Safer Internet Day: It’s a boon, but be careful, say celebs

The objective of Safer Internet Day is to raise awareness on how to make the internet a safer and better place for all, mainly for children and young people. Here’s what these celebs have to say about the use of the internet.

Rewati Limaye

Internet has really become a major part of our lives. It’s come to a point where we can’t think of our lives without accessing the internet. It’s become a very important need of the day to make the internet safer, one is for our children because there is an insane amount of negativity out there. There are certain dangerous elements out there which children can get easily influenced by. This whole competition of social media and number of followers and number of views can really take a toll on you especially on the youth of the country who is now practically obsessed with making reels. That’s an added pressure. We all really have by now that our phones or any gadgets connected to the internet are always listening to our conversations and are always listening to what is happening in our lives. It’s a different thing when it is only targeted towards taking that information and marketing certain products to us, that can be harmless to a certain level but all our information is being recorded and misuse should not happen because we don’t have a way to monitor this. As AI grows and becomes a part of our lives, I think along with that some very strict measures and serious work needs to be done about how it needs to be a safer place. With the internet there is this whole issue of trolling and people just come and say whatever they want. You can’t see the person’s face and it takes a toll on mental health. We have seen many examples of people committing suicide. There needs to be a filter when it comes to safety and what you can see or not see on the internet.

Nikhil Nanda

Internet has definitely been a great equaliser. It’s been more of a boon because a lot of people who didn’t have access to higher ups can now reach out to them on social media and the accessibility has grown. The information is available at a click of a button and we are able to know what’s happening around the world in a few seconds which in earlier days would take a number of days to get to know about it. So, the internet definitely has a lot more benefits than the discomfort which always comes along with any technology that’s there. Then comes the question of being able to control. It's the same that one peg or two pegs of whiskey is good for your health but if you overdrink then it’s bad, so same goes for social media. You should use it according to your need and what is optimum. You need to know where to stop and not to get overwhelmed by the Internet.

Sudhanshu Pandey

The Internet has changed our lives forever. Before we knew it, we were all so used to the internet. The faster way of communication and the faster way to reach out to somebody whether it’s banking or an email across the seven seas. The Internet has made us completely dependent on it but it has a lot of downsides, especially for children because they have access to the whole dark world of the internet which has a lot of stuff that can influence kids in a wrong way or misguide them. I don’t know how we can control the Internet but we can definitely control our children and guide them so that they know that the internet has to be used to their benefit and not to destroy their mind or thinking.

Priya Paramita Paul

At this present moment, the Internet has become a part of our daily life, right from work, to interacting with family, sharing media and everything. I think my day starts in the morning giving a call to my parents and sister through WhatsApp which is again with the use of the internet and when I go to sleep I do a video call with my family. These things are so personal that it is possible only because of the internet. The Internet is an integral part of my life and it depends on how people make use of such great inventions. I want people who misuse it to think about a life when there was no internet. Be safe because internet is creating a greater and easier life for everyone because when we are sleeping, somewhere else in the world people are using internet for their daily routine

Sonu Chandrapal

Yes Internet is boon and bane both and it depends on the use. We should raise awareness about it because even today there are people in India who don’t know how to use these technologies, especially the aged and 60 plus people. They should be aware of it. There are people who misuse the internet and even for that people should be aware about it like about the fraud that happens and how harmful it can be. The Internet definitely has given us a lot and in our daily life the Internet is our need from watching recipes online to searching for information to studying etc. However we must be aware about the fraud and scams related to banking.

Charrul Malik

Excess of everything is bad. The Internet is a boon but at the same time it has a lot of other drawbacks. We are completely dependent on the internet and since everything is a touch away so we have stopped learning and exploring manually like the things we did in our earlier days. We don’t remember phone numbers of our near and dear ones because we are doing everything digitally. Also because of doing everything digitally it takes a toll on the mental health of children and affects their brain and eyesight.  We should use the Internet for good purpose. We should cut down on screen hours and start using newspapers and books. We should start discussing things and start writing. The Internet is safe only when you use it for a limited duration. We should give kids phones after a certain age so that they don’t lose their innocence. The Internet is making us handicapped and we should think about it and keep on doing our practical things too like writing and reading.

Mitaali Nag

Internet is a blessing if used properly. It helps broaden our knowledge so much. Whether it is booking tickets for travelling, or checking the weather or using the maps or even finding a life partner. Everything has become convenient and quick because of the internet. It’s a medium that helps you find quick answers. It helps us make our life convenient. However, as much as the internet serves as a great resource available just at our fingertips, it can also be harmful if not used mindfully. Too much addiction of being online, seeing other people’s glorious life, and mindless scrolling has a negative effect on one’s mental health. Not just this, lack of privacy, ID theft, easy availability of inappropriate material which is not suitable for all age groups are some of the bad effects of the internet. I do use the internet in my daily life. Especially to watch world cinema and tv, to learn new things, and the maps very frequently to reach to a new location.