Network congestion

Imagine you and your friends are all trying to go through a small door at the same time. You might start bumping into each other and it would take a long time for everyone to get through the door. That's what happens when there is network congestion. Lots of people and devices are all trying to use the internet at the same time, and the information has to go through a limited number of "doors" or pathways to get where it needs to go. This can cause a traffic jam, where information gets slowed down or even stuck. This can make it harder for you to access websites, send emails or stream videos. Sometimes, network congestion can even be so bad that it can make the internet stop working altogether. To help prevent network congestion, companies and internet providers try to build bigger and better pathways for information to flow through, so that everyone can use the internet more easily.