Teenagers face a higher risk of depression and anxiety when using technology.
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A new study conducted by the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, in collaboration with colleagues from other specialties and institutions, found that 9- and 10-year-old children face an increased risk of depression and anxiety when using devices.
The scientists followed 9,538 participants for about two years. The goal was to understand how children’s computer screen time and online activity are associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression.
It turns out that spending more time in front of a screen is associated with an increase in various symptoms of mental distress.
– Each additional hour of screen time corresponded to a 10% increase in depression symptoms. Manifestations of problematic behavior increased by 7% and physical problems (pain in different parts of the body, weakness, dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing) increased by 6%.
– Additionally, each additional hour of screen time increased the risk of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder by 6%.
! Video calling, texting, watching videos and playing video games were especially associated with depression.
Why is it like this?
Choosing to communicate online requires time in which one could be more actively physically present in this communication, that is, communicating in person takes up part of the sleeping time, and personal communication, physical activity and healthy sleep are precisely the main ways to prevent it. depression, notes the study’s lead author, Jason Nagata, MD, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.
WHAT IS PROBLEM BEHAVIOR?
The study speaks of manifestations of so-called defiant oppositional behavior. The signs here are the following:
– emotional imbalance, aggression, anger, revenge;
– failure to comply with the rules of conduct;
– the desire to irritate, intimidate, blame other people.
IMPORTANT
Very often, the roots of any problematic behavior of an adolescent, both in early adolescence (from 10 to 14 years according to the WHO classification) and in older adolescence (from 15 to 19 years), lie in relationships. within the family as a system. Going online and online here can be a “secondary manifestation” of the initial problem of relationships with parents.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEMATIC USE OF GADGETS AND THE INTERNET?
Problematic use means that the child is so immersed in social media, gaming, and online life that it becomes very much like an addiction. For example, there are behavioral cues that, whenever possible, the child immediately immerses themselves in their device and watches a video or communicates online. If you cannot go online and connect, irritation, anxiety and a difficult-to-bear mood arises, reminiscent of depression.
Communication with peers, offline games and walks – the child considers all this secondary to online communication and life.
In fact, a situation in which a child’s communication outside the Internet and social networks is interrupted can be considered an alarming bell, Anna Ermolaeva, psychologist, deputy director of the Federal Coordination Center for the Provision of Psychological Services in the Educational System of the Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical Service. University, he told KP.RU.
If instead of going out with friends you prefer to surf the Internet. Continuing to live on the Internet causes problems with sleep, sometimes insomnia, difficulties with appetite and abandonment of any physical activity.
RULES FOR LIFE WITH A GADGET CAN HELP
By the way, it is best for parents to start by regulating their own “relationship with the device” and these rules are important for adults too.
When should I not take a smartphone (tablet, computer)?
– during a meal or while waiting for breakfast – lunch – dinner – this is the time of direct communication without the mediation of a device;
– when guests come to the house, during a vacation or spending time with friends;
– before going to bed. Gadgets are not allowed in the bedroom; you can send it to rest until morning in a special box – a box; The control time can be set together with the child, okay, but it is better to let the devices and yourself rest after 8:00 p.m.
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