Understanding Internet Addiction

Recognizing the Signs and How to Help

Understanding Internet Addiction

Kids are spending more time than ever online, but exactly where is the boundary between healthy learning and socialising and unhealthy compulsion?

To keep things balanced, establish screen time limits and stay strong when faced with young, determined negotiators! It’s been said 100 times, but I’ll say it again; encourage offline activities like sports or family game nights. Open conversations with your children about their online habits can help you understand how they’re spending their time – as well as help you identify any potential issues early on.

Safe Online

Kids aren’t born with the intuition to know who should and shouldn’t have access to their personal information. So It’s a good idea to teach them to not share their home address, phone number, or school name – especially in chat rooms or social media. It’s super easy to forget, but it matters. Also, try teaching them to use strong passwords and to not reuse them for everything. Once they realise that keeping their account private is actually a smart move, you’re winning. Just taking a few minutes to look through the app’s privacy settings with your child can seriously help to keep them safer online.

Empowering Kids to Report and Handle Issues

What about empowering children to report online problems? It might seem obvious to you, but it can be surprisingly unobvious to kids that they should come to you if something weird happens online. Having had a conversation with you about how to block or report users that make them feel uncomfortable will make it so much less of a big deal if it should happen.
And if, additionally, they feel that their caregiver knows exactly how to block users, they will probably come to you as soon as it happens.

Many platforms have built-in features for reporting abuse. It could be useful to explore these together. Online experiences are never predictable but you’re taking positive steps towards better safety online.

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1. Common Sense Media: Tech Addiction Guide
This nonprofit organization offers evidence-based guides for parents on managing screen time, recognizing addiction warning signs, and implementing healthy digital habits. Their parent portal includes age-specific recommendations and practical tools.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/technology-addiction

2. American Academy of Pediatrics: Family Media Plan
The AAP provides a customizable tool that helps families create personalized plans for healthy media use. It includes guidance on setting screen time limits, designating media-free zones, and balancing online and offline activities.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx

3. Children and Screens Institute
This interdisciplinary research organization offers science-backed resources specifically focused on children’s digital media use and potential addiction. They provide webinars, toolkits, and practical strategies based on current research.
https://www.childrenandscreens.com/resources/

4. The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction
Founded by Dr. David Greenfield, a leading expert in internet addiction, this organization provides assessment tools, educational resources, and treatment options specifically for families dealing with digital dependency issues.
https://virtual-addiction.com/resources-for-parents/

5. ConnectSafely
This parent-focused resource offers practical guides on managing screen time, recognizing problematic internet use, and fostering digital citizenship. Their parent guides cover various platforms and technologies that children commonly use.
https://www.connectsafely.org/parentguides/