It’s a typical Wednesday afternoon. I walk in the front door after a tiring day of school, and the first decision I’m faced with is whether to check my email or my Facebook account.  Regardless of what I eventually choose, I’m still on the Internet.  Are you aware of the amount of time you spend “surfing the web,” as our parents like to call it?

The typical teenager spends an average of over 30 hours a week online.  Now, don’t take this information the wrong way.  The effects of the Internet are not all bad.  One would hope that a large portion of those 30 hours is being devoted to homework or intellectually stimulating activities, such as reading news articles or researching a ground-breaking science discovery, instead of watching mind-numbing reality T.V. shows and stalking your latest crush.

A question that often comes to mind is: what could our parents have possibly done without the Internet?  As hard as it is to believe, we are the first generation to live our entire lives with the Internet; our parents actually talked to people without a computer screen acting as a third wheel in the conversation!

So from now on when you go online, try to be thankful for the innovative technology we have today and take advantage of the resources the Internet offers.  The best advice I have to offer you is that while you’re spending those 30 plus hours online make sure to check out the UV online website, where your time will be well spent.