With the development of the epidemic situation, many primary and secondary schools have once again been forced to enter the "online mode", and children use electronic devices to take online classes at home, which is ridiculed by netizens as "like letting the Monkey King take care of the peach orchard". Usually parents are afraid that their children are too addicted to small videos and games and restrict the use of mobile phones and tablets, and now they have to be handed over to their children for a long time, how to avoid children from committing "Internet addiction", which is also a problem that many parents are worried about.
On August 30, 2021, the State Administration of Press and Publication issued the Notice on Further Strict Management to Effectively Prevent Minors from Addicting to Online Games, which requires all online game companies to provide 1 hour of service to minors only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as well as from 20:00 to 21:00 every day on statutory holidays. This "strictest game time limit in history" for minors has made many parents breathe a sigh of relief. However, behind the "time limit" of online games, how to protect the physical and mental health of children from the root is more worthy of people's deep thinking.
Is addiction to the internet and games a mental illness?
In 2020, there were 183 million underage Netizens on the mainland, the Internet penetration rate was 94.9%, and more than 1/3 of primary school students had access to the Internet before school age. At present, the trend of gaming is obvious, and "Internet and game addiction" is even listed as a mental illness, called "Internet addiction syndrome", but not every child who is too online or over-playing can meet the diagnostic criteria. In fact, in addition to mental illness, children's addiction to the Internet and games includes other reasons, such as family relationships, learning difficulties, and interpersonal avoidance, and so on.
Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) refers to the impulsiveness of online behavior without the action of an addictive substance. The causes of Internet addiction can be traced back to the lip period, which is our infancy.
Babies are spiritually satisfied through breastfeeding and retain memories and misses of the good feelings that represent the warmth, care, and safety of maternal love. When adulthood encounters setbacks, such as academic failure, work loss, fear in social interaction, loss of love, family blows, etc., in order to seek spiritual relief, some people are prone to indulge in the Internet, so that the subconscious repression is released. By going online, people with IAD regain the satisfaction that we rarely experience from the end of the lip period, but hidden in our subconscious.
On how to tell if a child is an internet addictive syndrome. In general, there is more clinical concern about whether the use of games and networks is harmful to normal social functioning. If there is harm, it must be adjusted. Therefore, it is not recommended that parents over-interpret the entries in the current diagnostic criteria. If necessary, it is still necessary to turn to a professional to make judgments.
What parents should do when their children overuse the Internet
Parents should first help their children establish a good communication style. The premise of good communication with children is to understand each other and try to reach an agreement. Therefore, parents should not completely deny activities such as games, chats, interactive entertainment, etc.
In fact, some computer and host games for children's growth and development also have a side to promote, as long as the guidance is appropriate, the time arrangement is reasonable, parents do not need "only the game must oppose", and even try to grasp the initiative of the child's game, take the initiative to choose and moderately guide children to play, which can not only reduce the visual damage caused by the excessive use of small screen electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets, but also moderately promote the development of children's sensory system, and cultivate relevant logical analysis and judgment ability.
Secondly, parents can work with their children to make life plans and reasonably arrange and manage their children's time to play games. For some relatively young children, parents can even choose several parent-child games to play together, which not only shortens the distance, but also allows children to participate in the management of time.
In addition, it is hoped that parents will be able to provide their children with as many activities as they can participate in and contact within the scope of their own permission. The richer the activities, the more satisfaction is obtained, and the less likely it is to rely too much on a single thing, which is also conducive to the cultivation of children's good personality.
Finally, parents are advised to experience for themselves the games your child plays regularly if they have the opportunity. Just as the so-called "know thyself and know the other", only by participating in and investigating, we have the right to speak, and truly enter the child's world, and can we better grasp the initiative in communication with children.
Author Zhang Wenbin, Tianjin Mental Health Center