BENGALURU: In a time when people are hooked to smartphones or laptops — and Google is supposedly making us stupider — parents might be passing on their Internet addiction to kids.
For years, parents have struggled to keep this at bay in their children, especially adolescents, but the tables seem to have turned.
So children end up spending hours in front of the TV while parents spend a lot of free time online. Whether it’s to escape boredom to keep in touch with friends or manage work. Moreover, Google is the go-to for solutions to every other problem.
Children Learn Through Imitation
Kids are known to learn through imitation. “Therefore, children are the primary victims of the parents’ addiction, says Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, clinical psychiatrist, National Institute for Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).
He sees about four to five cases a month, and shares a couple with City Express.
In 35-year-old Ramesh’s* household, his wife was the sole breadwinner for long. He would watch movies, and later switched to playing video games on his laptop.
The couple’s four-year-old spent more time with the father than the mother, and made it a habit of watching his favourite shows on the laptop. Even after he began working again, Ramesh continued to spend hours on his laptop.
Finally, his wife took father and child to a de-addiction centre.
In a similar case, Sarita* (32) quit her job, partly to give her five-year-old more time. It worked, till loneliness began to take over after the child and husband left for school and work respectively.
She found an escape in playing games on her mobile, an hour at a stretch. Over time, the number of hours a day she spent on her new pastime increased to seven. Her child picked up the habit too and played games whenever the phone was available, and showed signs of displeasure whenever the device was taken away.
Sarita, treated for addiction to technology, later acknowledged that this led to reduced interaction with her child and husband, and neglect of household work.
Her symptoms included food craving, loss of control and compulsion to play video games. She was psycho-educated about addictive use, and was, along with her child, motivated to find activities not related to technology to immerse herself in.
Watch Out for These Symptoms
Online shopping, spending long hours on social networking sites and watching YouTube videos excessively are major possible symptoms.
Though rare, long hours spent on e-commerce portals have lead to major financial problems, the psychiatrist adds.
Some parents know they are severely addicted to the Internet but have no clue about how to overcome it.
Tips to Overcome Internet Addiction
“Anyone who wants to overcome this should follow the three Rs — Relevance, Restriction and Reward,” Sharma.
First it is necessary understand why you are an addict, he explains. Boredom and loneliness are common reasons, especially among homemakers cooped up indoors for long hours.
It’s a small step from logging on to social networking sites to getting hooked to shopping online, he adds.
The reason determined, the next step is de-addiction. Set a goal, keep your day busy, and record your schedule in a journal, he advises. And do not, at any cost, feel free to access the Internet.
Cultivate new hobbies, walk to the nearest park, look for face-to-face interactions and make friends, he continues. And keep your distance from any gadgets you can get hooked on to.
Internet addiction breeds laziness, Sharma warns. Joining dance classes or laughter clubs could and keep you physically fit and active, he suggests.
Raksha, mother of two, admits that she feels the urge to live online, but is able to keep it under control.
“I usually watch recipes and my favourite serials on YouTube,”
she says. “I start with one episode and end up watching those of the week. But then I schedule my Internet time,” she says.
Last but not the least, reward yourself on reaching the goal, Sharma says. Rewards make you stick to your goal. Ensure that the pull of the reward is stronger than that of the Internet. They could eating at your favourite food joint or a trip with your family.
*Names have been changed to protect identity