Internet addiction

Hi, I hope you are doing well. I'm back with yet another topic. I am sorry I disappeared, I was just taking a little break. I want to thank you for being with me through this wonderful journey and would really like to know which topics you prefer between (diet and fitness blogs and life lessons). Please tell me down below in the comments.

We all know that excessive use of the Internet may lead to an addiction. It makes someone feel like a part of them is lost if they do not use the internet. Research shows that teens may spend up to 9 hours on the internet (through TV, phones, tablets). This could be quite unhealthy, both physically and mentally. 

So I'm here to talk about the signs and symptoms of internet addiction and how to prevent it. 

Signs and symptoms of internet addiction

1. Isolation from your family _ You see, whenever you have free time all you think about is social media, and it basically becomes the centre of your life and you simply forget about your family and friends. You simply don't have a real life. 

2. Change of character - I am are not talking about a pleasant change instead I am talking about an irritable change. When someone is addicted to the Internet they become distant and do not care about social relationships anymore. You get serious anxiety if separated from the internet and act as if it is a tragedy. Like your world will come to a stand still because of the fear of missing out

3. Poor performance - Another point is that when someone is addicted to the internet they perform poorly in school due to too much time spent on the internet.

4. Health problems - for instance obesity due to sitting all day and sleeping disorder due to interrupting the sleeping pattern or hours.

What to do if your child is addicted to the Internet.

1. Teach them to avoid checking the phone first thing in the morning - This is something I struggled with for a long time and I still do, but I'm really trying to get rid of the habit. Checking out social media first thing in the morning may end up wasting your time, making you late to begin your planned activities for the day therefore having a totally disorganized and unproductive day and I'm sure you don't want that right? You should first give yourself some time to prepare for the day. 

2. Screen time control - develop screen time rules for instance the number of hours the tween/teen will spend on the screen, turning off all screens during family meals,  outings and even sleeping time. Simply control the amount of screen time using some apps as I have on my phone.

3. Talk to your child about the importance of being social - Sometimes, this might not be the most effective way as your child might not listen to you because they are going through puberty, so you have to do it tactically. As a parent, be a role model and also practice what you tell your child. Do not preach water and drink wine.😁 This way, your child will listen to you more.

4. Enrol your kids in social activities - This is one of the best ways to deal with Internet addiction since it gives your kid an alternative way to utilize time eg sports, art, music and other activities that do not involve screens. Avoid anything to do with online.

5. Online privacy and safety - Teach your child about online privacy and safety. This is very important because internet exposes one to cyberbullying and fake advertisers. I will talk about this in my next blog. 

So that is it for today, I hope you enjoyed today's topic and I apologise again for disappearing. I was simply taking a break. Thank you for checking out my mum's first blog post, it got a decent amount of views. 

So please blow this blog post up because it is one of the best blog posts I have written to address one of the biggest problems our generation is facing. Share this post everywhere you can.  

Do not forget to tell me which blogs you prefer between (diet and fitness blogs or life lessons) in the comments section down below. Please go check out my social media accounts which I will list down below, I mostly love the traffic on my Tiktok and Instagram so thank you very much for your love and support. Goodbye for now😘.

My social media accounts

1. Tiktok_yuhtzg.w.e.t.h

2. Instagram_dietandfitnessblog

3. Pinterst_Meg Maina.