Effects of Computers on Teenager Interaction

Research carried out by Sears & Jacko (2009) shows that too much computer interaction on teenagers can bring about development of anti-social behavior among the teenagers. Anti-social behavior can be defined as the behavior lacking consideration for other people and which may bring about damage to society whether through negligence or intentionally. Anti-social behavior is a direct opposite of pro-social behavior that benefits of helps the society (Collins & Cattermole, 2006). Under the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, the anti-social behavior lies within human relations which are the third standard (APA, 2010). The human relations standard deals with how human beings as social creatures interact with one another in a society. There are many ethical issues associated with anti-social behavior for instance, snap or mood swing, isolation from other people, and norms violation in the society.       

These ethical issues associated with effects of computers have been identified due to researches conducted in human societies. It has been found that researches that involve human beings as participants, have to be regulated, to ensure that the research activities presents no more than minimal risk to the participants. This means that the risks of harm anticipated within the proposed research are minimal, regarding magnitude and probability, than those ordinarily experienced in daily life. When a person, usually a teenager, spends most of the time on the computer in a daily basis, they become immersed within the virtual world such that they start perceiving socializing as a difficult task as compared to those activities they are undergoing on their computers (Sears & Jacko, 2009).

The teenagers usually become disgruntled when they are subjected to social situation since they feel threatened and underprepared. They experience lack of vocabulary and a gradual decrease in speaking fluent language. Because of the anomalies the teenagers isolate themselves from others in the society. Lack of interactions with other people in a given society can lead an individual into violating norms that belong to the society since they may not be aware of the prohibited behaviors within the society. The computer users become addicted to the new society and gradually try to put away reality. The addiction brings about great strains on family relationships as well as intimate relationships since the users usually make themselves unavailable to any given social event (Collins & Cattermole, 2006).