The Digital Age: Prevention of Children Internet Addiction

Technologies and the internet has ease people in a lot of ways concerning their lives whether they like it or not. But too much of something is never good. As more people are online by the day, both adults and youth worldwide are spending too much time on the internet. Too much screen time has been linked to obesity, sleep problems, depression and more.

Children in developed countries ages 8 to 18 spending on average 44.5 hours per week in front of screens, parents are increasingly concerned that screen time is robbing them of real world experiences. Nearly 23% of youth report that they feel 'addicted to video games' (31 percent of males, 13 percent of females).

On the east side of the world, in Asia, it's report that an estimated 6 percent of junior high school student and 9 percent of senior high school students are in a state of 'Internet dependency'.

To fight the problem, people in several countries has introduced internet fasting camps where children who are deemed internet-addicts will participate in outdoor activities and get appropriate counseling in an unplugged environment.

Children with internet addiction finds it to be difficult to live without their handset and their constant use disrupts social life.

Nearly 90 percent children from that age group will learn at preschool how to control their exposure to digital devices and the danger of staying online for long hours.

Prevention Programs

South Korea is leading the way in implementing prevention programs at early development stages of children. This is the time to act swiftly in helping young children form good Internet use behaviors. Since prevention is key in other addictions, internet is no different.

A closer look at the prevention camps in Korea shows that the children at the camp who show signs of becoming raging 'internetaholics' spend their time playing reality-based games, going hiking, reading books and going to counseling sessions. Doctors find that there are two distinct kinds of potential addicts, those who are in love with the anonymity of the internet and those that enjoy the power and the vicariously violent behavior games provide. Both of these categories, fit the super category escapists who, for one reason or another, prefer the virtual fantasy world to escape some other aspect of their lives.

Beyond returning to nature, the focus of many Internet fasting camps and digital detox retreats, the American Academy of Pediatrics says two hours tops of screen time should be the limit.

At the preschool level, Korea takes the lead and focus on prevention and responsible use of technology to instill those values in children. As many adults introduce their children to technology through through tablets, laptops, and mobile devices, this unveil the question "How young is actually too young?"

Should adults consider waiting until children develop solid social skills and establish healthy nutritional and exercise habits before they are introduced to computers?

The Emotional Costs

Online access is a vital part of the modern world, and is now also an important tool to educate children. Adults can find it difficult to not introduce the internet to children because the internet is already a part of people's lives. And the internet is already a common piece of puzzle that completes today's technology,

Like addiction to drugs and alcohol, the internet offers children a way to escape painful feelings or troubling situations. They sacrifice hours of sleep for online time and withdraw themselves from family and friends to escape into a comfortable online world that they have created and shaped.

Children who lack rewarding or nurturing relationships or who suffer from poor social and coping skills are at greater risk to developing inappropriate and excessive online habits. Because these children feels alone, alienated, and have problems making new friends. These will make them turn to invisible strangers in online chat rooms and forums/blogs looking for the attention and companionship missing in their real lives. They may come from families with significant problems, and they cope with their problems by spending time online.

Socially, they learn to instant message friends rather than develop face-to-face relationships, which can impact their way of relating to peers. As one principal explained:

The internet is hurting their ability to work in groups. Our teachers struggle to get them to participate in any kind of team assignments; instead they would all rather stare at the computer. When I observe them talking to one another in the hallway, I see young girls who are socially aggressive or inappropriate, and I can't help but think that the Internet is socializing them in ways that emotionally stunts them and makes it difficult for them to deal with others in the real world.

Establishing new prevention programs for children would also help teachers and administration, as they feel pulled by the need to use technology in the classroom and realizing the potential side effects of it.

Parenting in the Digital Age

Much of what children learn about computers starts at home. Parents innocently introduce technologies to their children without thinking of the consequences. What happens when a parent quickly learns that a child prefers to spend all of his time online and doesn't like to do what other children normally do: learn to read or play with other children? Parents' role is essential in helping children to have a healthy internet behavior.

Parents need to look at their own internet use and model healthy appropriate behavior. If parents are always online and using their mobile devices, a child will think this is normal.

Many parents get furious when they see the signs of internet addiction in their child and take the computer away as a form of punishment. Others find it to be frightening to force their children to suddenly stop their internet habit.

Approach like these can be trouble because children will see the message that they are bad, and look at their parents as their enemy instead of ally. And this will make them suffer real withdrawal symptoms of nervousness, anger, and irritability. Instead, work with your child to establish clear boundaries for limited internet usage. Allow perhaps an hour per night after homework, with a few extra weekend hours. Stick to your rules and remember that you're not simply trying to control him or her - you are working to free them of a psychological dependence.

Parents should begin discussions by reminding their children that they care about his/her happiness. Children often interpret questions about their behavior as blame and criticism. Parents need to reassure their children that they're not condemning him/her.

Do not hesitate to seek professional help. This is the most important step if talking with your children and setting boundaries are not working as intended. Internet addiction is a serious condition. Children often suffer from attention deficit disorders, oppositional deviance, depression, social anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorders as well as being addicted to the internet.