they think generally of Face book, Twitter and My Space, but there are many other active sites with all types of connections that allows for 24/7 interaction. Most all the more than 150 active networking websites also have chat rooms and other channels for inaction. Folks are literally staying on the Internet longer than they are sleeping. Many even eat their meals while surfing. There are many downsides when so much time is spent on the Internet.

There are some who become frenetic in their quest to obtain the newest and the fastest networking electronics, many will even stay outside all night in lines circling around blocks in all types of weather to be the first to get into electronic stores to purchase the latest gizmos on the market. When you stop to think of all the cyber chattering, it's a wonder anyone has time to stop and reconnect or to get in touch with themselves. There are some folks who use these sites to avoid facing life and will stay closeted in their homes day after day playing games, chatting in chat rooms or twittering.

This is especially troubling when children become permanent fixtures in front of their computers. According to Crunch Gear, the average teen spends 31 hours a week on the Internet, which is only 9 hours less than the average work week for the average adult. Another 3.5 hours per week are spent messaging. This is all rather unsettling, as there are a number of perverts trolling the Internet in their search for innocent children. Who is monitoring the time these children are spending on the Internet and also what they are seeing and doing?

There were some parents in California who complained about the vast amount of home work their children were required to do, but one would wonder when will they have time to do it as school work could not possibly be their priority?

The Internet and all the other networking tools are great, but there seems to be a lack of moderation and oversight. There is a growing disconnect among children about what is real versus unreality or fantasy. Manufacturers are steadily creating video games that are becoming more and more violent and children are viewing them, which no doubt they are doing in the 31 hours per week they are spending on the Internet. A lot of what they are seeing is being played out in schools and on City streets as they kill or maim their counterparts.

Perhaps, with all the websites and video games from which to choose, users should

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