I’ve seen my twin nieces grow from zero to thirteen in what seems to be a very short period of time. I still remember when they would enjoy a wild ride in their uncle’s back, pretending to be horse riders and laughing at every little hop I took.
These days they are inmersed in computers a lot of time.
I want to think they’re not addicted to the web, but then I didn’t know what the official or medical definition of that would be, so I went and searched around for some information.
According to an article on Microsoft Magazine, the amount of time your children invest on online activities has to be monitored and has to allow the enjoyment of other activities that can help them grow physically and mentally. I believe that these two aspects are key. If you let your children surf the web for the whole time they’re not doing other chores (like homework or sharing a meal) you are risking them to get addicted. A schedule should help here, i.e. surfing the web from 3pm to 4pm, and it should also reveal –measuring the amount of fuss they make about this rule– how much they are addicted already. Also try to replace the time they’re not surfing with activities like sports, painting, swimming, etc. In these times where both parents are working it might be a challenge, but this should be a priority and planned for as soon as possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that screen time, including television, computer and video games, not exceed one to two hours a day and that it be “quality programming.”
Another important aspect is to monitor, either personally or via software (by using browser history or stealth logging software like QuietEye), what websites your kids are visiting the most. If you see sites that are not to your liking, do not prohibit them outright, but rather try to talk to them about the reasons you don’t feel comfortable with the content on them.
A new study by Iowa State University and reported on the Washington Post concludes that children can become addicted to playing video games, with some skimping on homework, lying about how much they play and struggling, without success, when they try to cut back. The study found that 8.5 percent of American youths ages 8 to 18 who play video games show multiple signs of behavioral addiction.
“For some kids, they play in such a way that it becomes out of balance. And they’re damaging other areas of their lives, and it isn’t just one area, it’s many areas,” said Gentile, a psychologist and assistant professor whose study was posted online today by the journal Psychological Science.
Again the factors cited on the study to see if children were addicted included irratability when children are not online, problems with grades or school and showing early signs of attention defficit hyperactivity disorder.
I can think of myself back when I was a teenager and I think the web would have been a real problem for me personally, as I had a lot of social issues, had trouble making friends and felt ashamed to talk to other kids. Online I would’ve found a nice shelter and would have been a virtual cave to hide myself from these very scaring factors. But because social interactions were necessary back then, I had to confront these issues and win them over. I even became very popular my last year of high school.
These reports are not meant to scare parents but rather to make them turn on their radars and proactively start a plan to measure their children’s online activity. And if you, as a parent, are showing web addiction signs, get those solved first before you talk to them, otherwise your kids will have munition to counter-attack your plan.
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