Wuhan Tianyou Star Children’s Hospital: Why Are Children Obsessed with the Internet? The Most Common Psychological Issue Among Adolescents is Internet Addiction
In today’s digital age, the internet is like a double-edged sword, opening the door to knowledge for children and broadening their horizons, while quietly planting the seeds of “internet addiction” among certain youth groups. As a professional children’s healthcare institution, Wuhan Tianyou Star Children’s Hospital understands the importance of adolescent mental health, especially in the face of the increasingly prevalent issue of internet addiction. We deem it necessary to delve into the reasons behind this phenomenon and seek effective solutions.
1. Why are children obsessed with the internet?
Escaping reality: Pressures from academic burdens, family conflicts, and tense interpersonal relationships may lead children to choose the internet as a refuge from reality. In the online world, they can temporarily forget their troubles and gain a sense of achievement and satisfaction.
Social needs: The internet provides convenient social platforms, allowing children to connect and share with peers across geographical boundaries. For introverted children or those lacking social skills, the internet becomes an important avenue for building social relationships.
Curiosity and exploratory desire: Adolescence is a stage of heightened curiosity, with the vast amounts of information, novel games, and videos available online constantly stimulating their desire to explore, making it difficult for them to extricate themselves.
Lack of self-control: The brains of adolescents are still developing, and the functions of the prefrontal cortex (responsible for decision-making, self-control, and other higher functions) are not fully matured, resulting in difficulties in effectively controlling their behavior when faced with online temptations.
2. Internet addiction: A warning bell for adolescent mental health
Internet addiction is not merely excessive online time; it often accompanies a range of psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, social disorder, and academic decline. Long-term immersion in the internet can severely affect adolescents’ physical and mental health and may even have far-reaching impacts on their future lives.
3. Coping strategies: A collective effort from families, schools, and society
Family guidance: Parents should become the primary mentors for their children’s internet use by setting reasonable online time limits, participating in family activities together, and enhancing parent-child communication to guide children in establishing healthy internet usage habits.
School education: Schools should strengthen the education of students on internet literacy, including online safety, information discernment, and time management, while also conducting a variety of extracurricular activities to meet students’ diverse needs and reduce their reliance on the internet.
Professional intervention: For children who display symptoms of internet addiction, timely help should be sought from professional medical institutions such as Wuhan Tianyou Star Children’s Hospital. Through psychological counseling, behavioral therapy, family therapy, and other comprehensive measures, we can help children gradually overcome internet addiction and restore normal life and learning states.
In conclusion, children’s obsession with the internet and adolescent internet addiction issues are complex social phenomena that require collaborative efforts from families, schools, society, and professional healthcare institutions. Wuhan Tianyou Star Children’s Hospital is willing to work hand-in-hand with all sectors to jointly safeguard the mental health of adolescents, ensuring every child can grow up healthily under the sun.
