One hour of fun for forty rupees

Dr. Azard UDUMAN

It's being a great thing for the IT field to improve in this country so rapidly and the use of computers and internet to boost rapidly. We are proud to state that many have converted this to successful business enterprises. How far are you aware of what is happening in the internet cafe's my dear parents.

Here is the fact; open cabin internet cafes are safe and genuine. But closed cabin internet cafe's create a lot of room for unwanted behaviour and the management of those cafe's simply turn a blind eye as the business is good so why bother?

Out of the thousands of internet cafes island wide at least 90% of them are closed cabin cafes.

Which means they develop small rooms for privacy as they say? Once you enter the cabin you may close the little door and you are in a world of your own. School students have got themselves attracted to these 'joints' as they call it as they surf for fun for hours. Sometimes alone and most of the times in little groups of two or three. Even girls, are into these activities and poor parents are happy thinking 'my child is downloading information for the next school project'.

The sad issue is that most of the parents are ignorant on latest computer technology and the kids are smarter to go through their ears. What they play with is the 'TRUST' the parents have on them. So here is your eye opener. Children visit these internet cafes more often and they download pornographic movies and clips. These are easily stored in their flash drives and transferred secretly to their residence and mutually shared among the friends.

Though students show their parents that they are busy doing school projects and homework, they are not aware of the damage that is taking place within and among them.

It is important for parents to be aware of what the child is doing. Be cautious and vigilant. If you are not familiar with computer stuff find someone who can help you to guide your child.

This cafe mania has almost destroyed the younger generation and yet the authorities haven't even thought about this. If you are downloading information for your school project why do you need a closed cabin? There is nothing to hide, you may use an open internet cabin. If there is no secret to hide why should these internet cafes first of all construct these closed cabins.

Think about it! You will understand in a jiffy what could take place in these little caves. Without making it very clear they have been very successful to create a wonderful business using this secret. As this eating up our younger generation it is high time that the government look into this and bring rules to regularise the internet cafes with strict conditions that would save our future generation from this world of pornography as they are into it at the wrong age.

Cafe's management must bring in rules to stop the school children entering the cabins without their parents. They must be vigilant and monitor what they download. One cafe owner when asked on this issue stated to me "well we are not bothered of what they do inside, it is private so we can't put our hands into these matters".

These cabins are sometimes fitted with secret video cameras. If you browse some of the sites such as Youtube, you will see hundred of video clips that have been recorded in cafe cabins. If your child is caught in a video at an act of misbehaviour and is published in the internet what will you do?

The management of these cyber cafes should be educated properly to screen school students as to what they do inside these cabins. Girls and boys get together inside these closed cafe cabins without the knowledge of their parents, and it becomes a nice, inexpensive lovers hide out. With a screen in front of you with adult stuff what can happen next is for you to think.

Routine check of these cyber cafes by the local genuine police officers are important.

A rule must be brought in that all Cyber cafes to be open cabins so that secret downloads are not permitted. This might even have an impact on the security of the country. As we are not aware of the danger that lurks inside these cafes using high tech machines.

I appeal to the President with his wonderful policies of cleansing this nation, this would be a very important area to look in, as we are talking of our future generation.

The writer is PHD, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Past Life Therapist, Master Hypnotist & Counsellor.