Why Youngsters Drifting into Darkness

Adolescence is an important period of everyone’s life. During this time, children who grow up into adolescents experience significant changes in their social outlook. They are driven by intense emotions, develop a growing curiosity to know and learn about everything, and often lack the maturity to distinguish right from wrong. They begin to think independently and feel capable of making their own decisions. This period is extremely sensitive for a child’s overall development. 
In this phase, the youngsters can be easily influenced by others and become more emotionally attached to their friends for various reasons.  Thus, when an adolescent associates with a group of bad companions, he gradually and often unknowingly moves away from family and social values. It is quite common that many adolescents start bad things like smoking and eventually become addicted to various drugs at this age, sometimes either out of curiosity, or owing to the influence of a bad company.
Thus, an adolescent often fell encouraged to join juvenile gangs owing to the influence of his evil associates. And drug-addiction often leads to engage in anti-social activities like theft, robbery, extortion and various other criminal activities. So, bad company not only causes moral degradation among them but also destroys their bright future at an early stage. Consequently, a lack of interest in studies and growing distance from family can eventually push them into a life of frustration and hopelessness.
Meanwhile, excessive and uncontrolled use of mobile phones as a means of entertainment is also another danger. Nowadays, many adolescents spend hours playing online games in groups and stay awake late at night. Abusive language and aggressive behaviour within games, as well as the obsession with going viral on TikTok and similar platforms, are hindering their normal development. Some children spend money secretly, without their parents’ knowledge, to purchase items within online games or on social media platforms. Likes, views and comments on TikTok or Reels often become measures of their self-worth. In the pursuit of popularity, some adolescents take dangerous challenges or create inappropriate content, sometimes exposing themselves to serious risks. Being subjected to trolling and cyberbullying can increase feelings of inferiority and emotional stress. Staying awake late at night on a regular basis disrupts sleep and may contribute to problems such as eye strain and headaches. If this continues for a long time, irritability, loneliness and anxiety may increase.
Unfortunately, because of their busy schedules, many parents do not know how their children are spending their time and with whom. By the time parents become aware of the circumstances of their children, they may already be deeply involved in harmful activities. 
Therefore, parental awareness is essential for ensuring the healthy development of children and adolescents. They should spend quality time with their children. Talking with children and adolescents, eating meals together, learning about their interests etc. can contribute greatly to their happiness and intellectual development. Besides, parents must also be conscious of their children’s choice of friends. During the important years of development, parents should help their children choose good friends. They should know their children’s friends, maintain a friendly relationship with their families and remain aware of where their children go, whom they spend time with and how long they use their phones. Regular communication and timely supervision can make it easier to bring children back from the wrong path.  Moreover, children should be encouraged to develop moral and religious values. From an early age, they should be taught to understand the difference between right and wrong. Encouraging religious values, good manners, honesty, kindness and respectful behaviour can help them develop the ability to choose the right path independently.