Dr. Carlos González Navajas, of the Unit of Mental Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence (Clínica la Luz), says that in this Unit they find kids obsessed with being connected, who don't turn off their devices at night. They are boys and girls who get to alter their daily activities to use more and more smartphones, computers, consoles ...
Use may become abuse due to the widespread presence of technological devices and social networks, and due to the facilities for its use that minors have; I would add that as a predisposing factor you can find the lack of limits, which is a task of the parents. There are differences between the sexes when talking about abusive use, for example, girls tend more to social networks, boys to videogame or computer games. It is often the case that adolescents (mainly boys) with a shy, withdrawn nature and who have relational difficulties tend to abuse, as we mentioned in this post talking about how the lack of offline skills increases the risk of network disocial behaviors.
Yesterday, the professionals of the Unit of Mental Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence, held yesterday a Day in which the problem that arises from the excessive consumption by children, adolescents and young adults was addressed
What characterizes a child / teenager obsessed with technology?
In addition to the obsession to always be connected that I have commented, they can become irritable and have mood swings (which calm down when connected again).
Food and soil rhythms are altered and excited more easily and it may happen that academic performance decreases or lack of sleep.
As you will remember, in this interview with Clara Marco, from two years ago, we have already learned that the abuse of ICT can interfere with the development of daily activities, affecting the social and family environment. It is paradoxical, but Social Networks can go from facilitating interpersonal relationships, to reducing them when in 'real life' (I find it hard to express the idea in word, I don't think a chat is an unreal relationship, I mean rather the interactions tangible).
The key: avoid abuse
Clear guidelines are defined to be implemented by parents to avoid abusive use of technology by their children:
Technological devices cannot be in the child's or adolescent's room, but in a transit room, such as the classroom or an office.
In addition, there must be an adult person present when the child is using the technology to control the exposure time, as well as the contents that are visited.
It is essential that passwords for access to social networks and other channels are not only in the child's possession, but that parents must also know them.
Introduce the limitation of the use of different screens (mobile, computer, tablet, console ...) and agree with the children in what circumstances they should never use the mobile, for example, do not take it to school or in family gatherings or that on weekends only be used to communicate with friends. ”
Control (or supervision) the content to prevent cyberbullying, grooming, or children not accessing dangerous content pages: Dr. José Luis Pedreira gives as an example the pages that talk about how to commit suicide or that are pro Ana and Mia - anorexia and bulimia -, I also consider either inappropriate hardcore pornography in children under 14 or 15, or images of executions, etc.
I would like all the parents of friends of my children to establish the same limitations, it is not always like that, of course, for my part I just explain why there are certain restrictions at home and expose my values; I don't say sometimes I don't want to lock them in a glass cage, but it certainly wouldn't be good.
What I have done sometimes is to talk with other parents or other mothers to tell them what I expect of them (on these issues, of course) when my children are at home, without having to feel judged, I do not know, is like when your son is invited to take a bath in the pool of an apartment, and you make sure before leaving him that there will be adult surveillance, to say things nobody has to feel bad. I know that as they grow the chances of limiting will be less, but it is that if we don't lay the foundations, then we will have little to say.
Prevention is easy in theory, and easier than cure in practice, but with technology it is complicated because be part of our lives and it is present in homes: a drug must go out to the street to buy it, the computer, the tablet, the console, the television ... they are like a guest who is always at home. That is why it is so important to implement the guidelines recommended.
Technological Addiction
When I read that in South Korea there were summer detoxification programs (here we sent the children to an English or Nature Camp, there to detoxify), I thought 'when your neighbor's beards see you cut ...'. For that, in the Detoxification Unit of the Clinic La Luz, adolescents are admitted, to separate them from the 'toxic' source, in this way they help them recover a rhythm of life with more control over activities of their own age, and the possibility of fostering personal relationships.
They also work with parents through therapy, because Every family is a system, and changes must happen in any direction.
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