Internet connectivity links social networks across the globe via satellite and mobile phones. The technology connects users to various service networks such as Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Such abilities have helped transform the globe into a global village. However, with this advancement is a growing concern that children are suffering from a lack of socialization skills due to the internet. This section explores the relationship between excessive internet use and social skills in children. The discussion should be able to reveal that there exists an inverse relationship between internet use and social skills. That is, individuals with extreme internet addiction suffer social skills difficulties. The discussion’s target population is children in their early to late adolescence years.
Over the past decade, there has been a tremendous growth of internet connectivity and usage around the globe. Numerous researchers such as Al-hantoushi and Al-abdullateef expect this trend to grow as the internet become an integral communication tool in everyday life (10). The internet offers, among others, educational, entertainment, and social support benefits. Children use the internet to search for and obtain information and social support. Despite its merits, excessive and unnecessary internet usage can result in addiction.
Li, Zhang, and Lu describe internet addiction as an impulsive control disorder officially dubbed Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). The researchers equate IAD to other addiction disorders such as pathological gambling and alcohol abuse. The condition involves excessive online computer and smartphone usage. It further comprises of three major sub-categories, namely excessive online gaming, online messaging, and sexual preoccupations. IAD among children defines the abnormal attachment that children as internet users develop given activities and friendships created online platforms. As IAD victims, such children enjoy online aspects that allow them to socialize, meet, and exchange ideas. They place an over-emphasis on chat rooms and websites as their ideal societies (Li, Zhang, and Lu).
Impulsive social network and gaming child users are the most active addicts under this category. Li, Zhang, and Lu note that IAD victims under this category are likely to possess the following traits. First, their social presence in such virtual platforms is more than their non-addict counterparts. Second, using the internet offers a sense of pleasure, relief, and gratification. Third, they often out of control and irritable in the absence of internet connectivity. Fourth, they spend huge amounts of time and money on Internet-related activities. Furthermore, they are at risk of personal relationships and educational goals. Finally, such children have a high preference of the internet over school and family obligations (Li, Zhang, and Lu).
As stated before, the excessive and inappropriate use of the internet and its associated applications has triggered concerns on the behavioral and psychological impacts on children. Ideally, various investigations find a significant relationship between IAD and critical social variables such as affectivity, dysfunctional behavior, isolation, poor interpersonal skills, and reality evasion. Other important variables that relate to IAD include increased social anxiety and problematic communication skills (Smith, Robinson, and Segal).
Numerous researchers assert that IAD is not attributable to one cause. Rather, it is a complex disorder that results from a variety of factors. The following are, therefore, the possible causes of IAD. First, IAD could happen because of escapism following traumatic childhood experiences. Some of the traumatic experiences occur in the line of physical and emotional abuse. Such events can activate addiction because children seek comfort as a possible effect of past traumatic events. Second, most of them will often have friends who provide free internet hence facilitating the chances and causes of addiction. As part of the pressure, such friends encourage their counterparts to experiment with extreme internet sites (Al-hantoushi and Al-abdullateef 10-11).
Third, IAD could happen as a result of individual psychological health problems. The condition is more common in individuals with primary psychological issues such as stress and anxiety. Keung asserts that excessive internet usage helps such individuals feel better and inclusive in the virtual community. Finally, internet addiction expands one’s ability to cope with feelings. Children under this category can turn to the internet as a stress reliever and cope agent. Most children under this category are those that fall victim to isolation as a result of racial, gender, and sexual orientation differences. Their sense of isolation means that the individuals can turn to excessive internet usage as a relief to addiction (Keung 2187-2189).
That said, there are four specific sub-problems associated with IAD and limited socialization among children. These problems include visible relationship problems, isolation, and etiquette. First, virtual communities have become a threat to the traditional utilization and value of etiquette among children. Keung states that the emotional invisibility of a user on the internet can find its way in their physical world. Notably, IAD victims have a liking for saying things and avoiding the basics of etiquette in the virtual world. However, this emotional absence in the physical world is bound to cause mixed reactions among their peers. As such, they may not realize or care the negative effects of the transferred character to traditional communication (Keung 2187).
Second, IAD among children has close associations with family and peer relationship problems. The relationship problem implies that child victims became extremely dependent on and absorbed in online activities. According to Weinstein, Dorani, and Elhadif, their attachment to this virtual world would further imply that they are oblivious of essential physical relationships. Individuals enjoy building virtual relationships via social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. However, there is a clear difference between such forms of interactions and maintaining relationships with peers in the actual world. The problem grows when children start substituting or mistaking online relationships for their physical counterparts. Eventually, they may feel they are connecting effectively with others oblivious to the fact that the dependence hurts physical relationships (Weinstein, Dorani, and Elhadif 4-6).
Third, IAD implies increased isolation from friends and family. According to Milkie, Nomaguchi, and Denny, it matters much that children get to spend additional time with their parents and peers during adolescence. Milkie et al. determine that the more children spend engaged with peers and their parents the fewer chances of delinquent behavior. Also, the more children spend time with their parents the more likely they are to express positive feelings. However, the ongoing impacts of isolation would act as a gateway to depression and substance abuse. Isolation may also cause actual undesirable effects on the child’s physical and mental health. As with other similar addictions, the more a child becomes dependent on the internet, the more isolated they get. The eventual effects would include a series of unmet needs for social interactions.
Lastly, there is a positive correlation between IAD and self-absorption as a social problem. Self-absorption is a socialization vice in the physical world. Smith, Robinson and Segal note that people who spend excessive time on social platforms develop awkward personality characteristics such as narcissism. An example of narcissism in IAD child victims is the excessive amount of time they spend posting selfies and life details on social media. This behavior can result in the development of self-centeredness among victims, creating rifts in otherwise healthy physical relationships. Self-centeredness arises from the need for individuals to compare themselves unfavorably with other online friends.
Works Cited
Al-hantoushi, Mashhor and Saad Al-abdullateef. "Internet addiction among secondary school students in Riyadh city, its prevalence, correlates and relation to depression: A questionnaire survey." International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health (2014): 10-15. Web.
Keung, Ma. "Internet Addiction and Antisocial Internet Behavior of Adolescents." The Scientific World Journal, Vol 11 (2011): 2187–2196. PDF.
Li, Yajun, et al. "Internet Addiction Among Elementary and Middle School Students in China: A Nationally Representative Sample Study." Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Vol 17 Iss 2 (2014): 111–116. PDF.
Milkie, Melissa A, Kei M Nomaguchi and Kathleen Denny. "Does the Amount of Time Mothers Spend With Children or Adolescents Matter?" Journal of Marriage and Family, Vol 77 Iss 2 (2015): 355–372. PDF.
Smith, Melinda, Lawrence Robinson and Jeanne Segal. "Smartphone Addiction." April 2016. HelpGuide.ORG. Web. 21 April 2016. <http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/smartphone-and-internet-addiction.htm>.
Weinstein, A, et al. "Internet addiction is associated with social anxiety in young adults." Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, Vol 27 Iss 1 (2015): 4-9. PDF.
