Problematic media use by children – salzburg.ORF.at
In the first lockdown, the Salzburg youths sat in front of the screen for an average of six hours. Three hours of which are for school alone. “It is no longer necessarily in the sense of diverse, but the duration has become longer, and more is allowed in families,” says Sascha Trüllezsch-Wijnen, scientist at the University of Salzburg.
This is shown by studies from the University of Salzburg. The university hospital has also examined media use by children. In child and adolescent psychiatry, around two thirds of young patients and patients find it difficult to use mobile games, apps or social networks to the right extent.
Problematic media use by children
Problematic media usage behavior can be recognized by the fact that children cannot control themselves, continue despite negative consequences and isolate themselves socially, according to the psychiatrist Kornelius Winds: that means: is the young person or young people socially impaired. “
Symptom or cause?
Hiding behind screen time, kids and teens may die of other worries as well. Problematic media use can be a cause or a symptom: “Low self-esteem leads to more social networks being used, and apps like Instagram lead to poorer self-esteem,” says Winds.
Doctors don’t want to forbid apps and media to die for children, but teach them to use them well. To understand the youngsters, they dive into the digital world. This is also a recommendation to the respective parents. Because only in dialogue can the children be helped.
Same rules for everyone
According to the addiction prevention agency “akzente” in Salzburg, legal guardians should also introduce clear rules as early as possible that apply to everyone. “Living by example is very important, it is difficult to say to a child: you are constantly sitting in front of the cell phone and you do it yourself, ”says Anne Arends from the“ akzente ”addiction prevention team in Salzburg.
Every kind seeks confirmation. The point is not to get the recognition through likes, but with music, in clubs or in personal meetings – even if that seems almost impossible in lockdown.