English

In my mind, the internet is an invention that has changed the course of history. To exaggerate a little, its importance is no less than that of the First and Second Industrial Revolutions. This is because, although what the internet seems to do is simply connect existing resources for sharing, it has almost completely changed the rules of the game. Countless businesses that directly or indirectly rely on the internet have sprung up like mushrooms after the rain and grown to an astonishing scale. The way people communicate has been transformed – electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light, sending information across the globe in an instant.

More importantly, knowledge has become easily accessible, with almost no cost. For some reason, people seem to be obsessed with freely sharing their knowledge online. From the smallest everyday life tips to the most advanced scientific theories, from literature of all kinds to the most cutting-edge research – you can find all of it on the internet, as long as you’re willing to explore. Public courses from top universities, books written by the most renowned experts in their fields – you could say that if a person is willing to invest the time, they can get the best education in the world through the internet.

On top of that, decades of accumulated data on the internet have, after lying dormant for years, given rise to another powerful tool: AI. By training machines on the knowledge humanity has already created, AI has shocked the world with its capabilities. Its birth is not mysterious – it did not come from any groundbreaking discoveries in physics, biology, or mathematics. Instead, it relies on the powerful computing capacity we already have and on the enormous datasets collected over decades, processed with specific methods of machine learning. The results are astonishing. And fundamentally, this too is directly or indirectly driven by the internet.

In my view, the internet is not something to be debated as useful or harmful – it is simply an inevitable product of human technological progress. Its role is both immensely important and irreplaceable. The consequences it brings, whether good or bad, are things humanity must go through and adapt to.

That being said, at a personal level, internet use can be controlled. Protecting children and vulnerable groups from harmful content online is both necessary and urgent. The internet contains as much harmful waste as it does treasures of knowledge. That’s why guiding children to use it properly and protecting them from harmful content is the responsibility of parents or guardians. There’s an old Chinese saying I agree with: “Raising without teaching is the father’s fault.” Children are born as blank sheets of paper, and parents are the ones best positioned to write on them. Good parents should recognize their responsibility and fulfill their duty, writing on this paper through care and education, instead of neglect – or worse, ruining it through scolding and violence.

In reality, though, even though almost every Chinese parent knows this famous saying, most of them only blame their children when they’re unhappy, without reflecting on whether they themselves have fulfilled their responsibility. For example, a child addicted to the internet or digital devices is most likely spending too much time alone – time that should have been shared with parents. A teenager who smokes or drinks in school likely has parents with the same habits.

From what I see, many great scholars, politicians, and entrepreneurs – all those who appear successful – often come from upper-class or at least harmonious families. Of course, this does not guarantee that children from such families will always become “elites”, but it does show that the family atmosphere absolutely shapes a child, and parents are the ones who set that atmosphere. So when we complain about a child being addicted to the internet, maybe we should first ask: what are the parents doing after dinner or before bed? Are they exercising, reading, and learning with their kids, or are they just as addicted to screens themselves?

Of course, education is a very complex topic. It doesn’t only involve parents and children, but also the government, society, and schools. For many parents, spending time to accompany and educate their children might feel out of reach, because they must dedicate all their time and energy to making a living. Others may not have received good education themselves and don’t have the ability to provide a good environment for their children. That’s why I don’t want to criticize anyone. What I want to say is that we need to move past emotional blame and bias, and instead look at the root causes behind these problems if we want to solve them – rather than resorting to criticism or even violence.

And some of the violence that comes out of this is beyond belief. In China, there are so-called “internet addiction rehab schools,” but what they actually do is illegally detain students sent by their parents, and subject them to extreme abuse, including but not limited to electric shocks, beatings, and even sexual assault. I believe that in any country, culture, or value system, such practices are absolutely unforgivable.

中文

在我的心目中，互联网是改变时代的发明，夸张的说，其重要程度甚至不亚于第一和第二次工业革命。这是因为，尽管互联网所做的似乎只是让已有的资源互相连接起来可以共享，但是这几乎改变了世界的游戏规则。大量直接或间接依赖互联网的企业如雨后春笋般出现， 并发展到了惊人的规模；人们的沟通方式发生了极大的改变，以光速传播的电磁波将信息在瞬息间传递至地球的另一端；更重要的是，知识变得唾手可得，几乎没有成本。人们不知为何似乎沉迷于在网络上免费分享自己的知识，简单至小的生活经验，复杂至最深奥，先进的科学，或是各类文学作品，都可以在互联网上获取，只要愿意花时间探索。各类最顶尖大学的公开课程，行业最负盛名的专家撰写的书籍，等等；可以说，如果一个人愿意投入时间，他可以通过互联网获得最顶尖的教育。此外，人类几十年以来在互联网上的数据积累在沉寂了多年后又催生出了另一个强大的工具：AI。通过让机器在人类已经创造的知识上进行学习，AI 的强大震惊了所有人。AI 的诞生实则并不神秘，人们并没有在物理学，生物学，或者数学上取得重大的突破。而是依托于目前人类掌握的强大的计算机算力和数十年来积累的海量数据，通过特定的方法让机器学习这些知识，从而达到了惊人的效果。归根结底，这都是直接或间接由互联网推动的。在我看来互联网并不是什么需要讨论是否有用，或者是否弊大于利的东西，而是一种在人类科技的发展下必然的产物。它的作用是无比重要又无可替代的，由互联网所导致的后果，无论好坏，都是人类必然要经历和适应的。

不过，在个人的层面上，对互联网的使用是可以被控制的。保护儿童和敏感的人群免受互联网上不良信息的侵害是必须的，也是迫在眉睫的。互联网上有多少知识宝藏，就有多少有害垃圾。因此引导儿童正确的使用互联网，保护他们不受有害垃圾的侵害是家长，或者监护人的责任。中国有一句我十分认同的古话叫做：养不教，父之过。儿童生来是一张白纸，而父母是最有能力在在这张白纸上书写涂抹的人。好的父母应当认识到自己的责任，并履行自己的义务，通过陪伴和教育在白纸上书写，而不是通过放任甚至打骂将纯洁的白纸涂抹成废纸。可现实中，尽管我相信任何一个来自中国的的父母都熟知，养不教，父之过这句名言，但是他们只会在自己不满意时责怪孩子，却不想是否自己履行了义务。比如说，一个沉迷于电子设备和网络的孩子大概率会独自度过大量本应该由父母陪伴的时光；一个在学校中吸烟喝酒的问题少年大概率同样有相同癖好的父母。我知道很多伟大的学者，或者成功的政客，企业家，总之那些看似成功的人，都来自一个上层阶层的家庭，或者至少一个和睦的家庭。当然这并不能保证来自这类家庭的孩子一定能成为所谓的精英，取得极高的成就，我只是想说，相比于家庭的氛围对孩子的影响是绝对的，而父母可以决定一个家庭的氛围。当埋怨一个孩子沉迷于网络时，不妨先看一看饭后睡前他的父母在做什么？是和孩子一起运动，看书，学习，还是自己也沉迷其中？当然，教育是一个非常复杂的话题，不止涉及到父母和孩子本身，还有政府，社会以及学校等。对于很多父母来说，或许花时间来陪伴，教育孩子是可望而不可即的事，因为他们需要花费自己所有的时间和经历挣钱养家。又或者他们本身都没有受到过良好的教育，也没有足够的能力为孩子提供良好的环境。所以我并不想批判任何人，我只是想，我们应该从情绪化的批判和严重偏见中走出来，努力看清一个现象背后的原因，才能解决这些问题，而不是诉诸于批评，甚至是暴力。尤其是，由此引发的有些暴力是我都难以相信的。在中国有一些所谓的戒网瘾，行为改正"学校"，而这些所谓的学校的做法实际上是非法拘禁那些被家长强制送来的学生，并施以极端的暴力，包括但不限于电击，殴打，甚至强奸。我相信无论在任何国家，文化和价值观中，这都是不可饶恕的。