28. What Teens Get About the Internet That Parents Don't

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/03/what-teens-get-about-the-internet-that-parents-dont/273852/

Mimi Ito's article, "What Teens Get About the Internet That Parents Don't" asserts that although adults usually have a negative view of the internet, the children and young people of today's generation are more stressed and restricted than of others and the internet can allow them to find relief by freely learning what they wish to. Ito uses an example of her own daughter learning the guitar through the internet as an example through out her argument. She appeals to her own credibility by speaking from a mother's point of view of what she wants for her own child for her good. Ito asserts that the present youth generation are suffering in many ways from pressure to do well and succeed in school and work while there is so much competition and financial difficulties. She also uses President Obama's state of the union address about the task for "rising tuition costs and their failure to foster skills that connect young people to job opportunity" as a supporting evidence to her point about the bad economic realities and colleges without "career-relevant learning." Graduating from college does not guarantee a job for the young people either. The teens are oppressed by stress, pressure and the busy schedule of courses all "mapped out for them in advance." However, with the internet, these teens have the opportunity to develop skills they are interested in without pressure, like Ito's daughter learns to play guitar from YouTube videos.

Mimi Ito intends this article mainly for adults who mostly have negative views of the internet with teenagers. Her purpose is to widen their view of the use of internet that it could be used greatly for the good of the young people's educational life. Ito recognizes the troubles in the lives of today's young people and their education that even causes social problems as drug abuse and depression and aims to notify the general audience about the issue in order to spread the concern which could arouse more inclination to do something about it.