Writing: ‘The Dangers of Technology’ by Abril Alvarez
The Dangers of Technology
I was a kid; I was raised with technology, the internet, the way it worked fascinates me till this day. There is one thing no big companies talk about, the fact there is big chances that kids will search “bad” stuff online. The fact that strangers are able to communicate with kids, maybe the fact that most parents that speak different languages won’t know what we are looking at. Many cases being reported on social media, with or without the victim’s family member or partners consent? We will probably never know, but that’s okay because the news only reports it for our safety! Right?
I was a kid; though I was small I was focused online, playing games until one day everything was normal but I got recommended a video, I clicked “it’s probably nothing”. The video was a murder case with gruesome details. My mom was in the room but she didn’t understand it, neither did I, being a little kid that only spoke Spanish wasn’t helping. I heard the word degloving, searched it up and was frightened by the horrible sight of a human, with no skin. I played a game, though strangers were talking to me, it was probably nothing! Right?
I was a kid; scrolling through TikTok at 4pm watched a short skit, then another one, one after the other. I got up for a snack, why was it 6pm? For months I was addicted, people calling me a zombie, a pair of eyes, even a robot. Though I was young I knew many things I shouldn’t have, just because of social media, the internet, technology, many things like deaths, slurs, 100 ways to die, happy tree friends, my parents didn’t understand them they were born and raised in Mexico, how would they know?
I was a kid; when I realized that technology was dangerous I wasn’t just worried about my online safety but my cousins too. Since I heard many things I shouldn’t have, now I try to protect not only myself but my younger cousins. I put limitations on their apps, join them, block people on games when they say weird things, when I hear something in a video I ask, I take, I block it. I don’t think my younger cousins realize how technology is dangerous and they’re too young to explain everything that could happen to them online, but bit by bit I’m helping them understand what could happen.
I am a kid; Knowing that technology might not even be safe for adults honestly makes me scared, knowing that there are viruses, companies that keep your data, sell it, makes me scared. Though I’m young my mind has been beyond my years, protecting my spanish- speaking family member, younger cousins, myself. Yes recipes online are helpful, yes ordering online will make you waste less time, but no one really knows what they do with your work. I just want to make sure my family is safe, but with technology expanding, are they really?
6th Grade, Ánimo James B Taylor
Guiding Teacher: Guadalupe Duran
