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Going to school these days has a whole new meaning. You won’t be considered cool if you do not have the latest gadgets at your disposal. On the other hand, the education system wants to go virtual. Day after day, the laptop manufacturing companies are putting in their best to bring about a technological change in schools. Of course their intentions are good and in the favour of the children’s development.

But kids are of course kids and hence problems begin when they start misusing these gadgets. No it is not about watching porn at a very young age. Gone are those days and kids have gone way much smarter than that. Misusing gadgets today would mean umpteen number of messages sent out to peers, being online through their phones, signing up for various social networking activities and remaining indoors chatting or surfing the net while they should be playing outdoors. They even want to send their homework via email.

What the kids do not realise is that they missing out on a lot. But then being without these things would mean they cannot fit into the regular crowd at school. It is peer pressure too to get the latest phones or blackberry’s’ etc. staying in touch with friends has a new meaning as well.

Given the boom of technology in school, different aspects of schooling are taking a new meaning. For example, bullying used to be limited to a kid being bullied by a boy/girl who felt they were superior to them. But now bullying happens through sms or even email threats.

Recently, parents of a 12 year old girl complained to her school authorities that over the weekend she had received scores of sexually explicit messages from a by in her class. They were worried and very angry. They wanted the school authorities to punish the boy. However, the school’s spokesperson stated that this happened after school and on a weekend, so the school cannot do anything to discipline such acts. Had it happened in school, they could have taken the boy to task.

The parents of this girl even thought of approaching the police. The question here is not the sexually explicit messages sent to the girl but does the boy understand the implications of the act he has committed? On the outside he could be the boy next door but he might have a very different virtual life. It can act as his alter ego like it does for many of us.

Scores of schools are facing such problems today. For the kids, it’s a little more than fun but then they do not realise that all this exposure will get them nowhere. Technology was introduced to help mankind but it has taken an ugly turn. So this leaves us with a question; handing over the latest technology to kids can be threat? They should not be using them? The answer to this question is both; yes and no. it works both ways. If the child uses technology in the right manner then it’s a boon.