There is a direct relationship between morbid attachment to the devices of parents and children. With mutual interest and everyone’s involvement in setting limits, better results are achieved
Is Internet Addiction Contagious? L’Can morbid attachment to cell phones or other digital devices of parents affect children’s behavior? A group of researchers from the University of Boumemouth, Qatar, asked 168 parents of adolescents on a questionnaire and found that mom and dad, often considered a resource for solving their children’s technological addiction problems, are actually part of the problem. The study results show a direct relationship between the “dependence” of the parents with that of the children.
Time on the internet
Meanwhile, a premise is necessary. The use of tablets or smartphones is not always to be seen in a negative way because they are means that connect people and, as well as guaranteeing moments of leisure, they can be a way to acquire new knowledge and skills. Without forgetting that during the Covid pandemic all these technologies have allowed the world to stay connected, to go to school, to work. Excessive use of the phone or a screen not officially recognized as an addiction in official mental disorder manuals, although many psychiatrists do recognize that people can actually become addicted to their smartphones. Time spent on the Internet is not in itself an indicator of a problem and it is not enough to argue that there really is a problem warns Laura Turanipsychologist and psychotherapist of the Milanese center Il Minotauro.
Affectivity
Leading by example is a powerful form of parenting and evidently the use of technology is no exception. The work also highlighted how the technological dependence was very marked among adolescents who did not have an affectionate relationship with their parents. Conversely, low levels of family conflict were linked to less attachment to electronic devices. Planning fun family activities gives teens something rewarding to fill their time with Raian Al, first author of the study. It is clear that with a good family atmosphere, in which you listen to each other, you will not seek refuge every moment on your mobile phone: if you talk to each other at the table there will be no need to have your smartphone always at hand and you will not communicate from room to room via whatsapp confirmation Laura Turani,
The importance of ties
Not only. In the study it appeared that it is too authoritarian parenting styles (“Just turn off the wii-fii !!) both indulgent ones and disinterested have worsened the digital addiction of their children. This is why the watchword for parents who want to help those children who are too absorbed in the network is to be interested and curious about their activities as Laura Turuani has been repeating for years: it is wrong and counterproductive to harm what adolescent children do by hiding behind the “I don’t know” , “I don’t understand” and it would be a good habit at the end of the day to ask your kids not only how they went to school but also what they did online, who they have played with, if they have seen new interesting videos or have apps to suggest. Leafing through their Tik tok profile together could tell us a lot about their “algorithm” revealing interests perhaps unknown to us. Ignoring their online activities means giving them independence and autonomy to manage a large chunk of their life without the help of an adult.
Comparison of device usage times
With children you can work for to share a plan to address the Internet glut of all family members. We often attribute to our children – says Turuani – an excessive use of electronic devices, but it would be interesting to make a comparison of the time of use, we would discover that they are really adults are the main protagonists of the excessive use of the Net: we start with the pc at work and the numerous messages on whatsapp or telegram (certainly not always work) and then move on to leisure with social networks, music with spotify to end with a TV series on Netflix. All seasoned with the use of various apps throughout the day: from the electronic register of children to the weather, from the fitness app to the one that teaches cooking. Hiding behind the fact that adults use the web for work or to read the newspaper is not very constructive because even for children the web is a tool of their work: they learn languages, become music experts, play, follow their idols on social networks exactly like adults do.
Involvement
The Qatar study also found that there was no decrease in the levels of morbid attachment to the internet in the presence of parents who monitored the use of electronic devices more often. Translated: the more you insist on repeating the fateful phrase “break away!” worse . The authors suggest greater involvement of older children in limiting strategies: real change can happen allowing them to decide the limits for using certain apps or games, with a commitment that involves them personally, without passively undergoing choices that come from above, thus building trust and shared responsibility. The commitment on the part of both parties to limit the time spent online in favor of a direct confrontation at the table or other activities together seems to be winning. Parents – concludes Turuani – once again have a great educational function – and should represent a model of coherence and otherwise normal imitation that go haywire if they are told every moment not to stay on the cell phone and then, if they compare the time of using the smartphone with that of the parents discover that that of mom and dad is also triple: what you do is more useful than what you say. In short, it doesn’t work to preach well and scratch badly.
November 1, 2022 (change November 1, 2022 | 10:22)
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