“Technology is the system that helps to develop the life of a human being. It can entertain, educate, discover, is everywhere around a person as it benefits their lifestyle.” Chea Singhtara Raksmey, networking supervisor at University of Puthisastra, said.

“Before doing something, users have to think about morality, privacy and how it will affect the future and society,” Raksmey added.

Internet usage has been increasingly growing. With can come a loss of empathy and a desensitivity to violence.

A good example of this occurred recently. According to a Dap News article on Sunday, three 16-year-old boys are accused of luring a 19-year-old female student of Tun Fa Chinese School to a guesthouse after chatting on Facebook. At the guesthouse the young woman was raped.

This is just one way that people can use technology for the wrong purpose.

These modern, technological times has also seen the blurring of sexual boundaries.

According to a story on the Cambodia Herald’s website, young Cambodians have recently discovered phone sex.

Lita, a 20-year-old university student in Phnom Penh, says she used to have phone sex with her boyfriend.

“Honestly, I wanted to have sex like other people but didn’t dare to because it’s not Khmer tradition,” Lita said.

“Sex before marriage causes many problems including health problems and uncertainties about getting married later so phone sex is the best choice. Not only does it provide sexual pleasure but it also lets me keep my virginity.”

“Phone sex should be done in a quiet place where no one can disturb us, see our naked bodies and sexual behaviour or hear us moaning,” she said. “We’re free to do whatever we want to do with our partners as if we were doing it directly.”

Raksmey suggested that Ministry of Information should control on the technologies sector and create laws to prevent using technology to harm social norms.

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith could not be reached for comment, but earlier this month he told The Phnom Penh Post that it would be “completely crazy if we controlled the internet”.

Government intervention in cyberspace was something people had suggested to the minister in the wake of torrents of abuse and digitally altered photos of political figures, including himself, Kanharith added.

Kong Sam Art, a mother, told Lift that she lacks the technological know-how to properly educate her children on the dangers of social media.

“I feel frightened since I always see my children use the phone and iPad every day. I really don’t know what they are doing on this kind of equipment because of lacking of knowledge.… All I can do is just advise my children to be careful and not use technology in inappropriate ways,” Sam Art says.

Because of modern technology, young people do many things without thinking about the consequences, such as cheating on tests without any given to the effects it has on education in the Kingdom. And sometimes, technology makes people lazy.

Technology may have no limits, but young users must decide what they want to experience and benefit from it. Remember, overuse can lead to self-destruction. And if you are using technology for leisure or socialising, you must practise self-control.