Excessive Internet Use

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Maintaining a healthy balance between entertainment media and other activities in children’s lives has always been a challenge. The Internet has made this challenge even more difficult. This section explores how to recognize when excessive use has become problematic and how to address the issue.

Excessive Internet Use - Overview

We don’t always hear the clock ticking when we’re online and young people are no exception. Between doing research for homework, talking with friends, updating social networking pages and playing games, it’s easy to see how kids and teens might lose track of time. Excessive Internet use, however, can negatively affect young people’s schoolwork, health and social lives.

Responding to Excessive Use

Time spent using devices is one of parents’ top concerns when it comes to their kids’ digital lives – and also the number one source of conflict between parents and children relating to technology use.[1] It’s tempting for parents to act authoritatively and lay down the law on the number of hours their kids can spend on the computer. But in order to effectively address excessive use, there needs to be an active, voluntary commitment on the part of the young person to control their behaviour. Otherwise, kids will just find ways to work around their parents and be left to their own devices once they’re old enough to leave the house.