To the Editor:

As technology advances, the Internet is becoming a center for information of all sorts and a tool of many purposes.

One of the most important online tools is the social network. "Social technology such as texting and Facebook is a tool for today's teens to develop emotional bonds...," states Natasha Murashev in her article, "Why Social Media Is Actually Good for Teens."

However, recently, the number of nervous parents and teachers rose due to issues with online social networks.

While it is a tool to some, social network sites have become a danger to American youths who are not educated in the risks involved in the sites.

When using these sites, we must be very careful because these sites can be hotspots for cyberbullying and criminals, can detract from face to face interactions and are wastes of time and brainpower. Social network sites are hotspots for cyberbullying and malicious people. Cyberbullying, as can be inferred from its name, is the use of technology to harass a peer. Bullying online is especially dangerous because of the speed at which it can happen and the anonymity of the bully.

Through the Internet, the bully and the victim do not have to see each other to interact, making it much easier for the bully to harass the student. Malicious people and identity thieves (usually under false names) are also at large, and could steal your personal information to sell to questionable parties. Additionally, only recently, did Facebook publish a statement banning groups, like the rapist community (CNN.com), that were negatively influencing social media.

American youths need to be watchful on these sites.

Social network sites also detract from face-to-face communication. Large amounts of time are spent on these sites, so little time is spent with people in real life.

A study by USC Annenberg found that in 2010, 34 percent of social network users say their family time decreased after beginning to use these sites. Some social network users even became oblivious to simple face-to- face communication with friends.

While researching this topic, a lot of comments to article sources were written by worried parents about their social network obsessed children. Parents and children need to limit time on social network sites and encourage face-to-face communication.

Excessive social networking is also time wasted. Teens spend on average 54 minutes each day on social network sites. This time can be spent on productive means. A good alternative is studying. Research show that non-social-networking teens have an average 3.86 GPA, while students who are heavy social-networking users have an average 3.06 GPA.

Students and parents need to be aware of the risks of excessive social networking.

So the lesson of the day is: be watchful and careful when spending time on the social networking sites.

Zhuohong He

Emmaus High School