Letter to the Editor-Don’t make Facebook your world |10 December 2010

This website is very popular among youngsters nowadays but has had some very bad effects on young people, not only in Seychelles but around the world.

Facebook is a fascinating way of socialising, but we need to make sure we do not make Facebook our world. It can affect your studies if you are concentrating more on the site than on doing your homework. For this reason a girl in the USA was given $200 a week by her mother to stop using Facebook.

I would consider Facebook as a "digital drug" that has similar effects to mood-influencing drugs, as you lose personal interests and your interest in your family if you keep on using it.

You do not feel well without logging on to your Facebook account, which is similar to addiction.

Facebook can lead to negative effects such as cyber-bullying (don’t add anyone as your friend if you don’t know them.)
Facebook also limits your English grammar as you use short terms for phrases, such as BRB for “be right back”.

I think Facebook should be used in a controlled way, for a maximum of one hour during school days and for a longer time during holidays. So please, youngsters of Seychelles, use Facebook wisely.

A young citizen of Seychelles