“He seems to prefer his own company,” says Dad, glued to a soccer match on TV and leaving his son to do his own thing.
“She finds her own entertainment,” adds Mom in answer to a query about their daughter’s whereabouts.
“You’re so lucky,” remarks a visitor, “not having to worry about your children.”
But wait. What are the youngsters actually doing and why are they so absorbed with it?
United nations statistics showed that around 77 per cent of people aged between 15 and 24 used the Internet in 2023 and the figures have been mounting exponentially. Children who find ways to amuse themselves are increasingly likely to be seeking entertainment of one sort or another on a digital device, usually connecting to the Internet. This could well be by researching a topic that interests them and could help them with their studies – or they could be courting serious trouble.
While easy access to the Internet has created opportunities for children and young people to communicate, learn, socialise and play, giving them new ideas and more diverse sources of information, this comes with serious risks. A good deal has been written about cyberbullying and other forms of peer-to-peer violence, possible exposure to hate speech
and violent content – including messages that incite self-harm and even suicide – disinformation and online sexual abuse. But these are by no means the only dangers that lurk in the cyber world.
Statistics show that the average person spends over two hours per day on social media and the seemingly innocuous pastime of taking an interest in how other people lead their lives can lead to comparisons and dissatisfaction with one’s own body shape, lifestyle and perceived opportunities. The resulting loss in self-worth can lead to serious depression and, in extreme cases, suicide. These reactions can affect people of all ages, but are particularly worrying in children and adolescents.
While girls are most likely to suffer from loss of self-confidence as a result of comparison, boys are more liable to get hooked on games – neither of which is a healthy occupation, particularly for adolescents, whose brains are still developing. Add hormones to the mix and the situation is heading for crisis proportions.
The unwitting culprit is a substance called dopamine – the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter – but its role in the brain is far more complex than simply making us feel pleasure, driving us to seek out experiences that our brains perceive as beneficial. Each time you check your phone and see a new notification or a ‘like’ message, each time you overcome your digital opponent in a game, your brain releases a small burst of dopamine, giving you a sensation of pleasure and encouraging you to check your messages again soon or start on another game, looking for more satisfaction.
But you can get too much of a good thing. Like anything else – from cream doughnuts to drugs – dopamine gets less effective the more you get of it. So you carry on, trying to get more of your dopamine fix, until you are truly ‘hooked’. Which is pretty much the definition of addiction.
The Journal of Behavioral Addictions found that the dopamine release associated with smartphone use was similar to that experienced during gambling or substance use.
Carrying on with activities that trigger dopamine release, our brains begin to form strong neural pathways associated with those activities. Over time, these pathways can become so entrenched that they lead to compulsive behaviour. Too much dopamine can lead to a condition known as dopamine desensitisation, when the brain becomes less responsive to normal levels, prompting you to search for more intense stimuli to achieve the same level of reward.
Research shows that young people with internet addiction experience changes in their brain chemistry. A study published in PLOS Mental Health showed these changes were evident throughout multiple neural networks. According to this study: ‘Adolescence is a crucial developmental stage… the brain is particularly vulnerable to Internet addiction-related urges during this time.’ This, it continues, can lead to potentially negative behavioural and developmental changes.
In 2020, the World Health Organisation formally recognised addiction to digital technology as a worldwide problem, leading to inability to manage time, energy and attention, disturbed sleep patterns or insomnia, citing digital addiction as one of the major reasons why people – and adolescents in particular – sleep less and less well.
Internet addiction disorder (IAD) and Internet gaming disorder (IGD) are both characterised by altered punishment-reward sensitivity and deregulation of the dopamine transmitter pathways in the brain, causing total loss of impulse control. They are, therefore, equivalent to any other form of addiction.
Defining the problem is one thing – finding a solution is another.
Parents and teachers need to be on the look-out for behavioural changes, especially those lasting two or more weeks. Notice if youngsters are obsessively checking for messages, spending more and more time alone, losing interest in their hobbies and struggling to concentrate.
There are several things a family can do to halt the insidious creep of digital disruptions to family life. Banning cellphones at mealtimes is a good place to start. Previous generations were not allowed books or comics at the table so insisting on family interaction at meals is not ‘picking on’ the younger generation. Banning digital devices in bedrooms may prove more difficult but it’s necessary if you want to keep track of what they are actually doing online.
Set a good example. You’ll never convince them to put down devices if you’re checking yours instead of interacting with them. Hopefully the generations will come to enjoy each other’s company and conversation. Take an interest in what they are doing. Just as you’d ask about school or friends, chat about their online interests. They are, after all, the digital generation and they might be able to teach you something.
Encourage hobbies and outdoor pursuits they’d enjoy. It helps if you can also join in.
Of course, the youngsters in your family may well be researching some topic of special interest to them, or getting more background information on a subject that has been touched on at school. We have all seen interviews with young people who attribute their academic success to the Internet. This is particularly true of those that have attended under-resourced schools, though the trend seems to be the encouragement of pupils to do their own research rather than expect to be ‘spoon-fed’ in the classroom.
Used wisely, online platforms can support learning, foster friendships and provide creative outlets. But you can have too much of a good thing. The aim is balance.
