The tripping game, which has become widespread on social media and is played with three people, poses a great danger. It is of great importance to warn children against similar dangerous games on social media. Experts point out that the time children spend in the virtual world should be limited and point out the importance of activities that family members can do together.
Nuran Günana, Child and Adolescent Specialist Clinical Psychologist at Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital, made evaluations regarding the tripping game that has spread on social media in recent days.
Noting that childhood and adolescence is a period of the most intense physical, spiritual and mental changes, Nuran Günana said, "In such an important period, children and young people should be prevented from spending their time in front of the computer or television. Young and child viewers may be exposed to many violent photos or videos and may take them as models. Exposure to images of violence leads to identification with aggressive characters. This increases the likelihood of aggression and violent behavior."
Tripping game spreading among young people
Nuran Günana reminded that the harm of some dangerous content on social media on children and young people has become more talked about nowadays and said, "Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely eliminate this content on social media. However, it is of course possible to make its effects less dangerous. In this regard, it is very important to recognize the dangers and take precautions. The most talked about of these trends at the moment is the 'tripping' game, described as 'Head Breaker'. The game, which is played with three people, ends with those on the side tripping the person in the middle as they jump. Such a dangerous game has started to spread rapidly among young people. Ministries have stepped in to prevent this situation."
Families have a great duty
Expert Clinical Psychologist Nuran Günana also mentioned the measures to be taken to prevent such dangerous trends spreading on social media and said that the most important task falls on families.
Raising awareness of parents: Strengthening the interactions and emotional bonds between family members is important in this regard. Family members should be made aware of spending quality time together and support should be provided through various training programs and seminars. In addition, parents can benefit from services such as 'Safe Internet Service' to protect their children from the bad effects of the internet, set limits for them and control what children spend time on the internet.
The concept of 'quality time' in the family: Children and young people who spend quality time in the family feel loved and valued. This develops a sense of trust and helps the child develop a healthy sense of self. On the other hand, parents getting to know and support their children better contributes to a trusting relationship. Spending time together at home or outside or being involved in activities prevents young people and children from spending more time online. Children and young people who are condemned to be alone do not know what to do and spend more time on TV, the internet and the phone. The fact that the child feels lonely, especially in the transition to adolescence, causes the bonds between them and their parents to break and a picture that goes to different dimensions emerges.
Directing children and young people to social activities: Even though it is called 'social media', it creates an environment where children and young people become increasingly lonely. It takes them away from their family, environment, friends and society. It causes them to fall behind in life and developments. For this reason, new decisions need to be taken by the family to ensure that children and young people use social media judiciously. Parents should spend time outdoors with their children (e.g. going to museums on weekends, signing up for sports together, going on nature walks) or direct them to social activities such as sports and arts.
