Information and communication technologies (ICT) can have a positive effect on teen students. First of all, access to information has radically changed since the internet emerged. Today, it´s easier to obtain data on any topic of interest, also, it´s immediate. Typing any word in any web searcher allows them to be in contact with the knowledge they are looking for. Pablo, 16 years old, has gained enormously from this. Living with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), analyzing and extracting facts from textbooks was very challenging for him. The Internet has helped him learn better, offering different choices of material; them being text, images or videos. Not only he improved his academic records, but he also took initiative in exploring and developing his appeals and abilities. Every week he speaks to me about how he researched online something he came across and the gameplay videos he creates.   

Nowadays, with the internet, there are no barriers, time or space limitations to acquire knowledge. Sitting in front of a screen, by the click of a mouse button, you can investigate a variety of subjects; whether it´s via website information, virtual classes or tutorial videos. Francesca, 17 years old, took this to the letter. A makeup artist enthusiastic spends hours online going through tutorial videos, learning the different techniques and color combinations. She, then, practices on herself and applies the new skill set on friends and relatives. Additionally, since she goes to a dance-oriented school, she exercises every move and step they teach her, by watching them over and over again on her computer. The Internet has not only allowed her to pursue her dreams but to live and perfect them as much as she can.

Let´s not forget that the teenage years can be very difficult in terms of social relations. Groups form around a topic of interest, an activity or a personality type and, if one doesn´t fit that mold, can be left out almost immediately. The new technologies have drastically transformed the way we relate to each other. And Franco, 16 years old, put them to good use. As the years went by, he started to see that he wasn´t connecting well with other people and was drifting apart from his childhood friends. Dealing with social anxiety, it wasn´t easy for him to approach classmates in the schoolyard and just struck a conversation. So, as he saw that most social gatherings outside school were being arranged via text or chat groups, he started getting involved that way. He began reaching by text and having a more active presence online. That led him to be included in various chat groups and to replicate those virtual conversations at school. He, then, started getting invitations and participating in numerous activities. As of today, he enjoys a happy and healthy social life.   

These examples show that a healthy relationship with technology can be achievable. Teenagers perceive new technologies as instruments that allow them to engage in different activities. Not only to be in constant contact with their peers but also to assist in their studies and interests.

So, to be positive, they just have to remember it that way: a tool that can assist them in any given task. But, as such a tool, it can never be the task itself.