A high-school student in Taoyuan is accused of killing his mother after she confiscated his cellphone. News reports said that the student had been taking medication for emotional issues and had often been involved in conflicts with his mother over his addiction to mobile games. Discipline is an issue that many parents face, but how do Internet use and phone games really affect children?
The Taiwan Association for Prevention and Treatment of Internet Addiction recently held an online forum where attendees fully discussed this issue and provided recommendations.
Screen time affects children’s development of social skills, National Tsing Hua University associate professor Eva E Chen (陳伊慈) told the forum. As a child’s screen time increases, their social skills and expressiveness decline, her study found. Whether parents spend adequate quality time with their children also has a significant effect on the results, she added.
National Cheng Kung University professor Guo Nai-wen (郭乃文) said that many parents use video games as a reward for good behavior, but neuroscience shows that this has the opposite effect. It will cause children to become more addicted to the Internet, Guo said.
Asia University vice president Ko Hui-chen (柯慧貞) said that children need emotional regulation and management skills. Although the Internet can provide a temporary distraction from their worries, it cannot mitigate the impact of negative emotions in the long term, Ko added.
Wang Tso-jen (王作仁), a consultant at Taoyuan General Hospital’s psychiatry department, underlined the correlation between Internet use and mental illness. He called on parents and teachers to pay closer attention to children and refer them for treatment as early as possible.
Chen Chia-sheng (陳家勝), a psychiatrist at Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, said that online games are not the only issue, as pornography can also cause Internet addiction in children.
Parents should learn the proper skills and methods for communicating with their children, especially when it comes to online games and Internet use. They should not use mobile games as a reward and to spend more time with their children. Even after a busy day, chatting with your child for just 10 to 15 minutes can have a positive effect. It is important to encourage children to learn appropriate strategies to regulate their emotions, such as exercise, writing or doing creative work, to avoid overdependence on the Internet.
South Korea has established a regional Internet Addiction Prevention Center to help children and families cope with Internet addiction. The center provides assistance and supportive care to promote healthy Internet use habits, with a goal of mitigating the harm caused by heavy Internet use. Taiwan’s government should consider following suit.
Lee Kun-hua is an assistant professor at National Tsing Hua University’s Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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