{"id":489,"date":"2014-04-15T16:54:01","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T16:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=489"},"modified":"2015-03-13T15:48:49","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T15:48:49","slug":"is-your-child-an-internet-addict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/is-your-child-an-internet-addict\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Child An Internet Addict?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\"\"<\/a>\u2019s often difficult for parents to know how much time their children spend online.Often children\u00a0play video games, view videos and browse social networking sites.<\/p>\n

Spending too much time online can lead to the deterioration of your child\u2019s school work and can cause problems with their relationships with family and friends.<\/p>\n

Experts at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center warn that time spent online is at an all-time high, and rapidly increasing with children, tweens and teens.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to see why parents can be overwhelmed by their child\u2019s excessive internet use,\u201d said Dr. Fermin Gonzalez, Psychiatrist at JamaicaHospital Medical Center. \u201cAccording to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children ages 8 to 18 spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes a day consuming media for fun, including TV, music, video games and other content. About two-thirds of 8 to 18 year-olds had no rules on the amount of time spent watching TV, playing video games, or using a computer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit their kids screen time for entertainment to less than two hours per day and children under 2 have no TV or internet exposure.<\/p>\n

Research shows that academic failure correlates with addictive video game play, and to a higher incidence of attention problems. Conversely, academic achievers spend less time online.\u00a0 Research has also revealed that child and adolescent video game addiction correlates with functional impairment, emotional problems, poor conduct, hyperactivity and peer problems, as well as with depression and social phobia. In addition, several studies have proven a relationship between excessive video game play and obesity and poor diet among children in grades\u00a04\u00a0through 6.<\/p>\n

Parents should discuss with their children their expectations for responsible online usage and set limits on how much time can be spent online.\u00a0 Dr. Gonzalez suggests the following rules for internet use:<\/p>\n