Too Much Online: How the Internet Is Quietly Changing Today’s Teenagers

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In a world where internet connection seems more important than human connection, young people are slowly becoming what they consume online, both the good and, more dangerously, the bad.

From sagging trousers to social media trends, teenagers are drifting into a space where filters matter more than feelings, and where beauty is measured by likes and shares.

“Sometimes I just want to delete everything,” said Chiamaka Eze, a 16-year-old from Owerri.

 “But I find myself going back, scrolling for hours, even when it makes me feel worse.”

For many like Chiamaka, the internet started as a place of fun, watching tutorials, dancing to TikTok beats, chatting with friends.

But with time, it became a mirror that reflects unrealistic lifestyles, peer pressure, and silent competition.

“I see girls my age dressing half-naked just to trend,” said Ifeoma Anene, a 17-year-old student of community secondary school oforola.

“Some even bleach their skin or lie about their age just to get attention.”

“It’s not who we are, but that’s what gets noticed now.”

The pressure isn’t only on girls.

“Boys now act hard, even rude, just to get clout online,” said Emeka Madu, who’s 16 and once joined an online group that dared him to post rude videos.

 “I deleted the videos later. I wasn’t proud of it.”

There’s also the issue of dressing, the trend of wearing revealing clothes is growing, and social media influencers are fuelling it.

But opinions differ among teens.

“Revealing dress doesn’t make you beautiful,” said Nkechi Ubah, 16.

“Real beauty is being bold and neat, not naked.”

But Kamsi Daniel, 17, disagrees: “I feel confident in what I wear, even if it’s short.”

“People just like judging girls, but boys go topless and nobody talks.”

As the internet grows deeper into their lives, even relationships are beginning earlier.

“I know girls in JSS3 that already have boyfriends,” said Onyinyechi Paul, 14.

 “They’ll tell you ‘I love him’ like they’re married, it’s becoming normal.”

Not every teen is buying into the idea.

“I’m not dating anybody,” said Favour Chiamaka 16.

 “I’ve seen enough breakups and dramas online, I don’t want that stress, and besides my education first, I am too young to be in a relationship now, else my mum and aunty will feel disappointed”

And then comes the data struggle, the cost of staying connected is not cheap, yet most teens find their way around it.

“I sell earrings to buy data,” said Adaobi Nwankwo, who runs a small beading business.

 “That’s how serious this internet thing is, If I don’t post every week, I feel invisible.”

Others share hotspot with friends or use midnight bundles to stay active online.

“I’ve used money for lunch to buy data,” said Chinedu Okoro, 17.

“I know it’s bad, but that’s the only time I can catch up.”

Even with all the red flags, walking away from the internet feels like punishment to many.

“I’ll cry if the internet goes off for one week,” laughed Ebuka Nwachukwu, 15.

“No TikTok? No status updates? It’ll be war.”

But for Joy Onyeka, 16, a week offline might just be a blessing.

“I think I’ll sleep better and maybe stop comparing myself to other people.”

What scares many parents and even some teens are how much of their behaviour is shaped by what they see online, how they dress, talk, walk, and even feel.

“I slapped my friend once during a joke, like in a skit I saw online,” Michael Obi, 15, confessed.

“He didn’t find it funny, and I felt bad later.”

Not all teens follow blindly, some are beginning to speak up and draw boundaries.

“I unfollowed some influencers,” said Amarachi Johnson, 14.

 “If I keep watching them, I’ll start feeling like my life isn’t enough.”

Still, the fear remains that the damage is deeper than it looks.

“Some of us don’t even know who we are anymore,” said Ikechukwu Peter, 16.

 “We just do what’s trending.”

If there’s anything these teenagers agree on, it’s that the internet has changed them, some for better, but many for worse.

Behind the filters and hashtags are real children trying to figure out life in a world where everything moves too fast and too fake. Until they pause long enough to remember who they are without Wi-Fi, the danger is that they’ll keep losing pieces of themselves to screens that never sleep