Stating that internet addiction, one of the most important problems of our age, threatens children and young people, psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan points out the importance of time and attention management. Pointing out that internet addicts are mostly lonely people, Prof. Dr. Tarhan recommends that children and young people should be given social life and life skills. Prof. Tarhan also states that excessive internet use is among the reasons for divorce in the USA.
Üsküdar University Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said that both individual and social awareness about internet addiction is low, so many mistakes can be made about risky and misuse.
If it is realized, it can be corrected!
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that in order to eliminate erroneous and risky use, awareness must first be ensured and said, "What is dangerous use? For example, you use the internet while driving. What is harmful use? Knowing that it is harmful, the person continues to use the internet for purposes other than studying. All these can be corrected if they are recognized."
Internet use is more than computer use
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that research on addiction reveals the difference between computer use and internet use in society and said, "There is a study conducted in Turkey. Internet use between men and women is 80% for men in 2018. In women, this rate is around 70-65%. Computer use is less. While computer use is around 60% in men, the rate of computer use in women is around 50%. The study shows that internet use is higher than computer use."
Addiction rate in high school students
Noting that internet addiction among high school students has also been revealed in researches, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said:
"There is a good study conducted by Izmir Directorate of National Education. This research was conducted in accordance with the criteria for internet addiction. The rate of internet addiction is among high school students. This is a very important figure. Let's say one of these 15-20 young people is addicted to the internet. What does a person addicted to the internet do? Sleep patterns are disrupted, eating patterns are disrupted, daily life activities are disrupted. The internet becomes the center of these people's lives. If the internet is the only area of interest in a person's life, pay attention to that person. This is the most important point of awareness. Is the internet the only interest of the person, his/her child and spouse? They should look at this."
Among the reasons for divorce
Noting that studies conducted in the US show that one of the three reasons for divorce is the excessive use of the internet, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "This is the information written in the divorce petitions in the courts. This means that internet addiction and misuse of the internet is not a situation that can be ignored."
Social media's biggest competitor; sleep
Stating that young people mostly prefer social media in internet use, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "When we look at internet use, adults, especially young people, generally use social media-related areas such as Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram excessively. Social media portals say, 'Our biggest competitor is sleep'. What does this mean? There is nothing preventing us except sleep," he said.
Candidate for addiction who cannot manage time!
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that if a person cannot manage his/her time, he/she is a candidate to be addicted to the internet and said, "The most important thing we can do is to manage time and attention.
If a person can manage his/her time, if he/she can manage his/her attention, that is, if the computer is not his/her only interest, if the computer is not a goal but a tool in his/her life, in such cases, this person can manage his/her time according to the importance and priorities.
How do we know if a person can manage their time? Is there a hierarchy of importance? Is there a hierarchy of priorities? 'This is very important to me, I will spend more time on this.
This is less important, I will spend less time on this.' If they can say 'this is not my priority' and say no, if they have the ability to say no, they have time and attention management. In such cases, the internet is like a horse for that person. The horse takes us wherever we want," he said.
Internet used as a tool is an opportunity
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that when the Internet is a tool, not a goal, it is useful for the individual and makes life easier, and said, "The Internet is therefore not a danger but an opportunity. It is important to use it in the right way."
Stating that some games played on the internet can provide some practices when played in moderation, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "It gives the ability to be calm under stress. But it is necessary to teach young people to use it in a limited way and to use it purposefully," he warned.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan warned that parents and teachers who spend the most time with children and young people should make observations and said, "How can you tell if a child or young person is addicted to the internet? The important issue here is that if this person's only area of interest is not the computer or the internet, if they have other interests, they are not addicted. They learn to use the internet more consciously and become literate about the internet."
Addicts come out among lonely people!
Stating that communication, especially among young people, is usually done through social media, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "Instead of imposing restrictions and prohibitions on this, we need to give the ability to plan time. If we can teach young people to plan the day, if we can teach them to plan for the future, they do not easily become addicted to the internet. There are also some studies; loneliness scale is applied to internet addicts. Internet addicts are mostly among lonely people. They come out with high loneliness scores. People with high loneliness scores are likely to be internet addicts," he warned.
Young people should be given life skills
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan gave the following advice to parents and teachers
"It follows from this that if we teach young people social skills, life skills, life skills about not being alone, they will not fall into the trap of the internet. Therefore, let's encourage socialization for young people. If a young person is not socialized, even when sitting with someone, if they are only interested in the internet, this shows that their only interest and focus of attention is the internet. This is an alarm. Let's make an effort to socialize the child or young person. Instead of taking our child in front of us and giving a lecture for an hour, we need to focus on creating a healthy socialization and friend environment for him/her and spending more time with him/her.