Internet and video games: when teenagers exaggerate



[ad_1]

When a challenge to video games Fortnite becomes too much? According to the World Health Organization, when the desire to play outweighs other interests and daily activities, the recreational activity becomes, in practice, persistent, a priority over the whole of the world. rest. A growing problem for which the International Body coined the term Gambling Disorder and included the dependence on video games in the update of the International Clbadification of Diseases (ICD), the list disease. [19659002]

Here we do not want to demonize the Net or video games online. But it is trivial to remember that is too much of a stranglehold as a well-known proverb used throughout Italy to indicate the negativity of any excess

That does not mean that anyone plays will develop the addiction. , only affects a small portion of video game enthusiasts (online and offline). But nevertheless, it invites us not to underestimate the fact that playing without brakes can lead to a pathological dependence because the addiction represents the dark side of pleasure. And so, in the long run, the pleasure of a victory could turn into an obsession to lose control. And not be able to unplug. Or better, the wifi

Eye at the time of connection
According to a study published in the newspaper Frontiers in Psychiatry performed on a small sample of adolescents Italian (240 boys and 756 girls with an average age of about 16 years), it appeared for example that 8% spend more than 6 hours per day on the Internet and that more than 22% of students surveyed (no difference between men and women) have a dysfunctional relationship In other words, the use of the Internet is problematic for more than one in five teens.

"In our sample, the prevalence of subjects with problematic Internet use is higher than that reported by previous European studies (like this and this for example), a difference that could be related to the most widespread dissemination of the Internet over the years and at the progressively lower age of those who access the Web "comments Professor Luigi Janiri of the Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University Roman Catholic and Gemelli's Complementary Operational Unit

"We have evaluated, with an interview and specific tests – continues Janiri – the impact of the use of the Internet on everyday life: l & rsquo; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & rsquo; School, relationships with family, interpersonal relationships, duration and quality of sleep, etc. And the degree of discomfort that young people experience when they can not access the Web as and when they want it. even if no we can not speak of a true "dependence", we found a very maladaptive behavior with significant repercussions on the psychophysical well-being. "

" We found – he adds – that about 10% of students risked problem gambling, showing a correlation with the frequency of gambling. "

More generally, this study fits in the list. Activity that the Janiri team has been conducting for a long time to study the risks to adolescence of substances and other addictions, so-called behavioral addictions such as pathological gambling, baduality and compulsive shopping … [19659003] "In recent years – he explains – we have indeed witnessed, among young Italians, the lowering of the age of the first contact with substances of abuse, of behaviors such as drinking and drunkorxia (the fact of undergoing a restrictive diet before consuming alcohol, to increase caloric intake and avoid weight gain, both to enhance the euphoric effects and nonalcoholic alcohol), as well as l & # 39; problematic use of the Internet and online gambling. "

 slider-internet

Adolescence, from propensity to risk to development of addiction
Adolescence is known as a critical phase of development because of the profound physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that distinguish it. "It is also characterized by a neurobiological fragility that can promote greater risk appetite and greater vulnerability to addictions," says Janiri

. Adolescents are more vulnerable to the development of certain addictive disorders because their brain is being transformed – there are circuits that still need to fully model and structure – and the incomplete maturation of certain nerve pathways (such as frontal areas which are fundamental for the attention, the judgment, the decision, the control of the immediate impulses …) encourages him to take more risks and less control of the situation.

"The tendency to act quickly and impulsively is one of the factors that feeds adolescents' vulnerability and repetitive behaviors. dysfunctional, although it is possible to hypothesize that behavioral addictions are an expression of underlying psychopathology fragility, rather than the symptoms of excessive participation in inappropriate activities in itself. "

Not everyone agrees with the inclusion of video game addiction in the International Clbadification of Diseases (ICD). But online gambling addiction has also been included in the third section of the DSM, the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders, although the American Psychiatric Association encourages further research to be able to declare inclusion as an official disorder in the next edition. Janiri comments, "I agree on the inclusion of the Internet Gaming Disorder among the dependencies in the clbadification systems, but we must keep in mind, however, that the game "is a particular aspect of the use of the Internet potentially pathological." 19659002] Here are some tips that Luigi Janiri gives his parents to understand when it's time to unplug.

ALARM CLOCKS

[1945900] 8] The time of connection : the time that pbades on the net on various devices to face another challenge

The development of unusual behaviors : different behaviors from before, such as greater irritability, control of impulses, deterioration of academic performance

Isolation and apathy : may be a sign of dysfunctional use of the network and of a abuse of video games, which become the only notable activity for which they are tr eclipse other activities essential for healthy growth, friendship, school, sport, attendance of places of interest. 39, aggregation ….

TIPS

Mom and Dad should first be present that is to say pay attention and show of the same. interest in what are daily activities, relationships, school performance teenager area. But not mere observers, they should interact, talk, confront each other and warn them against the risks that are hidden in excessive use of video games.

Fundamental Establish Clear Rules : There is no point in banning, but streamlining and regulating the use of the network and online games. Set daily or weekly limits and involve them in alternative activities to spend free time. It's ok to play but it should not become the only interest and the only "commitment" of the day.

In the face of exaggerated use and signs of dependency, Janiri advises to contact the doctor to be referred to a specialized drug treatment center, to have the appropriate support to leave the hospital. ghetto of addiction.

It might also interest you …

[ad_2]
Source link