2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21
With the development of computer technology, a huge number of new problems arise. One of them is computer addiction in teenagers. This is what I want to talk about in this article.
What is this?
It would seem that a child is playing computer games, so what? Peace and quiet at home. However, modern psychologists say that today more and more children of primary, middle and senior school age are becoming dependent on the computer. What does this mean? In principle, the characteristics of all dependencies are similar to each other. If a drug addict is looking for a dose for days, then the child can look forward to the hour when his parents will allow him to sit at the computer. At this time, the child most often does not find a place for himself, cannot do anything else, toils around the house or apartment. It is worth saying that this problem needs to be treated, otherwise there may be negative consequences.
About the term
It should be said that the term "computer addiction" is quite young,it appeared around 1990, when the computer industry began to actively develop. The term defines the state of a person in which he simply cannot live without this machine, spending all his free time in front of its monitor. However, since then, the addiction itself has somewhat transformed and acquired new elements and forms, becoming a problem not for a few, but for many people of different ages.
Reasons
It may seem interesting information about why adolescents may develop computer addiction. So, first of all, this is the usual lack of attention from parents and peers, which the child compensates with the help of such a friend. Now, at a time when various social networks are very popular, this problem has become even more urgent: there the child creates a new image for himself, makes friends and lives not a real, but a virtual life. In this case, they are not talking about gambling, but about the Internet addiction of the child. What else can drive a teenager into another world? Lack of self-confidence, in one's abilities, perhaps also dissatisfaction with one's appearance (especially if there are any deviations). Often children “get hooked” on the computer so as not to differ from their peers (here most often we are talking about gambling addiction, but this trend is changing with the development of social networks). A child can occupy all his free time with a computer if he has no hobbies or hobbies, and free time needs to be attached somewhere. And, of course, it contributes to the developmentvarious dependencies, the manner of communication in the family, upbringing. If a child can spend no more than two hours at a computer per day (and it should be), then he simply will not be able to become Internet addicted.
Main dangers
It is also important to say that computer addiction in teenagers is a dangerous business that can lead to serious consequences. First of all, being in the virtual world, a person almost never adequately controls the real time, often being late. The child can constantly skip school, skip classes. A huge problem is the level of aggression that can occur during a computer game. If something fails in a teenager, a storm of emotions arises, the psyche is gradually destabilized and loosened. The same child transfers to the real world, communicating in this way with his immediate environment: parents and friends. The fact that in a computer game, sooner or later, a teenager always succeeds in everything, if not the first time, then the n-th for sure, can also influence the future. The child may decide that in real life everything turns out so simply. And this is fraught with consequences and strong disappointment in adult real life. Also, computer addiction in adolescents affects the state of the body. So, vision is definitely impaired, there may be vitamin deficiency and other problems associated with malnutrition (a teenager with a computer addiction most often does not eat normally, living only with snacks). Usually the dependent child does not look after his ownappearance, does not follow the rules of personal hygiene.
Types of dependencies
It should be said that addiction to computer games is different. So, today it is Internet addiction, when a child cannot live without the virtual world, and gambling. In turn, addiction to computer games is divided into types of games. So, these are role-playing gamers, when a person looks at the game through the eyes of his hero (the games when the child looks at the hero from the outside are no less dangerous); strategy games, which are less dangerous, however, again, are ready to draw the child into their world; non-role games such as various puzzles, arcade games, flash toys. Gambling is especially dangerous in the virtual world, because it often draws a lot of money from players.
Potential category
Who can have a problem with computer addiction? So, first of all, those children whose parents are often not at home, and the child is simply left to himself. The same applies to the children of we althy parents, who are also often at home alone or with attendants, whose advice they simply do not listen to. There are more dependent teenagers among boys (according to statistics, there is only one dependent girl for 10 boys), in terms of age, the most dangerous is 12-15 years old.
What does addiction entail?
Game addiction can have many negative consequences. So, first of all,the social circle of the child will gradually decrease, which will lead to the complete isolation of the teenager in real life with all the ensuing consequences. Irreversible he alth changes may also occur. So, this is a visual impairment, metabolism, obesity of various degrees is possible. Over time, the psyche will definitely be disturbed and destabilized. It is also important to say that all the problems of a gamer from adolescence run the risk of moving into adulthood. And this is fraught with huge negative consequences. Also, the child may begin to steal, because often the Internet or games require a certain fee. And this is already punishable by the letter of the law.
How does addiction develop?
After observing the addicts, psychologists made interesting and at the same time terrible conclusions. Chemical and computer addiction: their symptoms are almost the same. In such people, for example, at the sight of the desired goal, the pupils narrow sharply. Also, children begin to study poorly, do not take care of themselves and their appearance, gain (various degrees of obesity due to malnutrition) or lose weight (they simply forget or are too lazy to eat on time), they cannot do anything else if they have free time. To avoid such a development of events, you need nothing at all: do not let the baby go to the TV until the age of three, and to the computer even longer, up to about 10 years. It is at this age that a predisposition to various kinds of addictions arises. However, nowadays it is, unfortunately, almost impossible to do this.
Mechanismaddictive behavior
Addictive, i.e., dependent behavior is formed in a child by moving away from real life to a virtual one, both with and without the use of various chemicals. The process itself is based on the fact that the child moves away from real roles, replacing them with virtual ones, those that are more convenient for him or even close in spirit. The game or the Internet, in its essence, compensate the child for what he lacks in real life. So, if a person is physically weak and cannot fight back his peers, he will develop a computer game addiction. Adolescents who lack communication in real life will become addicted to social networks, where they can try on various roles and masks (there may be a problem of self-identification of a person, which is fraught with consequences), make friends with people who, at first glance, will always understand. However, over time, disappointment may come, because often these friends are imaginary and you will not get much support from them in difficult times.
How to avoid addiction?
To prevent teenagers from becoming dependent on computer games, on the Internet, you need to follow fairly simple but effective rules. So, it is necessary to precisely regulate the time spent by the child in front of the monitor, while parents are not forbidden to control what the offspring is doing on the Internet. The personal example of adults has a huge influence: if dad spends all his free time in front of the monitor, it is not at all surprising that the child will do the same. You also need to competently plan your family’s free time: spend more time together onnature. What other methods are accepted for the prevention of computer addiction in adolescents? It is good to load your child as much as possible: send them to circles, to tutors, devote more time to study. Then there will simply be no time left for games and various addictions. As a radical way, you can limit the work on the child's computer with the help of various programs that are aimed at this.
Nuances
Having identified signs of computer addiction in teenagers, parents should take immediate action. So, it’s good to go to a psychologist and draw up a plan of action with him. After all, often parents do the wrong thing, wanting only the best for their child. For example, it is not recommended to drastically ban computer games, this will not lead to anything good. It is better to do everything consistently, slowly reducing the time spent in front of the monitor. It is also necessary to control what games your child liked. After all, not all of them are bad, there are also useful ones that develop intelligence and even have an educational component. And not all the time spent in front of a computer monitor can be called an addiction, because a child can simply learn with the help of the Internet.
Treatment
An important point is the treatment of computer addiction in adolescents. It should be said that it will be accompanied by “breakdowns”, which, by the way, can be quite painful not only for the child, but also for adults. Parents will have to endure several attacks from the child: they can be not onlyverbal, but also reach the assault. The child can also begin to persuade parents to let them play for at least half an hour, while promising anything. You should not go on about, because drug addicts do the same, never keeping their word. The position of parents should be clear and unshakable. At this time, parents will also have a hard time, because they will need to become an entertaining element for their child so that the child forgets about his hobby at least for a while. More communication and joint activities - this is one of the elements of addiction treatment. You also need to change the daily routine, getting used to which will not be so fast. Parents often give up if they don't see improvement. However, you should not give up this business, because sooner or later the improvement will come, you just need to wait for it. Well, if nothing works out on your own, it is better to treat computer addiction in adolescents with the help of specialists.
Close people
Whatever the causes of computer addiction in a child, the closest environment should help to cope with it. So, the most important role is played, of course, by parents, who must give all their strength to pull the child into the real world. However, friends, classmates and comrades of the child must also be involved in this business, so that at this time he understands that he is not alone, that, in addition to virtual, he also has a real, no less interesting life. And for everything to work out, you need to organize interesting meetings, outings, trips and holidays. But the most important rule is how to deal withaddiction is its recognition. The close environment of the child should show the teenager that he is sick, that he has problems, the child must understand this, and only then the treatment will be adequate, and the results visible.
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