Dana is a 16-year-old from San Diego, CA. Her love of reading and writing has allowed her to share the experiences and lessons that have taught her so much with countless others. She enjoys traveling to new places, dancing, and cooking, and hopes that one day she will both work in the education field and become a published author.
In France, teens’ hours spent on the Internet have dramatically increased. So much that, the term la Cyberdépendance has been coined to refer to young adults who, for social and gaming purposes, regularly use the Internet for more than five hours.
Parents’ main concerns are that teens are using the Internet for purposes other than homework and are often distracted, losing time for outdoor activities or family engagement. The psychological as well as physiological effects of teens addicted to the Internet are signs of cyberdependance that parents should be aware of.
The Internet Age has progressed communication, research, and the media to its greatest potential and has greatly benefited teens. If social networking sites and online games become the first things teens turn to after, or even during school, they could easily become cyberdependant.
The following symptoms have been discovered in several studies conducted to see the effects of Internet usage on young adults and would benefit them if known:
Psychological Symptoms of Cyberdependance:
- Hesitancy or inability to stop using the Internet when asked to do so
- The need to increase more and more time spent on the Internet
- Lack of time for family and friends
- A feeling of emptiness, depression, and irritability when deprived of a computer/Internet
- Tendency to lie about activities on the Internet
- A decline in academic performance
Physiological Symptoms of Cyberdependance:
- Dry Eyes
- Headaches and chronic migraines
- Back Pain
- Skipped meals or the development of couch-potato eating habits
- Neglect of personal hygiene
- Changes in sleep cycle/difficulty to wake up due to late night hours spent on Internet
Some symptoms derived from: LA CYBERDEPENDANCE EN 60 QUESTIONS By Jean-Charles Navebi
No comments:
Post a Comment