Today’s life is unthinkable without the Internet. All of the information about the human population is stored in Internet databases. Every person on the planet, if connected to this network, can find out everything they need at any time. In this sense, this kind of library has an invaluable place in the modern world.
However, as with many other things, one has to be careful about using the Internet. Attracted by the ease of access to much interesting content (texts, videos, music and movies), we can easily slip from the sphere of conducive use into uncontrolled use, that is, dependency.
Internet addiction in children
Human curiosity is one of the natural facts that drive the world. But dangers lurk from all sides. It is sometimes vital not to let curiosity lead us. Such is the case with addictive disorders. In the last decades of the twentieth century, Internet addiction has become one of them.
The accelerated pace of life and the numerous responsibilities parents have on a daily basis results in a lack of free time. Stress, lack of time for children and family activities are a suitable ground for the development of various forms of deviant behavior in children. When children are left alone, they can easily fall under bad influence. Due to still underdeveloped personality and defense mechanisms, children are vulnerable to the influence of peers, subsocial groups and the media.
Establishing and nurturing social relationships in the modern world is increasingly happening online today. The expansion of social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter makes our communication done predominantly virtually, rather than directly, face-to-face. The astonishing fact is that preoccupation with social networks and the Internet is such that people often communicate through the network even though they are sitting opposite each other.
YouTube and other channels are used for publishing different content. Spontaneous videos and audios, movies, series, music videos, news and other shows, various tutorials … The list is practically endless! Such a multitude of content seems very tempting and difficult to resist. Children are especially prone to unrestrained ‘swallowing’ of everything on their screen.
As mobile phones and tablets have become common today, every child can easily access the Internet. Preoccupation with this network is such that children use it not only at home and on the street but also at school, during class. Their psychic absence and inability to follow classes are alarming. That is why schools have introduced a ban on the use of mobile phones in all school premises, while the use of a mobile phone during the class is prohibited by law.
Internet abuse and danger to the youngest
Misuse of cell phones by school children is also reflected in recording delicate situations, such as going to the toilet or changing and preparing for a physical education class. What is more striking than peer violence is the fact that children do not shy away from shooting scenes of aggression among their friends. Numerous recordings of child violence are posted on YouTube and social networks. Unauthorized use of the Internet is most often punished by censorship. However, children then share explicit scenes of violence among themselves, in various groups on Viber, Whatsup and other mobile Internet applications.
Playing video games also contributes significantly to desocialization of children. Many games can be found on the Internet: from educational and cognitive, through sports and entertainment, to those that call for violence. The latter are particularly dangerous to the young mind as they call for violence against others and themselves. One such is the Blue Whale video game, which has been widely publicized.
As a result of daily hours of activity on the Internet, children are gradually disconnected from reality. They begin to live in a virtual world, far removed from real interpersonal relationships. Such children are difficult to reach and parents have many problems. Due to a decrease in concentration and a decrease in memory and learning capacity, they perform poorly at school. Grade drop sharply, conduct deteriorates, and relationships with teachers and classmates degrade. Household responsibilities and family activities are also no longer fulfilled. All attention and time are subordinate to the Internet.
Internet addiction – How can you help children?
Parents very often come into conflict with children because of their uncontrollable use of the Internet. Toddlers respond to criticism by either complete indifference or aggression.
In addition to being obsessed with social networks and video games, there is a real risk of Internet predators for children: pedophiles, sects, or even paramilitary organizations. Destructive and dangerous organizations and individuals often lurk behind fake profiles with children’s photos. Their manipulation is also demonstrated through attractive activities seemingly allowed to a child (sharing photos and snapshots of rare games, etc.).
In order to prevent child abuse, parents are expected to remain alert. Internet access must be limited and the time spent by children on mobile phones and tablets should be strictly controlled. Today, there are numerous content control applications and programs young people can consume. Parents can determine which videos will be available to them.
The influence of peers and the availability of inappropriate content at school or on the street should not be neglected. That is why all the dangers of the Internet must be constantly discussed with children.
However, if you notice signs of Internet addiction in your child, seek immediate medical attention. Experienced psychotherapists at Dr Vorobiev clinic will help solve this serious problem.
Symptoms of Internet addiction – How to recognize them?
Not only children (though they are the most sensitive group) are addicted to the Internet. Adults are equally prone to this disorder. That this problem has become viral is confirmed by data from the World Health Organization, which says that as many as 44 % of the population suffers from this type of addiction. It is classified as an addictive disorder, just like drug, alcohol and gambling addiction.
Pathological behavior on the Internet involves the inappropriate and everyday use of the Internet for many hours. Adults, like children, are drawn to a wealth of interesting content. It often happens that a person reaches out to this network to find a product, service, or place, and ends up frantically reading yellow press or searching for shopping sites. The internet is easy to get hooked on. Apps, commercials, striking headlines and photos – it is all very attractive and seductive.
Like children, adults too are not immune to video games. In addition to chess and monopoly they play with virtual teammates, adults also gamble or compulsively shop online.
Addiction crisis – Signs and consequences
With Internet addiction, the receptors in the brain responsible for creating alcohol, drug and gambling addictions are activated. That is why this mental disorder must be treated with the same dedication and seriousness. Addiction treatment is an important family and social task.
Internet addicts get into addiction crises as do drug addicts, alcoholics, or compulsive gamblers. An inescapable desire to surf, find a cyber sex partner, or make records in video games is what usurps every thought of an Internet addict. If unable to get online, they fall into an addict crisis.
Some of the indicators that a person is in this condition are usual addict symptoms: increased sweating, high blood pressure, irritability, nervousness and aggression. The person in crisis is hard to reach, communication is impossible, and conflict is inevitable. The focus on real-life commitments and activities does not exist anymore. Alienation from family and friends is more evident and drastic. Even primary biological needs are neglected: meals are avoided, personal hygiene is not maintained, and going to the toilet is constantly hold off until reaching “just another record” or “defeating the virtual casino”. All of this can result in serious health problems, such as arrhythmia, anemia, constipation, ulcer, and endocardial infarction.
Digital addiction – When there is no longer reality
In people prone to addiction, the Internet, drugs, alcoholic and gambling have a compensatory role. An immature psychic structure often cannot come with life difficulties and reaches out for something that will comfort them or fill the emptiness they feel.
Due to his excessive stay in the virtual world he escapes to, the person gradually loses contact with reality. Even when he is not in physical contact with a computer or mobile phone, his thoughts are focused on the next level of video game, a new bet on roulette or buying new unnecessary things. Mental dependence increases.
In order to cover the costs, the addict becomes indebted. He takes loans, goes into overdraft, borrows money from relatives and friends, and often sells things from the house. The bank account is getting thinner and the home budget no longer exists. While the family no longer has the money to cover even the bare necessities, the addict only thinks about where to get the money for the next bet or purchase. Excitement and happiness hormones are replaced with anxiety and depression due to lost money. Although desperate, the addict must “come back for more.” That need is stronger than anything.
Family and marital discord become more common and fierce and the family breaks down. In an attempt to get the addict back on track, the family eventually remains disarmed in their infirmity. With the last hope that they will somehow manage to cope with the addiction problem that plagues their home, parents or spouses seek medical help.
When the addict is proposed to go to treatment, he often refuses, denying the problem and not accepting responsibility for his own actions. Feeling betrayed, he escapes from those who “do not understand and do not love him,” and seeks comfort in increasing alienation.
Internet addiction treatment – Reliable methods
Dr Vorobiev international clinic reliably and successfully implements the Internet Addiction Treatment Program. The clinic, which won the International Quality Award in New York in 2018, is a driver of innovation in the treatment of addiction. The success with which we help people to overcome their addiction is owed to specialists, whose work has been rewarded with the highest recognitions.
The Internet Addiction Treatment Program lasts for 14 days and includes the following methods:
1. Diagnostic examination is the primary stage in treatment. The success of the treatment depends directly on the diagnosis. In order to get a true clinical picture of the patient’s psychophysical condition, it is necessary to perform urine, blood, ECG tests and internist examination. Psychodiagnostics will be made at the first examination. It involves psychological tests, on the basis of which the degree of addiction, its consequences on the mental health of the individual, the possible presence of mental impairments and disorders, such as depression, are determined. Through the test, one can also examine the patient’s level of motivation for healing. Following the results obtained and consultations of the specialist team, they determine the individual, 14-day patient treatment program.
2. Pharmacotherapy is medicine therapy. Prescribing pharmacotherapy involves prescribing non-addictive medications. At the beginning of treatment, medication is a necessary means of achieving the patient’s psychological stability. Because when anxiety is eliminated, the patient shows more will to heal.
3. Medical device treatment includes neuro-jet and trans-air therapy. With the help of special devices and impulses within neuro-jet therapy, the nerve cells that secrete endorphin and dopamine (the so-called happiness hormones) are affected. Trans-air therapy normalizes the functions of the left and right ventricles. The mood stabilizes and the behavior corrects. Thus, control over pathological need to stay on the Internet is established.
4. Psychotherapy is one of the most important methods in the treatment of Internet addiction. It involves finding the cause of addiction as well as building a more stable mental structure for the patient. Constructing adequate mechanisms for protection against relapse is one of the crucial tasks of psychotherapy.
Dr Vorobiev clinic – With you until complete recovery
At Dr Vorobiev clinic the following psychotherapy models are applied:
- Individual psychotherapy. Individual work of a psychotherapist with the patient is dominant in this type of psychotherapy. Through examining the causes and consequences of addiction, the patient is advised on how to most easily cope with anxiety and stress. In therapy, he will also learn how to preserve his personality, that is, how to repair broken relationships with loved ones. The patient is given a plan of daily activities, which he must adhere to. By establishing a new life routine, the therapy seeks to eliminate temptations that have plunged the patient into a state of addiction.
- Educational psychotherapy. This patient in this psychotherapy reports on all the consequences that Internet addiction has left on his life and the lives of his loved ones. The patient faces the psychological, emotional, social and occupational consequences that addiction has caused. In this form of therapy, the patient is also taught ways to behave to make the abstinence period successful.
- Group psychotherapy. Group therapy involves the work of a psychotherapist with a smaller or larger group of addicts. Through psychodrama and other people’s experiences, the patient perceives the consequences of his or her Internet addiction. By listening to the experiences of other addicts, it is easier for the patient to accept the fact that he or she has a serious problem. At the same time, he realizes that he is not alone in it. That way, his treatment will have a better outcome.
- Family psychotherapy. Family members are considered co-addicts in the disease. Their involvement in the treatment of addicts is, therefore, of immense importance. By examining and analyzing family relationships, the psychotherapist tries to find out what led to the addiction. By looking at all the causes, he tries to find the best method for recovery. Advising family members about appropriate patient behavior contributes to the success of the therapy.
Addiction treatment – We are always here for you
5. Pharmacohypnosis involves the combination of elements of hypnosis and medication (ibogaine, etc.) for therapeutic purposes. By delving into the deepest levels of the subconscious, the patient becomes aware of moments that were crucial in his life. This experience is extremely emotional and sobering for the patient. The kind of providence he has experienced is usually so strong that the patient never returns to the path of addiction.
6. Outpatient treatment is the last stage in treatment. It occurs after leaving the hospital and lasts up to 12 months. Mandatory monthly check-ups and ongoing support from the physician help the patient successfully maintain the abstinence period. If he feels the need, the patient can apply to Dr Vorobiev clinic at any time, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Internet addiction – Your health is our mission
If you have identified symptoms of addiction with yourself or someone close to you, you can consult us at any time. Our doctors will advise you on what is best to do to treat Internet addiction. It is crucial to seek help as soon as the problem is identified as treatment should not be delayed. Therefore, do not hesitate to call us.
Two decades of experience in the treatment of addiction puts our specialists among the world’s best experts in this medical field. Satisfied and healthy patients from all over the world are our best recommendation.
Become the master of your life again. With our help, return to yourself and your family.
