Setting Computer Limits Tips

How much is too much time online?

Computer addiction is tough to define. When your child spends a large amount of time at the computer, are they addicted or do they simply enjoy being online? Perhaps it’s easier to frame it like this: Can your child enjoy himself – and all those things that aren’t online – when he’s away from the computer? If you’re not sure, just start observing his computer habits and moods.

What is it?

All kids have trouble turning off the computer. Instant Messaging with friends seems so important, games like Runescape and World of Warcraft capture players’ attention and time, a lot of it. And virtual worlds like Club Penguin orTeen Second Life can be equally engrossing. But some kids go beyond procrastinating – they just can’t turn the computer off. You can tell the difference in how a child acts when the computer is taken away – withdrawn, moody, and uncommunicative. (Not the usual teen sulk, but a condition that goes away when your child is back online.)

Why it matters

The part of kids’ brains that contain mental off-switches aren’t fully developed until kids reach their early 20s. That means they need rules and structure to help them turn off the computer. Developing children need to be able to have real lives independent of their cyber ones to fully develop socially, emotionally, and even physically. While some kids may blossom in the freedom and anonymity of online lives, they also need the interpersonal skills that online life can’t provide.

Computer dependency can also mask problems kids are having in the real world. Dr. Maressa Hecht Orzack, director of the Computer Addiction Study Center at Boston’s McLean Hospital, says she sees concerned parents – and their kids, mostly boys 11 to 19 – who think their kids are addicted. These kids aren’t developing the coping mechanisms they will need to live life happily and successfully.

Continue reading here...