6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet for Students | Dangers & Benefits of Internet for Students

Internet is an evolving technology that constantly adds new features so that users can be more convenient with its usage. Since the introduction of internet, modern life of people has become easy and comfortable. 

From Bank, Healthcare, Business to Economical various departments are being benefited from the internet. It is important to find a service today that is not facilitated by the internet. Similarly, internet has been looked by students as a learning tool. Especially for students it may be the primary place besides books where they get knowledge related to their studies. In fact directly or indirectly, internet influences students lives in many ways. 

However, internet contains some dark sides that can't be ignored. It can pose numerous problems to the students if misused. By considering the following points, students will know how to use this tool for good purpose.

In this article, let's look at the 6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet for Students | Dangers & Benefits of Internet for Students. Through this post, students will know the pros and cons of using internet. 

Let's get started,

Advantages of Internet for Students

1. Information

The significant advantage of the internet is the information that it offers. Huge amount of information about various subjects are presented near your fingertips. It is not just about one single subject. This cannot be achieved without the use of search engines. 

Through this ease of information, students are benefited for their data research. Students today heavily rely on internet since they longer need to waste time by going to a library or finding books from a respective author.

2. Accessibility

Internet is accessible 24x7 which means that it never closes. As long as the students are having a computer and an internet connection, they will be able to access the internet by any means. 

The accessibility of the internet has made convenient for the students to understand their subject better. Therefore, unlike a library students don't need to wait for a opening and closing time. The information are accessible whenever they need it. 

3. Communication

Students irrespective of their nations, races, religions and cultures will be able to communicate and express their opinions with other peer students. This type of communication is more convenient compared to other traditional ways such as telephone calls and letters. For the communication part, students can choose various forms like email, chatrooms, messenger services and videoconferencing. 

And also students can use forums to discuss about their subject matters with teachers and students in various parts of the world. For the students who are hesitant to express their doubts, could use forums and remain anonymous.

4. Entertainment

Apart from studies, students can also use internet for the purpose of entertainment. From videos, music to games everything is made available on the internet. In the recent years, online gaming has become popular, particularly among teenagers. For students who study for prolonged hours, this internet entertainment is a great way to relieve stress.

5. Job Opportunities

Gone are the days when people prefer to apply jobs using letters. Since the digital era, people started seeking job opportunities through the internet. In most parts of the world, job opportunities are made available for the students via the internet. 

Through this the students could find other career opportunities as well. And also during the study process, students will be able to stay updated regarding the job market based on their field of education.

6. Online Education

With the internet, students can also use the opportunity for online education. Certain universities offer virtual courses for students all around the world. This is especially beneficial for students who are located in a different country and willing to participate in the respective course. 

And for working students this is even more convenient since they could follow the course without any hindrance to their regular lifestyle.

Disadvantages of Internet for Students

1. Anti Social

Children these days have lost their communication skills mainly due to the usage of internet. Rather than interacting with people real life, children are more interested in computer communication. 

Interacting with people online differs massively from real life interaction. The amount of feelings and thoughts that is expressed in social interactions can never be achieved by a computer.

2. Addiction

The internet can also be extremely addictive to students. The students could spend too much time wasting on internet neglecting their studies. There are so much of entertainment options on internet that can make a student distracted from their studies. For an example, students could play online game prior to an examination where they should spend studying. This could seriously affect a student's academic performance.

3. Vulgarity

While using internet, students could be exposed to various forms of vulgarities such as Violence and Pornography. Adult contents are easily made accessible to underage children. Even though adult websites try to limit access t show their contents to 18+ audience, there is no trusted way to verify the user's age. 

And some online games involve lots of violence that can be disturbing to children. Therefore, students particularly teenagers could be exposed to such contents affecting their mental health.

4. Misuse

Even for a student's education, internet can be misused to promote laziness. Unlike a library where information could just be read, internet allows contents to be copied. In case of a university assignment or a school homework, some students simply copy paste information from the internet. From such an action students will never learn the key concepts behind the internet information.

5. Reliability

Not every content posted on the internet is from reliable sources. The information posted on the internet could be fake or exaggerating. Some contents are just created purely for the sake of misguiding visitors. Hence, it is the responsibility of the teachers to guide students to find reliable and trusted information on the internet.

6. Health Concerns

Students need to use a computer or a smartphone for accessing the internet. Using the smart devices for a prolonged period of time could contribute to various physical problems such as neck pain, back pain and eye pain. 

Particularly, the light that is being emitted by the smart devices are known to cause numerous eye problems. Students who use smart devices for a long term are reporting health issues in eyes such as blurred vision and problems while focusing.