Friday, September 20, 2013

Teenagers prone to severe depression when deprived of their phones and access to social media!----Ya Reckon?!

I have often had to work with sad teenagers, either when they have 'lost' their cell phones, had them taken from them as a disciplinary response, lost them, or the phones have broken down. It seems that their world is suddenly 'less than real,' their lifeline to friends gone, their very existence threatened. I have sometimes wondered at the power of electronic devices and how they have impacted on the lives of our young people. How many adults have shaken their heads in dismay at how their children are so dependant on their cell phones, tablets and other 'connections to the cyber world? I have observed 'clients' who are bordering on and sometimes crossed over to the world of clinical depression when such events enter their lives.
I have been remiss in my understanding about just how much the cyber world means to young people and the events of the last 24 hours have brought that home to me. I was mucking around (as we do) on my lap top yesterday after work and somehow to manage to push the wrong button (As I am prone to do!) and my connection to MY cyber world vanished. I have been so wrong to underestimate the effect of such a momentous failure of my 'techie world.' I too suddenly felt 'cut-off,' isolated and yes, a little pissed off. Surely my reaction was over-the-top. I was totally surprised at my feelings. Hey, I am a gown up man, not some teenager! Wow---this is new territory for me; one that I had not seen coming! What to do?
Nothing I could do would let me connect to the web. my partner tired, to no avail. We rang Telecom who informed us that we needed a technician.
I rang one down the road who was most unhelpful so it into the 'Local Pages' book and I found a number for AKLWIDE COMPUTERSERVICES LTD. the response was immediate and by the time Team NZ lost the second race, further adding to the whole of NZ's suffering, never lone mine!, I had arranged for a techie to come around. He fixed the problem in a short time for a very fair price, advised me of a good protection, one that cost a little but one hell of a lot better than the free ones (Hey, you don't get much for nothing in this world!) and my world was restored.
Now looking back at my reaction to 'exclusion from my 'connectedness' I can laugh, but laugh with anew understanding of how it is for my clients and young people generally. I suspect that many of my adult friends will have similar feelings but unlike me, will not admit to it. Or---perhaps the 'world of my clients has rubbed off on me, a little more than I realized! Scary thought, eh?
OK---all is well now---except---Please, Dean and Team NZ----put us out of our misery---finish the damn thing!
www.authorneilcoleman.com

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