Signs of Internet Addiction – Is Your Child Displaying the Warning Signs?

As a parent, how can you tell when your child's love for surfing the Internet, chatting with friends, playing games, and other online activities crosses over from a simple overuse issue to a more serious problem, such as Internet addiction? It can be a very difficult line to determine, especially since Internet addiction has yet to be formally recognized as a mental health disease by the American Medical Association. But that doesn't minimize how serious an issue it is, and there are still signs of Internet addiction that you can be on the lookout for.

Some of these common Internet addiction signs include:

• Isolation from friends and/or family members

• Tension and/or arguments over the amount of time your child spends online

• Your child losing track of time while surfing the Internet

• Internet usage getting in the way of schoolwork, chores, or other activities

• And more

Speak with your doctor, of course, if you notice many of these signs of Internet addiction in your child and are worried that they might have a problem. However, if you are also looking for an effective way to regulate and monitor your child's screen time on the Internet, TV, video games, and other devices in your home, the Mikko Que can help.

With the Mikko Que you can reduce the use of electronic devices by decreasing your child's time allowance over a period of time.  For example, in a given month you might allow your child 10 hours a day of use. Then, you can reduce usage to eight hours a day the next month and so on until your child's media consumption is more in line with recommended standards. This technique is less obtrusive and will result in less resistance.  It will also give parents the peace of mind that during sleeping hours their children are not up watching TV, playing video games, or surfing the Internet. To learn more about this state-of-the-art device and how it can help you prevent Internet addiction and teach your children responsible media habits, contact us today.

Media Management for Children … It’s time.