In this age where kids have access to digital devices and the internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to prevent their kids from getting addicted to the internet.

It is dangerous for kids to become addicted at a young phase because it affects their overall development as they grow to become adults.  

Hence, parents must make it important to ensure that their kids use the internet the right way, without getting to the point where it becomes compulsive or obsessive.

In this piece, parents can learn how to prevent their kids from getting addicted.

Try to spend some time online

Most parents of this age didn’t have access to the internet and digital devices the way their children presently do.

You can create a few social media accounts, or if you have some already, spend time there to understand the things your children are doing.

When you are familiar with how these social media platforms and the internet in general work, you will be able to guide your child not to test unfamiliar waters.

Monitor their computer or phone activity

Another way to prevent internet addiction in kids is to watch out for their activities each day. You can start by ensuring that they use the internet in an open space like the living room.

Do not give them the chance to use it behind closed doors. Remember to set daily limits on internet use so that they can focus on other productive activities like school and housework.

You can also know the passwords to your child’s account so that you can observe their internet history from time to time.

Feel free to get help

If you feel like it is getting impossible to control your child’s internet activity, do not hesitate to seek help.

You need to ensure that it doesn’t get to the point where it develops to become a compulsion that they will not be able to control. You can get help from a professional to provide all the answers and solutions you seek.

Internet addiction belongs to the behavioral addiction category where the individual displays certain compulsive traits like spending several hours on the internet, isolating themselves, etc.

It is important to mention that when you spend too much time on the internet, dopamine chemical is produced. This chemical is responsible for inducing pleasure.

With time, the dopamine produced becomes insufficient, and you will need to spend additional hours on the internet, to enjoy the dopamine rush.

Here are some of the signs that someone has an internet addiction

1. Overspending

When you spend more time than usual on the internet, you are likely to misuse money. You will spend extra money on these internet activities, instead of sending them to other productive channels.

In the long run, you will discover that you are spending more than you should, and it becomes a big financial problem for you because the addiction has eaten deep.

• Lying about your internet time

Another way to know when someone is struggling with internet addiction is when they begin to be fictitious about their amount of internet time.

The reason is that they don’t want people to complain about their excessive internet hours. So, they will rather reduce the amount of time so that people who ask will see the duration as normal.

• Loss of interest in other productive activities

When you notice that an individual prefers to spend more time on the internet instead of doing other things, they might be addicted.

Their work-life might suffer, and the same goes for their academics if they are students. After dedicating several hours to the internet and they are tired, they will spend a few minutes trying to make up for the lost time.

• Relationship issues

Someone with internet addiction might have relationship issues with friends, family, and romantic partners. Since they are always fixated on their computer screens, and enjoying various content on the internet, they barely have time to bond with loved ones.