SPECIAL SECTION | Cyber Wellness and the Family
ONLINE DANGERS
So if Internet Addiction Disorder is not classified as a mental illness, should we stop worrying about excessive time online? We should definitely be worried since there are physical and psychological consequences: Increased risk of obesity. Sitting down and using mobile devices uses far less energy than playing games or doing sports. Obesity leads to diabetes, hypertension, and other health problems. Obese kids may also suffer from poor selfimage and low self-esteem. Sleep deprivation. Time flies when one is playing online games or is on social media. Children and adolescents lose track of time and usually sleep very late. Because they lack sleep, they have difficulty getting up in the morning and are too sleepy to pay attention in class. Poor school performance. Spending time online can lead to neglect of homework and projects. Rise of conflicts. Clashes may occur at home over Internet use, neglected homework, and poor grades. Missing out on real life. By choosing to spend time online, children do not develop needed communication skills and social supports that come from interactions with family members and friends. Increased risk of depression. Seeing friends on Facebook having fun (while you’re stuck in your boring life) leads to what young people call “FOMO” (fear of missing out). Troubles at home and in school, having few real friendships, and even lack of sleep may predispose a person to depression. Young people who are depressed are also more likely to go overboard in Internet use to escape reality. Increased exposure to online child abuse. Because of greater time online, there will be more opportunities for kids to be exposed to pornography, online predators, and cyberbullies.
CANDIDATES FOR PIU
Certain factors predispose some children and teens to problematic Internet use. These include being in households that give young kids easy access to the Internet, or that have no rules or have poor parental monitoring. Children in families experiencing stress and conflict are also at risk. Studies show that children may use the Internet to feel better and to seek refuge from stress. PIU may co-exist with alcohol and substance use, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
SIGNS OF NET‘ADDICTION’
Internet use becomes “problematic” when it leads to obsession (preoccupation with Internet use); compulsion (spending longer and longer time online), and neglect (failing to do tasks like school work and neglecting relationships). There are at least 45 screening tools that test for Internet addiction or problematic Internet use. The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire is based on these screening tools. Here are some signs that your child may be developing an online “addiction”:
SIGNS OF COMPULSION
■ Stays online much longer than intended to originally ■ Checks social media and emails frequently throughout the day ■ Stays up all night to be on the Web ■ Sneaks online when you or other adults aren’t watching ■ Lies about time spent online
SIGNS OF OBSESSION ■ ■ ■ ■
When offline, remains preoccupied with getting back online Gets irritable when access to the Internet is denied or limited Gets angry and/or agitated when interrupted while online Becomes moody, irritable, and depressed when offline for a couple of days
By choosing to spend time online, children do not develop needed communication skills and social supports that come from interactions with family members and friends. 28
FamilyMatters | September-November 2016