Young people in society column

Provided by the Professional Order of Social Workers of Québec (Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux du Québec), these articles are intended to help you deal with everyday life. They could also help you help a friend!

Come back to read it!

Life in cyberspace

By Claire Leduc, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist

As you know, a large part of human activity now takes place online. The Internet allows us to communicate rapidly, to share information that is generally up-to-date and more extensive as well as to entertain ourselves as we never have before. And don't forget chatting either! It's so much fun to see friends online almost everyday and to make new ones from all over the world.

The Internet is a technology that has grown in leaps and bounds and it will continue to evolve and become more and more accessible to all. You will benefit from it at every stage of your life, both as you study and work, and in your personal life.

Despite all the advantages of the Internet, social workers and family therapists have been seeing a trend arise from excessive use of this technology in the past ten years or so. It's called "cyberaddiction" and here are some symptoms of this problem:

1. Even during the summer, teenagers stay in their basement because they are so absorbed in their games. They spend hours staring at their computer, forgetting about their friends and family, and they don't play any sports.
2. Others turn on their computer as soon as they get home from school and they forget about the homework they had to complete for the next day. Their grades often suffer.
3. Some spend so much time chatting that they have next to no contact with real people, which hinders them from developing social skills and close relationships.
4. Some expose themselves by webcam. However, self-respect is a quality that must exist to maintain equality between men and women.
5. Some parents are worried about the people their teens meet online. Teens could be hanging out with adults who pretend to be the same age as them only to later become predators that disturb their emotional and sexual lives.

These examples of excessive use are harmful in the long-term since virtual life becomes more important to these teens than real life. How can you live a balanced lifestyle and still enjoy using the Internet? Here are some good examples of healthy behaviour:

• One sign that you have good mental health: you have some secrets, but you still communicate with your parents even though you sometimes argue. You eat at least two meals a week with your family, unless eating supper as a family is a ground rule in your family. You practice a sport regularly and you maintain healthy eating habits.
• Even though you love chatting online, you spend lots of time with your best friend. You're able to stop playing computer games and you would rather spend time doing an activity with your friends.
• Though you may complain about your homework, you still finish it on time and you start your work ahead of time.
• If you're sad or worried about something, you talk face to face with a friend or a counsellor about it.
• You value modesty and you only undress in conditions of trust and respect.

Here's a question that can help you find out if you are a net addict:

Do you spend more than one hour a day during the week in front of your computer and over two hours on the weekends?

In short, you can't stop progress, but sometimes progress can have an ugly side. It's up to you to be careful and to avoid excesses. You can do it!