With the development of technology and our lives becoming more and more digital, deciding how much teenagers should spend online is a difficult problem for any caring parent.
Although much has been said about the potential adverse effects of spending too much time on the Internet, a new study finds that teenagers who spend time online are better able to cope with stress.
Research
The research was published in Clinical psychology, Researched 200 adolescents aged 13-17 who live in a low socioeconomic environment.
Participants are given iPhone Use it like your own mobile phone. They are required to report their use of the device at least five times a day during a week, as well as any stressors and their emotions.
Based on this, researchers from the Menzies Institute for Health Research and School of Applied Psychology at Griffith University divided the participants into those who used mobile phones excessively, used mobile phones moderately, or did not use mobile phones at all.
Compared with adolescents who do not use technology or who frequently use technology as a coping mechanism, adolescents who report moderate mobile phone use within a few hours after a stressful situation are more likely to recover from the situation and experience negative emotions (such as sadness and Worries) has a smaller surge.
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“Teenagers are smart and they use technology for their own benefit. Because youths in disadvantaged circumstances tend to receive less local support, the study sought to find out whether online participation can help reduce their stress,” lead author Katherine Mo Deji said.
“There is a tendency to think that the use of technology by adolescents is negative and harmful, but our knowledge of the developmental stages of adolescence does not confirm this broad hypothesis.
“In the face of daily stress, when teenagers seek emotional support, self-distraction, or seek information online with a moderate ability, they experience better short-term stress relief.
“We found an appropriate’Goldilocks’ effect, in which a moderate amount of online coping can help reduce the surge in negative emotions and the decline in happiness. Faced with daily stress, when teenagers seek emotional support, their short-term experience will be more To relieve stress.”
Teens and social media
Parenting writer and writer Five-minute parenting repair Liat Hughes Joshi hopes that this research will spark new conversations among parents around social media.She told Weekly newspaper: “We are ready to demonize it. Like many things, this is to achieve balance-when used in the right amount and in the right way, it can be of great benefit to the lives of teenagers.
“The pandemic does highlight the way social media allows teenagers to keep in touch with friends-even in’normal times’, it can reduce isolation and become a source of support.
“In this era, companionship is very important. Digital communication can deepen and strengthen existing friendships, giving them more opportunities to find like-minded friends.”
Dr. James Jackson, a psychology reader at Leeds Trinity University, also emphasized the benefits of searching online for peers who are relevant to their situation.
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He said Weekly newspaper“We must remember that in any situation, people will get more benefits from people who understand them rather than people who love them like friends and family,” he explained.
“The latter is essential, but they are not always aware of the challenges other people are experiencing.”
He emphasized that for young people who have lived through challenging times, it may be worth guiding them to forums run by appropriate charities to ensure that they receive appropriate information.
Since this is a study of young people with lower socioeconomic backgrounds, Jackson believes that the Internet can provide information and resources that they would not otherwise have, or make it easier for them to be themselves.
As for overconsumption, Hughes, Josh told Weekly newspaper It’s worth paying attention to what your teenagers are involved in and the time they spend online.
“In terms of social media use, it is very difficult to define how much is too much-and it is too simplistic for two reasons,” she began.
“First, for one teenager, the number of problems may be very different from another-the impact varies from person to person. Second, because the negative impact is as important as what they do on social media. ‘.”
Signs parents can pay attention to
She recommends looking for signs that their Internet use affects their behavior, rather than recording the time they spend.
“Does their social media use hinder their sleep, eating, and offline relationships? Does this prevent them from exercising? Do they show these signs of addiction, or are they able to choose when to stop rolling and sliding and start doing other things?”
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If you are worried about your youth’s relationship with the Internet, open and honest communication is the key, not authoritative methods and prohibitions social media.
“Remember that kid from school when you were a kid. He didn’t have a TV at home and couldn’t participate in the conversation about the latest soap opera plot or horror movie last night? Just like this, some people don’t have any TV shows to access social media,” Hughes Josh explain.
She said that by keeping teenagers away from social media, they may be isolated from their peers. Instead, the best parents can do is to have as many open conversations as possible and understand what your teenagers consume online.
Encourage offline time
Jackson recommends encouraging your youth to participate more in the offline world, rather than preventing them from living in a digital environment.
“As a parent, it is best to encourage your children to spend more sports time with friends, participate in more real-life activities, and do more physical exercise.”
He also suggested that parents set a good example, take a similar approach to online time, spend time in open conversations with teenagers, and set clear boundaries on technology and bedtime so as not to affect their sleep.
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