Computer addiction in adolescents. Addiction to computer games. Computer addiction: symptoms

With the development of computer technology, a huge number of new problems arise. One of them is computer addiction in adolescents. This is exactly what I want to tell you in this article.

What is it?

It would seem that a child is playing computer games for himself, and what? Peace and quiet at home. However, modern psychologists say that today more and more children of younger, 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 down at the computer. At this time, the child most often does not find a place for himself, cannot do anything else, rushes 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 actively. The term defines the condition 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, addiction itself has somewhat transformed and acquired new elements and forms, becoming a problem not for units, but for many people of different ages.

Reasons

Information about 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, gets friends and lives not a real, but a virtual life. In this case, they are not talking about gambling, but about the child's Internet addiction. What else can drive a teenager into another world? Self-doubt, self-confidence, perhaps also dissatisfaction with your appearance (especially if there are any deviations). Often children "get hooked" on a computer in order not to differ from their peers (here we are most often 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 does not have hobbies or hobbies, and free time needs to be attached somewhere. And, of course, the manner of communication in the family and upbringing contributes to the development of various addictions. If a child can stay at the computer for no more than two hours a day (and it should be), then he simply will not be able to become an Internet addict.

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The main dangers

It is also important to say that computer addiction in adolescents is a dangerous business that can lead to serious consequences. First of all, being in the virtual world, a person almost never adequately controls real time, is often late. A 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 shaken. The same child transfers to the real world, communicating in this way with his immediate environment: parents and friends. The fact that sooner or later a teenager always succeeds in a computer game can also affect the future, if not from the first time, then from the nth for sure. The child may decide that in real life everything turns out so simply. And this is fraught with consequences and a 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 improper nutrition (a teenager with computer addiction most often does not eat normally, living only on snacks). Usually a dependent child does not monitor his appearance, does not follow the rules of personal hygiene.

Types of addictions

It should be said that the dependence on computer games is different. So, today it is Internet addiction, when a child cannot live without a virtual world, and gambling addiction. In turn, dependence on computer games is divided by game types. So, these are role-playing gamers, when a person looks at the game through the eyes of his hero (no less dangerous are those games when the child looks at the hero from the outside); strategic games that are less dangerous, but, again, are ready to draw the child into their world; non-role-playing games, such as various puzzles, arcades, flash toys. Gambling is also particularly dangerous in the virtual world, because they often pull a lot of money from players.

Potential category

Who might have a computer addiction problem? 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 wealthy parents, who are also often at home alone or with service personnel, whose advice they simply do not listen to. There are more dependent teenagers among boys (as statistics say, there is only one dependent girl for 10 boys), as for age, the most dangerous is 12-15 years old.

What will addiction entail?

Dependence on computer games can entail many negative consequences. So, first of all, the child's social circle 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 will definitely be disrupted and destabilized. It is also important to say that all the problems of a gambler from adolescence risk passing into adulthood. And this is fraught with huge negative consequences. Also, a child can start stealing, because often the Internet or games require a certain fee. And this is already punishable according to the letter of the law.

How does addiction arise?

After observing the addicts, psychologists made interesting and at the same time terrible conclusions. Chemical and computer addiction: their symptoms are almost the same. For such people, for example, when they see 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 improper nutrition) or lose weight (they simply forget or are lazy to eat in time), cannot do anything else if they have free time. To avoid such a development of events, you just need nothing: do not let the baby 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 there is a predisposition to various kinds of addictions. However, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to do this nowadays.

Mechanism of dependent behavior

Addictive, i.e. dependent behavior is formed in a child by moving away from real life to virtual life 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, compensate the child for what he lacks in real life. So, if a person is physically weak and cannot fight back against his peers, he will have a computer gaming addiction. Teenagers who lack communication in real life will become dependent on social networks, where they can try on various roles and masks (there may be a problem of self-identification of the individual, 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 a difficult moment.

How to avoid addiction?

In order to avoid the dependence of teenagers on computer games, on the Internet, you need to follow fairly simple but effective rules. So, it is necessary to precisely regulate the time when the child is 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 impact: if dad spends all his free time in front of the monitor, it's not surprising that the child will do the same. You also need to plan your family's free time competently: spend more time together in nature. What other methods are acceptable for the prevention of computer addiction in adolescents? It's good to load your child as much as possible: send him to clubs, to tutors, spend more time studying. Then there will simply be no time for games and various dependencies. As a radical way, it is possible to limit the work at the child's computer with the help of 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 make a plan of action with him. After all, parents often do the wrong thing, wishing their child only good. For example, it is not recommended to ban computer games sharply, it 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 which games your child likes. 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 with the help of the Internet can just 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 be quite painful not only for the child, but also for adults. Parents will have to withstand several attacks from the child: they can be not only verbal, but also reach physical assault. The child can also start persuading parents to let them play for at least half an hour, promising anything at the same time. You should not go on about it, because drug addicts also do this, 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 entertainment element for their child, so that the child forgets about his hobby at least for a while. More communication and joint activities are one of the elements of addiction treatment. It is also necessary to change the daily routine, the habituation to which will not be so fast. Often parents may give up if they do not see improvements. However, you should not give up this business, because sooner or later improvement will come, you just need to wait for it. Well, if nothing happens on their own, it is better to treat computer addiction in adolescents with the help of specialists.

Close people

Whatever the reasons for a child's computer addiction, the immediate environment should help to cope with it. So, the most important role is played, of course, by parents, who must throw all their efforts to get the child into the real world. However, it is also necessary to involve the child's friends, classmates and companions 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 in order for everything to work out, you need to organize interesting meetings, outings, trips and holidays. But the most important rule of how to cope with addiction is its 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 visible.