With the development of computer technology, a huge number of new problems arise. One of them is computer addiction in adolescents. This is what I want to talk about in this article.
What it is?
It would seem that a child plays computer games for himself, and so what? At home, peace and quiet. However, modern psychologists say that today more and more children of primary, secondary and senior school ages are becoming dependent on the computer. What does this mean? In principle, the characteristics of all the dependencies are similar to each other. If an addict searches for a dose for days, 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, can not do anything else, tossing 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 develop rapidly. Defines the term that state of a person in which he simply can not live without this machine, spending all his free time in front of her monitor. However, since then, dependence itself has somewhat transformed and acquired new elements and forms, becoming a problem not of units, but of many people of different ages.
Causes
Information on why computer addiction may occur in adolescents may seem interesting. So, first of all, this is a common 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, acquires friends and lives not a real, but a virtual life. In this case, they’re talking not about gambling, but about the child’s Internet addiction. What else can drive a teenager into another world? Self-doubt, self-reliance, dissatisfaction with one's appearance is also possible (especially if there are any deviations). Often children "sit down" on a computer in order not to differ from their peers (here most often we are talking about gaming addiction, but with the development of social networks this trend is changing). A child can occupy all his free time with a computer if he has no hobbies or hobbies, and if he needs free time, he needs to attach it somewhere. And, of course, the development of various dependencies contributes to the development of family communication and upbringing. If a child can stay at the computer for no more than two hours a day (and it should be so), then he simply will not be able to become Internet-dependent.
The main dangers
It is important to say that computer addiction in adolescents is a dangerous business, which can entail serious consequences. First of all, being in the virtual world, a person almost never adequately controls the real time, he is often late. The child can constantly skip school, skip classes. A huge problem is the level of aggression that can arise in the process of a computer game. If a teenager does not succeed, a storm of emotions arises, the psyche is gradually destabilized and shaken. The same child also transfers to the real world, communicating in this way with his immediate environment: parents and friends. The future can be influenced by the fact that sooner or later a teenager always succeeds in a computer game, if not the first time, then from the nth for sure. A child can decide that in real life everything is so simple. And this is fraught with consequences and severe 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 improper nutrition (a teenager with a computer addiction most often does not eat normally, living only with snacks). Usually a dependent child does not monitor his appearance, does not follow the rules of personal hygiene.
Types of Dependencies
It should be said that there is a different dependence on computer games. So, today it is an Internet addiction, when a child cannot live without a virtual world, and gambling. In turn, the dependence on computer games is divided by type of game. So, these are role-playing gamers when a person looks at a game through the eyes of his hero (those games are no less dangerous when a child looks at a hero from outside); strategic games that are less dangerous, however, again, they are ready to draw the child into their world; non-role games, such as various puzzles, arcades, flash toys. Particularly dangerous in the virtual world are gambling, because often they pull a lot of money from players.
Potential category
Who may experience a computer addiction problem? So, first of all, for those children whose parents are often not at home, and the child is simply left to his own devices. The same applies to children of wealthy parents, who are also often alone at home or with attendants, whose advice they simply do not listen to. There are more dependent teenagers among boys (according to statistics, 10 boys have only one dependent girl), with regard to age, the most dangerous is 12-15 years.
What will addiction entail?
Addiction to computer games can lead to many negative consequences. So, first of all, the child’s circle of communication will gradually decrease, which will lead to the complete isolation of the teenager in real life with all the ensuing consequences. Irreversible health changes may also occur. So, this is a violation of vision, metabolism, possibly obesity of various degrees. Over time, the psyche is definitely disturbed and destabilized. It is important to say that all the problems of a gamer from a teenage age run the risk of passing 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 punishable according to the letter of the law.
How does addiction arise?
Observing the addicted, interesting and at the same time scary conclusions were made by psychologists. Chemical and computer addiction: their symptoms are almost the same. In such people, for example, at the sight of the desired goal, the pupils sharply narrow. 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 (just forget or are too lazy to eat on time), can not do anything else if there is free time. To avoid such a development of events, you just need nothing: do not let the baby on the TV until the age of three, and on the computer even longer, up to about 10 years. It is at this age that a predisposition to various kinds of dependencies arises. However, in our time, to do this, unfortunately, is almost impossible.
Mechanism of dependent behavior
Addictive, that is, dependent behavior is formed in a child by moving away from real life to virtual, both with and without the use of various chemical agents. 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 essence, compensates the child for something that he lacks in real life. So, if a person is physically weak and cannot repel his peers, he will have a computer game addiction. Adolescents who lack communication in real life will become dependent on social networks where they can try on different roles and masks (here there may be a problem of self-identification of the 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 any special support from them in difficult times.
How to avoid addiction?
In order to avoid the dependence of adolescents on computer games, on the Internet, you need to follow fairly simple but effective rules. So, you need to accurately adjust the time spent by the child in front of the monitor, while parents are not forbidden to control what the offspring does on the Internet. The personal example of adults has a huge impact: if dad spends all his free time in front of the monitor, it is not surprising that the child will do the same. You also need to correctly plan your family’s free time: spend more time together in nature. What other methods does the prevention of computer addiction in adolescents accept? It’s good to load your child as much as possible: send 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 of a child’s computer using various programs that are aimed at this.
Nuances
Having identified signs of computer addiction in adolescents, parents should immediately take action. So, it’s good to go to a psychologist and draw up an action plan with him. After all, often parents do wrong, wishing their child only the good. For example, it is not recommended to sharply prohibit computer games, this will not lead to anything good. It’s best to do everything in sequence, slowly reducing the time spent in front of the monitor. It is also necessary to control what kind of 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 addiction, because a child using the Internet can simply learn.
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 turn out to be rather painful not only for the child, but also for adults. Parents will have to withstand several attacks from the side of the child: they can be not only verbal, but also reach the assault. A child can also start to persuade parents to let them play for at least half an hour, while promising anything. You should not go on about it, 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 at least temporarily forgets about his hobby. More communication and collaboration is one of the elements of treatment for addiction. It is also necessary to change the daily routine, getting used to which will not be so quick. Often parents can give up if they do not see improvements. However, this business should not be abandoned, because sooner or later improvement will come, you just have to wait for it. Well, if nothing happens on its own, it is better to treat adolescents with the help of specialists.
Close people
Whatever the reasons for the computer addiction of the child, the immediate environment should help cope with it. So, the most important role is played, of course, by the parents, who must give up all their efforts to get the child into the real world. However, it is necessary to involve friends, classmates and comrades of the child in this case, 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 to make it work, you need to organize interesting meetings, outings, trips and holidays. But the most important rule for dealing with addiction is recognition. The close environment of the child should show the teenager that he is sick, that he has problems, the child should understand this, and only then the treatment will be adequate, and the results are visible.