Читать книгу Overcoming Internet Addiction For Dummies - David N. Greenfield - Страница 51

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding the biology behind addictive behavior in kids and teens

Recognizing how screens impact brain development and function

Exploring the vicious cycle of addiction and the inexperience of youth

Considering other factors that may trigger or worsen Internet addiction

Anyone can develop an addiction at any stage of their life, but children and adolescents seem to be more susceptible to addiction. This increased susceptibility should be no surprise, after all, as these are formative years — when young people acquire the habits they will carry for the rest of their lives. The brain, where addictions are formed, is more malleable, more impressionable, during these early stages of development; in addition, the areas of the brain that are responsible for executive skills and judgment are not fully developed until around age 25. The inexperience of adolescence compounds this vulnerability, and this is also the same period of life when children and teens are introduced to the various objects of addiction — alcohol, nicotine, drugs, sex, video games, Internet, smartphones, social media, pornography, and so on.

Understanding the process of addictive behaviors is valuable in both preventing and overcoming addictions of all kinds, especially in the context of children and adolescents. When you have a clearer understanding of what is going on inside the mind and body of your child, teen, or young adult as they interact with the world, you’re better equipped to be empathetic to their addiction, and to support interventions to effect positive change.

In this chapter, I reveal what’s going on inside children and adolescents during this time when they’re most susceptible to addiction, and I look at how certain internal and external factors may contribute to the problem.