While the global community of psychologists and psychotherapists is arguing about whether computer addiction in children is a mental disorder or a social problem, in Finland young men with such a diagnosis are not taken into the army.
This topic can be debated endlessly, but the fact remains: uncontrolled passion for games and social networks has a negative impact on children’s mental and physical well-being. This means that neither parents, nor teachers, nor other professionals working with children have the right to ignore this problem. It needs to be resolved - and as soon as possible, so as not to lead to irreversible consequences.
Causes
The reasons why children and adolescents develop computer addiction can be very different. But experts name four main, most common ones.
Family problems
Firstly, computer addiction most often affects those children whose parents are constantly busy and do not pay due attention to them due to their eternal time pressure. Moreover, it can be dictated not only by work, but also by some purely personal interests. For example, mom divorced dad and is trying to get married again. Or both parents love to travel, but do not take the child with them, avoiding unnecessary hassle and leaving him with the grandmother. Or they are too sociable and all their free time is spent on friends, joint holidays and parties.
Secondly, this happens if emotional closeness with parents is disrupted. The latter are so tired after work and household chores that they are not even interested in how the child is doing, what his day was like, or what emotions he is experiencing. So he has no choice but to seek support in games and from virtual interlocutors.
Lack of hobbies
If life from childhood is not filled with anything (no hobbies, hobbies, attachments), still the potential energy present in everyone will seek a way out. It’s not for nothing that psychologists advise starting from elementary school to think about sections and clubs. Sports, theater arts, drawing, beadwork, scientific interests - all this directs me in the right, healthy direction. In such a situation, computer games are nothing more than entertaining, and communication on social networks does not go beyond the norm. When life is not filled with anything, the child begins to fill it with what is in sight - computers and gadgets.
Communication problems
One of the most common causes of children's computer addiction is social maladjustment. If a child does not have good relationships with peers and adults, he replaces the need for communication with the possibility of virtual communication. There can be a huge number of reasons why he does not get along in real society: internal complexes, physical disabilities, complex character, bad upbringing, etc. For example, outcasts and autists suffer from computer addiction in 75% of cases. In class they are constantly humiliated, they are outsiders and losers, but in the game they are cool heroes saving the Universe.
General failures
There are people who are pathologically always lucky in everything. They find themselves in the right place at the right time. And there is a completely opposite group: despite all efforts, they fail at every step, lose, and experience failure. There is also a similar trend among children. The teacher disliked him, someone else was accepted into the football team or the Olympics, the most difficult options on the test come across, friends betray him, etc. Each time, stumbling over such difficulties, the child gives up, stops fighting and puts up with his stigma of being a loser in life. real life. But he compensates for it in games and online communication. They insulted him - he immediately trolled someone on the Internet just as cruelly, writing an unpleasant comment.
In addition to these main reasons for children's computer addiction, there are others:
- curiosity, the tendency of childhood to absorb everything new and interesting into oneself, like a sponge;
- the desire to be like everyone else: everyone plays World of Tanks or World of Warcraft - and I will; everyone has accounts on Instagram and Facebook - and I need to create one;
- copying the behavior of parents, who themselves are constantly “hanging out” on gadgets and challenging each other for a place at the computer.
Risk groups include:
- whose parents are constantly busy;
- teenagers from 12 to 15 years old;
- boys: firstly, they develop a greater dependence on computer games than girls; secondly, they experience the age crisis more difficult.
In fact, the causes of computer addiction can be more diverse. Both chance (I came to visit a friend, saw him “hanging out” playing a game, and also got carried away) and mental characteristics (a tendency to fantasize, autism, social phobias) can play a role here.
What is Internet addiction: passion or obsession?
“My son is only 9 years old, but he already skillfully plays many computer games and understands modern gadgets. Lately this has started to scare me. Teachers complain about their son’s bad behavior - even during lessons he surfs the Internet on a smartphone or plays. He began to study poorly, because he does not have time to learn his lessons properly due to endless games. When everyone is already going to bed, the son can quietly turn on the computer and again surf the sites or launch his shooting games. I don’t know how to properly extinguish his excessive love for gadgets. I don’t want to ruin our relationship and cause aggression on the part of the child.”
— Anna, mother of 9-year-old Yura
Internet addiction (or Internet addiction) is an obsessive desire to constantly be online and a painful inability to “switch” to real life in time. [1]
Many children aged 5-12 years often become involved in interesting hobbies. And it doesn’t matter what it is – collecting stickers, weaving beaded bracelets or playing online games. If a child gets unlimited access to gadgets and a computer connected to the Internet, he quickly gets hooked. One click, and the child is already on the World Wide Web, where he can find a lot of entertainment, get away from problems and become whoever he wants. If timely prevention of Internet addiction is not provided, the teenager becomes so captivated by the virtual space that it replaces reality, spending up to 18 hours a day online.
Let us help you get rid of internet addiction
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The status of adult and child Internet addiction as a mental disorder has not yet been established by official medicine. But according to many experts, the mechanism of its formation is in many ways similar to alcohol, nicotine and drug addictions. As an example, consider Internet gaming addiction. Recent studies show that the amount of dopamine (the pleasure hormone) produced during video games is comparable to the effects of some drugs. [2]
What are the dangers of Internet addiction in children?
- loss of interest in what is happening around;
- impaired communication skills;
- sleep and eating disorders;
- decline in school performance;
- increased excitability and anxiety;
- memory impairment;
- health problems (obesity, eye and spine diseases, headaches).
Signs
The most obvious signs of Internet addiction:
- the very first sign of addiction: the child is not interested in anything except the computer;
- spends too much time playing games or on social networks (computer, tablet, phone);
- during the game does not react to what is happening around him.
Children's computer addiction manifests itself especially clearly in changes in the circle and nature of communication:
- the child becomes animated in conversation only when discussing a game or social networks;
- limits to a minimum or completely stops all communication;
- does not seek new acquaintances;
- communication with someone is dictated only by necessity (you need to find out something, ask for something, etc.);
- communication is superficial;
- loses trusting relationships with parents, stops contacting them as before;
- answers questions formally, without details - as they say, automatically.
What other psychological characteristics do children addicted to computer games differ from their peers:
- often deceive (“I’ve only been playing for half an hour,” “I’ve already eaten,” “I’ve already done my homework,” etc.);
- they react too violently and inadequately to restrictions and prohibitions associated with the computer and gadgets: they get angry, they are rude, they cry, they try to manipulate adults;
- lose control of time;
- eat at the computer, sit on their phones during meals;
- mood and emotional state depend on virtual reality: they are happy when they win a game, or earn a new like on social networks, or receive a message from a “friend on the other side of the monitor”;
- closed from others, as they are constantly busy thinking about the computer.
If a child spends more than 2 hours a day playing a computer game or on social networks, experts call this a sure sign of addiction.
Why gadgets cannot replace child development in early childhood
Source: Unsplash (@porkbellysteve)
A child develops only what he saw in the real world:
— When he begins to crawl and explore the world, neural connections develop that are responsible for understanding space, time and logic. — When he picks up different objects, touches, smells or tastes them, the perception and processing of information develops. The more such experience there is, the easier and faster the child will master reading in the future and will not experience difficulties when planning. — When adults tell something to a child, talk to him one-on-one, listen to music with him and discuss the cartoons he watched, and don’t just leave him alone with them, this has a good effect on memory, problem-solving skills, and hearing development and reading, as well as thought processes.
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If a child from childhood receives information only through gadgets, then he will not develop those neural connections that are needed for study and life in general. Flat images do not develop. They can be a supporting element in tandem with real interaction with the child. Therefore, there is no need to limit the child’s crawling by distracting him with online educational activities.
The baby may not interfere with your development, but you will, yes.
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Kinds
Gaming
This is a child’s addiction to computer games (individual or group online) when too much time is spent on them. For their sake, ordinary reality is forgotten. Studies, parents, friends, and hobbies fade into the background.
Network
This type is more common among teenagers. It is expressed in a pathological dependence on Internet communication on social networks (sometimes on forums). It most often affects the lonely, timid, shy, autistic, and with low self-esteem. In real life, it is incredibly difficult for them to meet and communicate. It’s much easier to do this anonymously on the Internet.
Network computer addiction can manifest itself in different ways. There are teenagers who actively communicate on forums and social networks on their own behalf. It’s simply easier for them to do this in virtual reality, since they don’t have to look into the eyes of the interlocutor who is on the other side of the screen. Contact can always be terminated by logging off the Internet. And there is a pathological desire to embellish oneself in front of the interlocutor. Accounts and profiles are created under other people’s names, and a “heroic” but fabulous biography is composed. An insecure fifth-grader can write to adult girls on behalf of a 25-year-old handsome bodybuilder, a conqueror of women's hearts. Or a 15-year-old teenage girl with a lot of complexes pretends to be a famous top model.
The latter version of network computer addiction is much more dangerous, as it borders on a psychopathological behavior disorder and often ends in split personality.
Surfing
This is the name for the endless aimless wandering from site to site, just like a surfer overcomes wave after wave, getting a fantastic buzz from it. If previously it was mainly adults who suffered from this type of addiction, now psychotherapists and psychologists are sounding the alarm: an increasing number of children are becoming hostage to news feeds on social networks. In the morning (they haven’t really woken up yet), during breaks, while doing homework, in the evening instead of going for a walk, even when communicating with someone (meaning ordinary reality), they scroll through the feed again and again, looking for new photos and stories, mindlessly they like them without even really looking at them, much less reading them.
This type of addiction is one of the most insidious, as it lulls parents’ vigilance. They see that the child does not spend all day playing games or chatting with suspicious individuals. Well, he’s looking through this feed, but what if he’s just looking for something he needs for his studies? Precious time when you can start treatment runs out, and then it becomes too late.
Prevention
However, the best way to deal with any addiction is not to take things to extremes. So it is with gaming addictions. If a child is actively developing, full of creative energy, participates in sports events, communicates a lot with peers, feels support from loved ones, he simply has no time and no need to hide in the world of games. Therefore, support your children, talk to them, help them fill their lives with meaning, cultivate self-confidence in them, because parents are the main people in the life of any child.
Treatment
To save a child from computer addiction, he must make an appointment with a psychotherapist. Treatment is carried out in several stages.
First - diagnostics. Some suspicious parents are painfully suspicious and sometimes accuse their child of computer addiction completely unfounded. Therefore, first of all, the psychotherapist talks with all participants in this process, and then conducts one of numerous tests, based on the results of which he concludes whether treatment should be prescribed or not.
At the first stage, the specialist tries to find out the reasons for the development of computer addiction. On the second stage, he implements a correction program to eliminate the factors that provoked the development of this pathology. On the third, it helps in mastering and consolidating new patterns of behavior, which should become a successful replacement for the old, incorrect ones. On the fourth, he is convinced that psychotherapy was successful.
In parallel, work is carried out with parents, who are given detailed recommendations on how to support professional treatment for computer addiction at home. Without their help, therapy may not be effective.
Treatment methods for children's computer addiction:
- autogenic training;
- behavioral psychotherapy;
- family psychotherapy;
- psychosynthesis;
- Gestalt therapy;
- art therapy;
- body-oriented therapy.
If the situation is quite advanced and the children’s dependence on the computer has already begun to affect their mental state and physical health, the psychotherapist can prescribe sedative medications. They are selected according to age. The goal is to reduce the level of anxiety, normalize sleep, relieve irritability, and bring order to the psycho-emotional state.
Psychologist's advice
To get a child out of the computer, parents are advised to:
- make an appointment with a psychotherapist;
- find out the root cause of the addiction and direct all efforts to eliminate it;
- do not scold or punish for the time spent at the computer - do not focus on this issue at all;
- ask which games and social networks are the priority - this will allow you to understand the level of danger;
- start closer and more frequent communication in order to establish contact, and at first you should talk mainly about the child’s computer interests, but gradually lead him away from them;
- limit the time spent on a computer or gadget gradually, but not sharply (for example, reducing it by 10 minutes every day);
- constantly offer alternatives to distract you from virtual reality: go for a walk in the park, to the cinema, to the zoo, go to grandma’s, ski, take a quest, etc.;
- finally enroll in any club or section, get interested in sports;
- raise self-esteem, get rid of complexes: praise, create situations of success;
- promote social adaptation: encourage real rather than virtual friendship; let them go for walks and visit friends and classmates, and do not forbid inviting them to your home.
It is also necessary to introduce the child to a healthy lifestyle: provide adequate nutrition, high physical activity, a competent daily routine and alternation of study and rest.
These tips from a psychologist will help parents wean their child off computer games, although this whole process is quite labor-intensive and can take more than one week or even a month. Adults will have to have a lot of patience and be sure to see the job through to the end.
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Game creators are masters at getting into people's heads and souls. The Universes they invented gradually attract children and create the feeling that they have everything they need there. Reality cannot boast of this. But there are a few tips that will help you transfer the operating principle of computer games to offline life.
Gradually increasing load
You need to start easy and gradually increase the difficulty. There is no need to immediately limit the time you spend online for a day. Start with at least 10-15 minutes a day. Encourage your child to comply with the conditions. The prize doesn't have to be anything expensive. You can make a table listing all family members and their achievements. So, the teenager will understand that:
- firstly, he is not the only one who must follow the rules;
- secondly, this approach will add a competitive element.
Consequences
Many parents, justifying their own mistakes in parenting, like to repeat that computer addiction is better than alcohol or drug addiction. They are only partly right, and only because they do not imagine all the consequences that it is fraught with.
Firstly, it forms much faster than all other types of dependencies. Secondly, only in 20% of cases children “outgrow” it on their own (consciously lose interest in computers and gadgets). Thirdly, it is extremely dangerous for physical health and can provoke:
- visual impairment;
- insomnia;
- curvature of the spine, problems with the musculoskeletal system;
- decreased immunity;
- headache;
- muscle atrophy;
- rapid and increased fatigue;
- obesity;
- back pain;
- tunnel syndrome (pain in the wrist).
Fourthly, computer addiction literally transforms the psyche of a child who:
- outside of his computer reality he feels “squeezed out and empty”;
- becomes lethargic, apathetic, irritable, nervous;
- sleeps poorly;
- is either undernourished or overnourished;
- ceases to really evaluate the surrounding reality, including himself in it;
- socially disoriented, losing interpersonal contacts and connections.
If no measures are taken to eliminate children's computer addiction, it will become a stable pattern of behavior. Children grow up withdrawn and completely socially unadapted. They cannot adapt to the realities of the modern world, living and realizing themselves only in the fictional, virtual. As they grow older, they have problems entering educational institutions and finding employment. Most of them become completely “wild”, do not leave their room for days, do not communicate with anyone, continue to live on their parents’ necks, spend any money on games or buying technical innovations (processor, monitor, telephone).
How to replace a computer?
Dear parents! Remember when you were children, you didn’t have fancy gadgets. And at the same time, you had the happiest childhood. You kicked a ball in the yard, launched boats along streams, built huts in the forest. Try to explain to your child that life outside the computer is even richer and more interesting.
Give him your example. If you yourself spend all your free time looking at the flickering screen of a tablet or phone, then it is not surprising that your child does the same. Come up with an interesting pastime together: riding bicycles, picnics in the park, walking around the city. Looking at you, a teenager will understand that life is wonderful without a computer.
