3 ways to reduce internet addiction.

Have you ever checked the amount of time you spend on your phone?
Well, if you haven’t you should. Nowadays using a phone is something that we all consider normal and essential, but sometimes we don’t realize that it can be harmful for our personal health, and it could cause addiction. 50% of teens have admitted that they feel addicted to the internet, but this is not a problem that concerns only teens because even some adults can be addicted (Joyce).  Anyways, there are many efficient ways you can use to reduce your time on the internet, for example, creating distractions to postpone internet use, setting a timer as a reminder, so you are going to remember you used your phone too much, (how to avoid) and if your internet addiction is too strong ask for help from a specialist that can help you.

First of all, creating distractions to prevent or to cure your internet addiction, is one of the most fun ways to do it. A distraction could be going out with friends, reading a book, spending time with your family, or taking some time for yourself. These “distractions” could be even helpful to socialize more with people and to become more relaxed and friendly. At first, it could seem boring and you could be tempted to get your phone but, you have to resist and use it only when it’s necessary. After some time you are going to see that is a really fun and efficient way to reduce internet addiction.

Next, setting a timer to remind yourself to close your phone is a really easy and efficient way to reduce internet addiction. It Is medically recommended to use your phone under 2 hours a day (how much time).You can start by setting an alarm every 15 to 20 minutes to remind you to stop using your phone; later on you are going to see that you are just going to get bored to stop every time the alarm sounds, and so you are just going to stop using your phone for useless things.

                      

Finally, if you have a strong internet addiction, you can always try to use different methods to decrease this addiction. If the problem t doesn't stop or you can’t see any improvements you should go and ask help to a specialist that for sure is going to help you in many ways.
A specialist is going to change your view of life by making you experience many different things that are going to make you completely forget about your phone.




In conclusion, internet addiction is something that is not taken seriously by everyone, but like any other addiction is serious, and it should be reduced or prevented. 3 of the most efficient ways to do that are, creating some distractions, setting an alarm as a reminder and seeing a specialist.
After getting rid of your internet addiction you are going to see how beautiful and fun life is and you are going to enjoy it, by living every minute of it.


Works Cited

“How Much Time Should I Spend on Smartphone per Day?”www.quora.com Quora, web. 24 Mar 2020


“How to Avoid Internet Addiction.” www.wikihow.com. WikiHow. 21 Jan. 2020. web. 24 Mar 2020.

Joyce, Amy. “Teens Say They're Addicted to Technology. Here's How Parents Can Help.” www.washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. WP Company. 3 May 2016.web. 24 Mar 2020

Internet Addiction and his problems in teens

Luca Antonino

Internet Addiction and his problems in teens

Many argue that the internet makes our lives easier but is that really the case? Yes, it helps our communication but it is also true that overuse can lead to addiction. When a person is an Internet addict it means that they need it to feel good.The Internet is useful, but very dangerous, which can affect teenage mental health,  leading to depression, anxiety and lack of sleep.

First of all, the Internet can affect teens by causing depression. Depression is a mental disorder which affects how you feel and think."Depression rates in children under the age of 12 years and young adults up to 25 years to grow" (Depression). The new social media users are experts in electronic communication which is less emotionally satisfying than normal communication.“The less you are connected with human beings in a deep, empathic way, the less you’re really getting the benefits of a social interaction”(Miller).

A second way in which the internet negatively affects mental health is that it causes anxiety. Anxiety is a natural response to your body's stress. It is a feeling of fear or fear about what is to come(Anxiety Disorders). Teens feel emotionally connected and devoted to their accounts and they constantly try to find the perfect picture so that they appear “cool”. Many people are concerned. Many teens, especially girls, are worried about people’s opinion. The really serious issue connected to this is cyberbullying, which is bullying on social media. This behaviour is more common in girls who are often slut-shamed. This is a major concern among teenagers because it can lead to serious issues and even to suicide.

Finally, a third problem caused by social media and the Internet, in general, is sleep deprivation. Almost all teens are on their devices so much that they do not get enough sleep(Mazzola). This is a very serious problem because it can lead to many more problems. In fact, this lack of sleep can cause bad behaviour and mood, as well as bad grades and depression(Anxiety). A lot of people are doing research on this issue. For example, a study from the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research by surveying 900 teens, found out that one-fifth of the respondents wakes up in the night to check their phones. Finally, for example, rather than feeling fatigued and irritable, a lack of sleep reduces immunity and teens are more susceptible to illness.

In conclusion, internet addiction has become a serious problem. The Internet is very helpful and it makes our lives easier, but we should try to control consumption. It can cause serious problems like depression, anxiety and sleep deprivation. It may seem scary, but don't forget that you can always prevent or cure this problem - it's all up to you. You can do it!

Works Cited

“Anxiety Disorders.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 4 May 2018, Web. 4 Mar. 2020.

“Depression.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,  Web. 4 Mar. 2020.

Mazzola, Jessica. “Nighttime Texting Linked to Bad Grades, N.J. Study Finds.” Nj, 8 Oct. 2015, Web. 5 mar. 2020.

Miller, Caroline, and Child Mind Institute. “Does Social Media Cause Depression?” Child Mind Institute,  Web. 4 Mar. 2020.

IAD, the New Threat

Albert Einstein once said,“I fear that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of fools.” Among the greatest addictions that humans face nowadays, internet addiction is reaching the top ten among tobacco, gambling, and alcohol. What has become an indispensable need in everyone’s life, has also become the reason for the destruction of many others. Experts now recognize internet addiction, which has also been recorded as a serious diagnosable disorder by doctors, as a serious problem affecting in a wide range the behaviours of people of all ages. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is highly present in today’s teenagers, affecting their ability to concentrate on one task, their academic lives, and most importantly their  socializing skills.

     When was the last time you have seen a teen doing something without holding a phone in his or her hands? The constant urge to be informed about the digital world or simply investing countless hours just by scrolling through Instagram, already clear signs of the presence of a form of an addiction, have influenced our brain’s capability to be able to concentrate on one single task. This constant multitasking hinders the brain from performing one single task with full concentration.This behavior mostly affects the activity of young people’s brains, influencing also their performances in doing their homework. In fact, countless teens have admitted to using social media or looking at a screen while doing their homework, without even recognizing the harm that they are inflicting on themselves. (Joyce)

     This brings us  to the second way how the internet is shaping teenager’s lives: their conduct in school. The perpetual sounds and buzzes of notifications that one receives is a main source of distraction. Based on some recent studies, one average teenager living in the United States receives and sends an average of 1500 texts per month. (Lenhart) Most teens, including myself, use their devices even during their bedtime, drastically influencing their productivity the following day at school. (Mazzola) Every teenager should reach a total of ten hours of sleep per day, though because of bedtime texting, those ten hours may become eight, then six, or even five. This brings  fatigue and continuous headaches the following days, hence affecting their scholastic lives.

     The last and most influential impact that this addiction has on these young people’s lives is their behaviours towards others. Almost every teen in America has access to a device, which could be a computer, game console, smartphone, or tablet. This obviously also facilitates their ways of reaching out to the vast world of the internet. (Mazzola) Instead of living in the present world, many teens find comfort and seek an escape in the virtual one. This is one of the main reasons that initiates the process of developing this type of addiction. Growing up with the presence of such devices has also impacted their lives. Conversations can be done nowadays while facing a screen, and whenever in need of information, all you need to do is type and click. This has brought  a greater form of isolation among teenagers and the world outside, together with the lack of knowledge of how to handle certain things, such as feelings, when found in a specific situation. Therefore, internet addiction has developed some behavioural aspects that will accompany that person for his or her entire life.

      As with every addiction, teens can recover from and control IAD. We should not see the internet as a frightening thing, because it is one of the greatest advances in human history. However, what one should learn is how to manage it properly and in a smart way in order to fully enjoy this technology.

 Works Cited

• Joyce, Amy. “Teens Say They’re Addicted to Technology. Here’s How Parents Can Help.” washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. 3 May 2016. Web. 18 Feb 2020. 

• Lenhart, Amanda. “Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015”. Pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center. 9 Apr 2015. Web. 18 Feb 2020. 

• Mazzola, Jessica. “Nighttime Texting Linked to Bad Grades, N.J. Study Finds”. nj.com. Advance Local Media LLC. 17 Jan 2019. Web. 18 Feb 2020. 

People Are Addicted To The Internet. It Has To End.

Take a look at your messaging app, and when did you send your last text? Midnight? 2 AM? Well, you are not alone. Today, most teens won’t go a day without their phones. Such addiction can affect teens’ daily life by decreasing their health, social skills, and academic performance.

First of all, internet addiction makes teenagers want to stay on the web more and more, whether it’s surfing on the internet, gaming, or texting. This can result in poor health due to staying up too late. Late-night browsing, texting, or gaming can lead to bad health effects such as insomnia. How can staying on the internet late at night cause insomnia? Glad you asked, and according to many studies from NJ, the blue light emitted by the screens on many technological devices can slow down the production of a chemical called melatonin. This chemical gets produced to stimulate sleep. (Mazzola)
Secondly, internet addiction can decrease social skills. Internet addiction can lead teenagers to be more prone to staying home and staying on their phones, whether it is social media or gaming. Staying home for an extended period can also make them lose touch of how to communicate with people properly. In today’s society, we all know that communication is the most important skill a person could ever have, and if the teens lack this kind of important skill, then they will probably have trouble in their future careers. (Young)
Lastly, internet addiction leads to poor academic performance. According to NJ, 61% of the teenagers that they studied said that they felt like the usage of the internet was impacting their academic performance. In their research, they also found out that the average American teen received and sent around 1500 texts per month. This would mean that all that time of sending and waiting to receive a text is wasted instead of using it on studying for school. Staying up late on the internet also impacted their level of awareness and of course, it also impacted their academic performance. (Mazzola)
In conclusion, I feel like everyone should start doing something about internet addiction. This not only affects teenagers, but the same thing goes for adults and even children. Everyone is a victim of internet addiction.  We should all work together to put this to an end. Whether you are a parent or a teenager, try to come to a compromise with each other and give a screen time limit. If we work together to change these habits, we can all have more time to spend together and deepen our relationships.



Works Cited

Mazzola, Jessica.“Night Time Texting Linked To Bad Grades”. nj.com. NJ Advance Media. 8 Oct, 2015. Web.29 Feb, 2020.

Young, Kimberly. “What You Need To Know About Internet Addiction”. youtube.com. TEDx Talks. 5 Jan, 2015. Web. 29 Feb, 2020.

      3 ways that using the phone during night time affects a teens life  

Do you ever ask yourself if spending time on the internet at night might not be good? Well, if you spend more than 5 hours at night only on the phone, it might affect you in different ways: mental health, addiction,  eyesight, these 3 ways could affect by:

Using the internet too often at night can affect your mental health because it can cause not taking track of the time at night,  so it can lead to being on the phone all night and not even noticing and this can lead to really bad headaches that can lead to mental issues such as head tumors that can cause serious damages to health.  And those who overuse their phones are more likely to get depression or anxiety. And using the phone too much can also interfere with other activities and disrupt social activities.

Using the phone at night but not only at night can cause internet addiction. As I said in the previous paragraph, the internet can make you lose track of time and the aspects of real life, and it could let you spend more than hours on the phone and you might not even notice you spend much time on it. And this can lead to losing track of time and not noticing you spend that much time on the phone. Addiction can lead to using and picking up the phone every two seconds of your day. And too much time on the phone could lead to lack of sleep and this brings to tiredness and that can lead to not going good at school and not concentrating on the things you do daily. These aspects can also bring to depression, tiredness and it might make you like a new person in a negative way.

One major part of using your phone at night is your, eyesight mostly at night it can cause tiredness eye bags and also using too much the phone or getting too close mostly at night can cause major eye problems and can bring to the use of glasses and major eyesight problems and the eyes can get tired. People say that putting night vision on the phone helps the eyesight better but I don't think it makes such a difference, and it might be a bit better but doesn’t make a big change. the light transmitted from the screen of computers, phones, etc… can cause major problems with all of the things I said in the passage. 

All of these 3 causes affect daily life and real aspects of life by causing major problems. Nighttime phone use affects more than daily usage and it can cause more serious problems. Mental health, addiction, and eyesight are very important aspects of daily life and they are not things to joke about. How I said in my draft the phone at night should be limited for our health and for ourselves I have seen that some kids 10 years or younger are not being controlled by parents at night and I think that parents should limit their phone usage. I think if people control their nightly phone habits they will feel much better and will not have any problems with mental health, addiction, or eyesight. 

Smith Melinda. “Smartphone Addiction” helpguide.org HelpGuide. 4 Oct2019. Web.28 Feb 2020

Sparks, Hannah. “Your Phone is blinding you” nypost.com. New York Post.13 Aug 2018 web. 28 Feb 2020 

Rosenfeld, Jordan. “Is Your Mobile Phone Use Bad for Your Mental Health?” mentalfloss.com. mental floss. 13 June 2017 web. 28 Feb 2020 

     Bollinger Eliana 

3 ways that using the phone during night time affects a teen’s life

Do you ever ask yourself how long you use the phone? And do you ever ask yourself if spending a lot of time with the phone may have side effects? Most teenegers usually use the phone and they even know that: they spend a lot of time on social networks like Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp...texting with friends but also with strangers. A lot of studies say that if the phone is used too much during night time, then it can damage your eyes, it can interfere with your sleep, and it can increase your risk of cancer.

The first effect of using your phone too much is damage to your eyes because the night time exposure to the same light of the sun, which is emitted at high levels by LED screens, may be damaging the vision. Studies show that blue light can damage the retinas and after this may cause the loss of central vision. (Nandi)

Another consequence is that using the internet interferes with our sleep because blue light disrupts the production of melatonin in the body. The melatonin regulates our biological clock to keep a good sleep ritme.  If it is disturbed we would be exposed to insomnia. The sleep missing can lead to a variety of health problems including heart disease, weight gain, depression, and anxiety. (Nandi)

Finally, it can increase the risk of cancer because when melatonin levels are suppressed, the risk for cancer increases because melatonin helps the body to fight against cancer. (Nandi)

In conclusion it is better to avoid frequent phone use, especially at night. We have to shut our phone down at night, and check our phone only when you really need to. In this way we can have a more peaceful life. (Nandi)  

Partha Nandi

Nandi Partha. “3 Serious Reasons To Stop Using Your Smartphone At Night” nutribullet.com. 11 Oct, 2017. Web. 1 March. 2020.

Partha Nandi

Partha Nandi

   

                                                                                              Lucrezia Mazio

INTERNET ADDICTION AND HOW CAN WE HELP

Have you ever thought about how many people are addicted to their phones? All the hours they pass on their devices? If you have not you might be an internet addict... 

Internet addiction is a serious problem that's currently going around the world. This problem is mainly affecting teens. The problem of internet addicts is that they may not notice they are addicted to the internet, and maybe you that are reading this are one of them. To find out, get on your phone and click on one of your options that says “time using my phone”. As a result, you will see the time you currently use your phone per day and if you are above the average user. Instead due to many experts there are several ways that parents can help their teens to stop this addiction, and today I’m going to tell you three.

First of all, we are going to try with the most common sense thing we can do. Talk with him try to explain to them the effects of being an internet addict and making them see reason for it. You can also try to make them do exercise, for example, make them join a soccer team, so instead of using his phone all the time he can play other sports and use it only in his free time. And you may also want to spend time with your kids and show them that you don’t need the phone to have a great time, because believe it or not children are influenced by their parents actions. (Joyce)

The next thing parents can do to help is stopping nighttime texting. These actions are usually linked to bad grades. About 55.3 percent of participants reported texting and using the digital platforms for at least an hour a night before bed, with more than 20 percent reporting three hours or more of use per night. Among the respondents, 61 percent said they felt the usage impacted their schoolwork, and 65.7 percent said it impacted sleep, the study said. (Mazzola) Knowing about these facts we can put a limit of time on their use of phone. For example, from six to eight you can use your phone, and to make sure this happens we can also format the wifi so at 10 pm there is no more internet. 

Finally, we need to separate them from all the social media, since they are the most frequent apps used by the teens. 92% of teens report going online daily including 24% who say they go online “almost constantly,”  according to a new study from Pew Research Center. More than half (56%) of teens defined in this report as those ages 13 to 17. (Lenhart) To do so you can talk with him about it, instead l advise you to get an expert for your kids, because they know how to deal with them in a way where they feel comfortable, maybe by taking their devices or making them do something else, like a hobby. 

In conclusion, technology is one of the most beautiful things that happened on earth, and it has helped us in practically everything. Instead, we have to be self-conscious of the time we use our phone, and always try to prevent being an addict to it, so we can enjoy technology and internet in a safe and fun way.

Joyce, Amy. “Teens Say They’re Addicted to Technology. Here’s how parents can help.”.

Washingtonpost.com. Washingtonpost. 3 May 2016. Web. 15 Mar 2020.

Lenhart, Amanda. “Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015”.

Pewresearch.com. Pew research center. 9 Apr 2015. Web. 15 Mar 2020. 

Mazzola, Jessica. “Nighttime Texting Linked to Bad Grades, N.J. Study Finds”.

Nj.com. Nk advance media. 8 Oct 2015. Web. 15 Mar 2020.