By Rotimi Onadipe
Internet abuse and internet addiction are strong weapons that the enemy is known as “satan” had planned to use to steal, kill and destroy the glorious future of many people in these last days.
It is no longer news in our society that we have multiple 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. It is very sad that youths of these days are desperate to become billionaires even while they are still in the primary, secondary or tertiary institutions because they believe this can be achieved through the internet. Internet abuse, particularly internet fraud is now the order of the day among youths in today’s technology age.
What is internet abuse?
Internet abuse can be defined as improper use of the internet. e.g. internet fraud, sexting, online impersonation, cyberbullying, identity theft etc
Internet addiction refers to excessive use of the internet that is detrimental to the user’s daily obligations. e.g. online gaming or gambling addiction, cybersex or pornography addiction, online relationship addiction, compulsive web surfing etc.
Internet abuse or internet addiction has no respect for age, status or academic qualification. No matter how highly placed you are, you can be a victim of internet abuse or internet addiction and this may have negative effects on almost all aspects of your life.
Internet abuse or addiction will take you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.
Who is an internet addict?
How you feel when you are not online answers the question.
Practical and sensitive questions about internet abuse and addiction:
Your answers to these questions will give you a clear picture of an internet addict.
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 checking your phone or social media account in a day?
What exactly do you do online and does it add any value to your life in any way?
Do you spend as much time on the word of God the same way you do on social networking sites?
Does your internet usage serve as an escape from problems or relief from a bad mood?
Finally, have you made repeated but unsuccessful attempts to stop or control your internet use?
Your answer to the above questions will help you to know if you are addicted to the internet or not.
How to overcome the danger of internet abuse and addiction in these last days:
- Keep your heart pure. Everything we 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”. In order to keep your heart pure, the first step is to surrender your heart to God sincerely.
- Spend more time to pray on your heart and dedicate it to God every day because that is the source of everything you do in life.
- You must be conscious of the fact that internet abuse and internet addiction are strong weapons that Satan is using in these last days to steal, kill, destroy the future of people and prevent them from getting to heaven.
- Make sure you always observe your quiet time before you check your phone or social media account every day.
- You must be informed that there are different kinds of people with different missions on the internet. i.e. Some people have good intentions while others are searching for victims.
- You should 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.
- Always make a record of what you have benefited from your online activities.
- Reduce the number of your telephone lines and social media accounts.
- Don’t be desperate. Make sure you are contented with what you have.
- When you cannot help yourself, contact a counselor before it is too late.