Are your kids addicted to the Internet?
Keep your children from spending too much time online
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The amount of time kids spend online is a source of frustration for many parents. Initially, parents welcomed the Internet into their homes because they believed the Web opened an exciting new world of educational opportunities for their children. However, many parents soon realized that their kids didn’t use the Internet for homework or research. Instead, their kids spent hours instant messaging with friends, played online games, or talked to strangers in chat rooms.
To maintain a healthy balance between entertainment media and other activities in their children's lives has always been a challenge for parents. The Internet has made this challenge even more difficult. Internet communications and interactive games engage some children so deeply many lose track of time when they're online. Here are some ways to help your kids establish a healthy balance between Internet use and other activities.
Tips to help balance time online and offline
| • | Look for symptoms of Internet dependency. Ask yourself if your child's Internet use affects his or her school performance, health, and relationships with family and friends. Determine how much time your children spend online. |
| • | Get help. If your child demonstrates strong signs of Internet addiction, consult a professional counselor. Compulsive Internet use might be symptomatic of other problems such as depression, anger, and low self-esteem. |
| • | Examine your own online habits. Is your own Internet use out of balance with other activities? Remember, you are your child's most important role model. |
| • | Don't ban the Internet. It's an important part of most kids' social lives. Instead, establish family Internet rules about where your kids can go online and what they can do there—and stick to them. These rules might include: a limited amount of time online each day; no surfing or instant messaging until kids complete their homework; no chat rooms or online adult content. |
| • | Keep the computer out in the open. Set up your computer in a public area of your house, not in a child's bedroom. |
| • | Establish a balance. Encourage and support your child's participation in other activities—particularly physical pastimes with other children. |
| • | Help your child socialize offline. If your child is shy or socially awkward with peers, consider a social skills class. Encourage activities that will bring your child together with others who have similar interests, such as computer classes or hobby groups. |
| • | Monitor your kids. Investigate software that monitors and restricts Internet use, such as the parental controls included in the MSN Premium service. Although tools that filter and monitor are helpful, keep in mind that they can be disabled by a savvy computer user. Your ultimate goal should be to help your kids develop self-control, discipline, and accountability on the Internet. |
| • | Suggest alternatives. If your children seem interested only in online video games, try an offline tie-in to one of their favorite games. For example, if your child enjoys fantasy role-playing games, encourage her or him to read fantasy books. |
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