The Rising Problem of Internet Addiction in Children

The internet is a medium that is growing rapidly. Nowadays, Internet is easily accessible use not only for adolescent and adult, but also for children. It is something that humans cannot function without anymore. It has occupied a great part of our lives. We use the internet for almost every little and a big task now. The Internet has basically made our lives easier and convenient. The world is at our fingertips now, thanks to the internet. When we see how it has changed the scenario of the modern world, we can’t help but notice its importance. It is used in all spheres of life now. Many children nowadays use, or at least have access to the internet, which sometimes may result in internet addiction in children. The Internet provides many of the studying opportunities for the students, during the college time if the student gets to miss the class due to any of the reason then they should take the help of the internet as there are many of the sites which provide the free education for the studying students. Children use internet for entertainment purpose, such as online games, listening music and watching video. Children also use internet for searching information and social online interaction. Many of the children may have used the Internet without being guided and supervised by their parents and teachers. The Internet has become a sensation nowadays. But most people are blinded by all the benefits of the internet, and fail to notice any of the problems that can come from overuse. Since the internet is a new technology, not many studies have been done to determine how beneficial or detrimental it can be to children. This activity can facilitate social and cognitive development for children, but there are negative impact such as internet addiction, decreased vision skills and get extreme information. The internet may have many benefits to children, it can also be very harmful to them.

One of the most obvious problems with children using the internet is the chance of getting addicted. Internet addiction is a serious thing, but hasn’t drawn much attention due to the fact that it is a newer problem in society. Children that have grown up using computers will naturally be more susceptible to getting hooked on the internet. Many children spend more time on the computer than they spend watching television. Most of the time children spend on the computer can be attributed to the internet. This computer overuse results in less time for children to study, do homework, read, exercise, or participate in any out of school organizations. Such a pattern will eventually affect the child’s grades, health, and social life.

Online gaming is another cause for the internet addiction. An addiction to online games can cause a tremendous amount of consequences to the gamer. Some children play ten, tweleve or fifteen hours regular in single gaming session everyday which is not good for their health. In one of the most dramatic stories of online gaming addiction, 28 year old man played game for 50 hours straight. During that time, the man had not slept properly and had eaten very little. He finally died from heart failure stemming from exhaustion.

The power of the Internet can be so strong, that it can influence the youth to dismiss important duties and responsibilities they have going on in their lives. Because children and teens can create their own virtual world, it can be very easy to get lost in them, due to the fact that time does not apply online. When a child prolongs tasks or chores, in order to remain on the Internet for a longer period of time, it can lead them to be unproductive in their everyday lives. As they youth grow older, procrastination becomes more of an everyday issue, by putting off homework assignments, which puts them at a risk of failing in school, then eventually pushing everything out of their lives.

Spending too much time on the internet isn’t the only problem that children can encounter. The content which children access on the internet can be harmful as well. There is no regulation of the content on the internet. Therefore, parenting role and guide is important to control children internet use, supported internet literacy education at home and school. However, parents could play an important role to control their children’s activities that have anything to do with the internet and further protect their children from the danger brought about by the internet.