Misuse of the internet in adolescents

| The many possibilities and advantages offered by the use of the internet in all areas are indisputable. However, the dangers and risks that misuse of it may entail should not be ignored, especially in sectors of the population that are especially influenced or vulnerable such as children, adolescents or people with certain psychological problems.

The use of Internet On the part of adolescents, it tends to focus mainly on establishing contacts and ties with peer groups, overcoming physical distance. This medium allows them to express themselves and talk about certain topics that might be difficult for them to deal with in direct relationships, while it can become a way of trying to overcome states of boredom or monotony, by allowing them to find information on topics that are stimulating to them.

Broadly speaking, the use that an adolescent makes of the internet can be problematic when the number of hours of connection affects the correct development of their daily life, causing, for example, drowsiness, alterations in their mood or a significant reduction hours spent studying or other obligations. In addition, little attention from parents can leave them free to access, without any control or surveillance, certain pages inappropriate for their level of maturity. If they have a computer at home and it does not have the filters that limit access to certain information pages activated, children and adolescents may find, accidentally or on purpose, content, services and people that are not always reliable or suitable for their age.

Main risks associated with misuse of the internet

• Access to pages with dangerous or harmful information, for example, to images of sexual, pornographic, violent content or to texts and stories that may incite the consumption of drugs or medication. As well as the follow-up of ideologies racist, sexist or even affiliated with certain sects.
• Development of psychological disorders such as the one that can arise when certain factors come together, such as problems in self-esteem, sociability or family difficulties, together with the typical vulnerability of this age and the amount of attractive stimuli and pleasant sensations that the internet can provide.
• Participation in chats, forums or certain social networks can facilitate unwanted contacts with people who can use false identities, being victims of sexual, violent or criminal acts.
• Loss of privacy that entails the completion of access forms to some pages, facilitating personal information to unknown individuals or companies.
• Receiving personal messages whose content may be offensive can also lead to the possibility of entering into discussions, receiving threats or even being involved in situations of abuse or harassment through the network. It must be taken into account that the anonymity provided by the internet can facilitate the audacity of certain comments or attitudes that would hardly be expressed in direct relationships with other people.
• Minors can be influenced by a misleading or abusive advertising, that encourages them to make purchases online without the authorization of their parents. The personal data and secret credit card codes that are provided in purchases can make them victims of scams or theft on unreliable or controlled web pages by third parties.
• Overstimulation, dispersion of attention or dedication of excessive time to search for certain information.
• Exposure of the e-mail and the possibility of receiving certain messages of unwanted propaganda, the content of which you can propose illegal businesses or contain viruses.

An adolescent may have developed an addiction to the internet when he is habitually unable to control the time he remains connected, relegates his main obligations, avoids or abandons other important activities, loses social contacts, reduces sleep hours, neglects eating habits, health, personal hygiene and physical activity and tends to be irritable. There are different specific forms of internet addiction, such as the need to constantly search for information, to search for certain sensations, to frequent social environments, yearning to meet new people with fictitious personalities, addiction to gambling or compulsive shopping, among others. .

Tips for parents

Parents should be aware of their children's use of Internet, controlling the weather that they pass connected, the frequency with which they do it, reasons for those who say they connect, the reaction they have when they are interrupted and attitude that they show while they are surfing the net. It is important to progressively teach them to select content and reliable sources of information, developing the ability to be critical of them. East educational process it must go through alerting them to the danger of providing personal data online, engaging in relationships with strangers, or exchanging files and messages in an insecure environment.

At the same time, they should be helped to avoid dispersion, specifying the terms according to the information sought and at the same time defining the time allocated to the internet connection according to the objective pursued: school work, games, contacts with friends, etc. A good resource is also the installation of protection programs on computers that limit access to certain web pages.

It is always advisable to bSeek the professional help of a psychologist if signs of misuse of the Internet by children or adolescents are detected or a possible Internet addiction is suspected. To do this, having one can help you. Find out about all the coverage of each policy and choose the one that best suits your needs.

Elena Killed Specialist in Clinical Psychology