Prescription Health: How to spot internet addiction in teens
The internet is at the tip of everyone’s fingers, and 95% of teens have access to a smartphone.
The average teen spends seven hours and 22 minutes looking at screens every day, which leads to some risks. So how can you spot the addiction?
“We might not be physically active, we may not be getting sufficient sleep, we may not be interacting with people in person,” Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Psychologist Kate Eshleman said.
A recent study found that teens with internet addiction have disrupted signaling between brain regions that control attention and working memory. This can make it hard for teens to focus on schoolwork.
“Just by the nature of being on the screen, and I think it could also look at what we're being exposed to, we know that social media has a lot of impact on people's mood,” Eshleman said.
Moods include becoming agitated or mad when their time online is interrupted or limited, staying up late or waking up in the middle of the night to continue online activities are also signs. That can lead to sleep deprivation.
The CDC says almost 73 percent of high school students don't get enough sleep.
So, what can you do?
Create tech-free zones, like keeping devices out of the kitchen.
A survey by pew research found that 74% of teens feel happy when they don't have their phones with them.
You can also set up parental controls. Apps like bark.us and aura can help monitor and limit online access.
You can also encourage teens to do activities outside.
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