My View




Growing up in a world that is surrounded by the internet is challenging because the internet can be the main focus point in a lot of people's lives. In this day and age, toddlers and children are given tablets, iPads, iPhones, computers, etc by parent's to keep them busy and out of the way. This has turned into a major problem throughout the world. People have not argued that it has turned into an internet addiction and making toddlers and children act out of the norm and disrespecting their parents and the people around them. We as a society and world need to see these outcomes of overuse of the internet and see if we can come up with solutions to stop the addiction.

When talking about addiction, one might think about alcohol or drug addiction, but there are many addictions that strive from the overuse of the internet. The main addiction with the internet is an addiction to gaming. This stems from the use of the internet and exploring the possibilities to do on a tablet or computer. People would rather game on a computer than socialize with people from the outside world. This is absolutely crazy. Gaming is just the beginning of the internet, people are browsing social media, texting with their friends, sharing, liking, and so much more. When looking at statistics, The Center for Parenting Education explains that children, teenagers, and adults in their early and late twenties are spending almost forty-five hours each week on digital screens (Internet Addiction: Too Much Time on the Internet for Kids). Twenty-three percent of children and teenagers have verbally said that they think they are addicted to the internet. If people of young ages are seeing it for themselves, then the rest of the world should see it as well.

The internet is used for pleasure and for enjoyment. There is a part in our brain that is used for pleasure and people that enjoy the internet have an over use of this part of the brain. With the need and pleasure in using the internet, dopamine is released and over time the more this chemical is released, children and teenagers rely on it more (Gregory, C). If children and teenagers are not releasing this chemical by doing other fun activities throughout their life, it is a sign that they do have an addiction. Symptoms from a lack of happiness and pleasure can be depression, anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and a lack of a sense of time.

If parents do see signs of addiction or people see their loved ones addicted to the internet, there are some options to take care of it. There are different kinds of therapy that can be done like: Art Therapy, Family Therapy, and Reality Therapy. There is modifications that can be done within behavior.

In my opinion, internet addiction in this generation is growing rapidly. Toddlers, children, teenagers, and young adults rely on their digital devices to feel joy or to communicate with others. It is important to recognize this so we as a society can put our phones down and live in the moment with our friends and family.



Internet Addiction: Too Much Time on the Internet for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/kids-and-technology/how-much-time-internet-kids/

Gregory, C. (n.d.). Internet Addiction Disorder - Signs, Symptoms, and Treatments. Retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/iadcriteria.html

Comments

  1. Hello, thank you for your blog. It is an important topic nowadays: almost everyone around is internet addicted but in different degree. How much hours is okay for children and adolescents, in your opinion. And can online-reading and learning be considered as interenet addiction if people spend a lot of hours in internet?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Emil,
      Thank you for your comment. Depending on how old the child is can vary the amount of time that should be spent on the internet. I think younger children should have a set amount of time. With online learning, I do not think it is considered an addiction, but if one person does get off task and surf the web, then it can become an addiction.

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  2. Since our world is going digital now more than ever, it has become hard for all of us to not be on our phones, tablets or computer. Thank to the internet we are able to do things such as communication with our familes, friends and work. As you mentioned there are issue that comes along with it, especially now that we are facing a pandemic. So, in your opinion now that we are all at home, how much time should children spend on the internet? Also, should parent train their children on how much internet they should use daily?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Andrea,

      It is hard to say how much time children should spend on the internet because I am not considered an "expert." However, I do think that the parents should limit their younger children and give them a set amount of time each day or each week.
      Thank you for your comment!

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  3. Hey Sydney, I definitely agree that there is a misconception when people think of addiction as a topic. Alcohol and drug addiction are definitely some of the biggest topics when people think of addiction. I also agree that in a technologically enhanced world, society is becoming more reliant on the internet and technology, further advancing the narrative of addiction. Your blog highlights a topic that most people don't bother to dive deeper into. Good Job!!

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  4. Hey Sydney! I thought you did a fantastic job on this topic. It interests me so deeply because I catch some of these things within myself. I notice myself picking up my phone consistently to check the same app I checked 2 minutes prior. I notice myself constantly checking my social medias, as if it was an addiction. I get pleasure out of checking my own social media accounts and that feeling is addicting. Like you mentioned gaming is another huge addiction when it comes to media, personally I have no affinity to gaming and I rarely ever pick up any game but my friends cant pull themselves away from it and that is so scary! You did a really great job with this, thank you for sharing!

    Mikayla

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