This week we tackle the ever growing problem of Internet Addiction in teens. We look at what exactly Internet Addiction is and some interesting facts about Internet Addiction. Then we explore some of the physical, mental and overall health impacts on teens that Internet Addiction has. We'll look at how other existing conditions can influence and impact or even lead to Internet Addiction. We'll explore the signs and symptoms to look for in teens who might be suffering from Internet Addiction. Then we'll look at some of the more effective treatments for handling internet addiction. Finally we'll wrap with Madison's closing remarks and shoutouts.
An original podcast by a husband and wife team of self professed pop-culture geeks. It is a discussion about all things entertainment from movies and music to television and pop culture. We examine some of the more obscure aspects of the entertainment industry.
This week we tackle the ever growing problem of Internet Addiction in teens. We look at what exactly Internet Addiction is and some interesting facts about Internet Addiction. Then we explore some of the physical, mental and overall health impacts on teens that Internet Addiction has. We'll look at how other existing conditions can influence and impact or even lead to Internet Addiction. We'll explore the signs and symptoms to look for in teens who might be suffering from Internet Addiction. Then we'll look at some of the more effective treatments for handling internet addiction. Finally we'll wrap with Madison's closing remarks and shoutouts.
An original podcast by a husband and wife team of self professed pop-culture geeks. It is a discussion about all things entertainment from movies and music to television and pop culture. We examine some of the more obscure aspects of the entertainment industry.
Insightful pocket by informative sites. A podcast network.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Welcome to insights into teens, a podcast series, exploring the issues and challenges of today's youth, your hosts or Joseph and Madison, Waylon, a father and daughter team making their way through the challenges,
Speaker 4:the teenage years.
Speaker 2:Welcome to insights into teens. This is episode 14, Internet addiction. I'm your host, Joseph Waylon and my talented and intelligent cohost, Madison whale. And hello everyone. How are you doing today, Maddie? I'm doing pretty good. So we're going to be talking about Internet addiction today. Do you think you're addicted to the Internet?
Speaker 5:Well, it was no really scientific facts, but, well, I don't have scientific facts is what I meant to say, but I can probably say that I'm most likely addicted to technology.
Speaker 2:Okay. Well hopefully over the course of the next half hour or so we'll be able to make that determination. Yup. So as always, we'll run down the agenda real quick. So we are going to look at what Internet addiction actually is, so we'll understand that. Yep. We'll look at some facts about Internet addiction. Uh, then we'll talk about some of the concerns that can complicate a teen's relationship with the Internet and technology. Then we'll look at the signs of Internet addiction followed by the longterm effects of Internet addiction disorder. And then we will look at how the inner debt, how Internet addiction is treated. And of course we'll follow up with our closing remarks and our shout outs. So are we ready?
Speaker 5:Why not? Let's do it.
Speaker 2:So what is Internet addiction? So Internet addiction is defined as a inner, uh, it's characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behaviors regarding computer use, an Internet access that lead to or distress, that condition as attracted increasing attention in the popular media and among researchers. And this attention has paralleled the growth and computer and Internet access. The disorder occurs worldwide, but mainly in countries work, computer access and technology are widespread. So the first thing that I'd like to ask based on that is what technologies do you use that you think might lead to Internet addiction?
Speaker 5:Mainly my phone. I'm, that's the main technology I'm on. Maybe even my TV. Cause you know I watched TV a lot, but I think my phone with me, the main.
Speaker 2:So what do you watch on? What do you use your phone for? Let me ask that.
Speaker 5:Well I play games on it. How occasionally? Um, what I like to do is watch videos on youtube, like funny cat videos or other stuff.
Speaker 2:Okay. And what about on the TVD use streaming services on the TV?
Speaker 5:Um, well the only thing I can really recall is sometimes I would put it on when I go to sleep cause I need sound to go to sleep.
Speaker 2:Okay. So, so you're not really interacting with it there though?
Speaker 5:Yeah, I guess that wouldn't really lead to it.
Speaker 2:Okay. See, I think one of the things that we run into is that most of the addictions requires some level of interaction. Uh, if you think of addiction to substance abuse for instance, um, you have to interact with whatever that substance is. So I think the activity that you engage in with your phone probably would qualify. Um, but passively putting something on, on the TV and letting, just listening to that, um, in the evening as you go to sleep, probably wouldn't qualify as addiction cause you're not interacting with an angry patient. We're using it to fall asleep. Yeah. So how much phone time do you use? So how much, how often are you on your phone?
Speaker 5:Well, on weekdays I don't really have too much time on it. I mean, while I go home I would normally, I would normally go on it, but then I would go eat dinner and occasionally if I had bath that night I would go have a bath, which would have shorter time on it. Okay. So yeah.
Speaker 2:So we did a quick exercise before the podcast startup. I looking at our screen time usage on our phones. So let me ask you to do that, pull your phone out and tell me what your screen time usage for the last seven days was. Okay. And we're using iPhones here. So to do this, it's, it's fairly simple. You simply go into your settings in your device and then scroll down the screen. Time at top, you'll see your device name. If you could tap on that and then click the last seven days. So at the top of that screen there, it should tell you how many hours per day you've used. And how many hours have you used for day? Three hours. One minute. So that's three hours, one minute per day, including weekdays and weekends. Now I could look at my phone, I'll use my phone very frequently because I use it for work. I have one hour and 23 minutes per day that I use my phone. So you're using your phone literally twice as long as I am, and you're in school for the majority of the day. So that's a, that's a significant amount of time. I mean, how much time do you have when you get home from school?
Speaker 5:Um, let's see. So I come home at around five 45 six o'clock. So let's say six. Okay.
Speaker 2:Usually in bed by nine 30 say. Yup. So that's literally almost the entire time that you're home during the week. You're on your phone in a week. Do you think that's a problem? Probably. It might be. Yeah. Okay. Well that puts things into perspective. Let's, let's, so we go to tao@campus.com and they're teens, an Internet addiction study for the next set of facts that we have. And this is just general facts about Internet addiction. And they say right off the bat, anyone can become addicted to drugs, the internet or certain behaviors. Um, however addiction is more likely for some individuals. And that's sort of how your brain works. Uh, npr.org explains that when it comes to Internet addiction, the problem isn't restricted to kids and teens though, especially those who have depression or anxiety disorder may, uh, may be particularly vulnerable. So there's certain situations, certain conditions that teens may have there could contribute to this. And if we go back a few weeks ago to one of our earlier podcasts, we kind of did come at a conclusion that you do have a lot of stress and anxiety in life and that could contribute to, you know, the time that you spend on your phone as a way to try to get away from that stuff. What do you think about that?
Speaker 5:I think that could be possible because well, whenever I do seem a little stressed at school and always calms me down, it was like watching funny cat video on my phone. So,
Speaker 2:sure. Yeah. And, and especially that kind of content because that kind of content is a feel good, make you laugh kind of content. So it's almost therapeutic that that's what you escape into. Why you have a stressful day at work. I come home and usually I'll jump in my game and I'll hang out with friends in the game to try and distress and stuff like that. It's, that's perfectly natural. Yeah. So they say, uh, teens experience swings in mood and behavior, which were very well aware of. Yeah. This is a normal part of growing up. However, these swings can indicate underlying mental issues, underlying issues make additional, make addiction a greater risk. Now in just discussions that we've had, I don't think you particularly suffer from any of these underlying issues and they talk mostly about um, uh, depression or uh, attention deficit disorder and things like that. I don't think you suffer from those from what we've discussed, but it is worthwhile to note for the audience that those who do suffer from these based on this study at least are more likely to have what people tend to term as an addictive personality where if you've got depression, you're more likely to seek solace or seek comfort from something in an addictive manner. Um, but I don't think that is the case with you at this point in time. Not really. Um, when you use the Internet, do you think you're using it for recreational purposes, for meditative purposes? Like why do you go to the Internet to use the Internet?
Speaker 5:Well, sometimes I would go just because I'm bored. Sometimes I'd go because I had a bad day and I just noodle, like watch one of my favorite videos to try and calm me down.
Speaker 2:Okay. So, so it's a mixed bag of reasons why you do it. Yeah. No, last night you had come down a couple of times, you're throughout the day a couple of times to show me videos. You didn't seem depressed or anything. You seemed amused as if you were sharing a television show or something. Right. So your use of the Internet while could have some symptoms of addiction. It's not for the reasons that people tend to be addicted, it sounds like. So that's a good sign. Okay, that's good. So they go on to say that even there is an identifiable underlying calls of addiction, your son or daughter may simply feel overwhelmed by his or her emotions. The Internet can offer temporary feelings of escape, numbness and social connection. And honestly, I think that's really what you're going through there is it everybody needs to unwind. Everybody needs a distress at some point in time. Um, and you sort of fall into that, you know, you don't watch a lot of TV. No, not really. And you're not really big on listening to music. So you know, you log on to entertain yourself for the most part. Yeah, pretty much. So I think we're in pretty good shape. Uh, the study finishes up by saying if he or she does not have healthy coping mechanisms in place and many teens do not yet have the skills or awareness needed for these, the Internet can become their only outlet or source of soothing when this happens. Dependence and addiction can develop. And this is where I think you probably have a leg up on most other kids your age at this point in time is between Your interactions with mommy and daddy between the podcasts that we do. There's a lot of coping mechanisms that you have right now, which just over the course of, you know, 13 episodes of this podcast, not only myself and Molly, but your teachers have noticed, have had a significant impact on the way that you carry yourself, your self confidence and so forth. So you don't have to turn to the Internet as a coping mechanism is what I'm saying. You agree with that? Yes, I agree. Do you, do you think that turning to the internet at least in the capacity that you do is a way to cope with stress and stuff?
Speaker 5:Yes, I could see that because if I had a bad day at school, if I like go and watch some videos on Youtube website, one of my games I actually calmed down. I don't feel like screaming.
Speaker 2:Right, right. But if for instance, mommy or daddy thought you were using it too much and we took it away tomorrow, how much of an impact would that have on you? Would you be unable to cope with that stress? Would you be depressed? Would you be upset? Would you be angry? How would that affect you?
Speaker 5:Well, I just have to find something else to distract me from. I mean, I still play with my toys. I, um, occasionally build legos whenever I, whenever I would like, I normally do it on the weekends cause it's gonna get messy if it's on a week day. And then I'll take a wild to be enough. So,
Speaker 2:and I think that statement right there alone is an indicator that you're not addicted because people who are addicted to something go through, you know, some form of withdrawal when it's not there and, and they feel not only that they need it to cope with, but they're dependent on it. So the fact that, you know, your first reaction is, oh well, I'll just find something else. It's kind of indicative of, you know, you're not addicted to it. Okay. That's good. Which is good. Um, so let's talk about the concerns that can complicate a teen's relationship with the Internet next.
Speaker 6:Okay.
Speaker 2:So some of these things we've talked about already and these are things that can contribute to the need for teens to fall to internet usage to cope with it. Anxiety being one of them, you know, feelings of anxiety over life, school achievements, relationships may make the Internet seemed more appealing. Uh, you've kind of confirmed that already, but did you have any other thoughts on that?
Speaker 5:Um, I, hmm. I don't really know. I mean, the only real thing, other thing I can just do was really describe how I feel when I do this. Sure. So basically I normal, I would normally prefer going on the Internet if I had a really bad day. Occasionally. Normally it would be a Monday. So yeah, Mondays usually aren't good days around here. Yeah. So I normally it would go on my phone, try to like distract myself from everything that went on during the day, especially if I was really mad at something. Okay.
Speaker 2:It sounds like you just use it as a decompression mechanism of, you know, I've had a rough day, I don't want to deal with it anymore. Let me just, you know, turn off all that stuff did bother me today. Dive into the internet and watch some silly videos or something.
Speaker 5:I mean, not only do I do that, um, because I want to forget about the day and like calm myself down, but I do it occasionally when I'm bored, just entertain myself because, well, I'm just born and I prefer to watch like a video or something.
Speaker 2:Sure. And, and you know, people use different coping mechanisms to handle that. I go to video games or I'll go watch a documentary. Some people read books, some people play console video games or board games or you know, whatever it is that there's, some people go for a walks in the exercise and everyone deals with boredom and anxiety and in their own way. So I don't think what you're doing is any, anything unusual really. Yeah. Especially considering the amount of time you spend on the internet, you're watching videos as opposed to you're not watching TV. So a lot of kids, like when I was growing up in your age, TV and video games was, was what we, you know, that was the evil instead of the Internet, you know, for us. So when we would get home, we would come home, we turn the TV on and we'd vege in front of the TV until dinner time. And when Darren time was over, you know, we'd go out and play or something like that. So I think every generation sorta has that, you know, fall back on how the vege out type thing. So the next thing that they talk about here is ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Teens with Adhd may discover that the Internet can hold their attention. Now we're not going to go into the details of what Adhd is and the symptoms and stuff like that, but basically it's, it's the inability to focus for long periods of time on one thing. Um, I'm sure you've probably encountered kids that have had this. Uh, I, there's people that I work with that are adults that suffer from this. Uh, some people resort to medications for it, others were sorted to counseling and others still just deal with it. I don't think you do because you don't have a problem focusing. And that much comes through when you look at things like some of the hobbies you do, you know, when you sit for hours at a time and can focus on building, you know, a Lego Darth Vader castle, you know, someone suffering from ADHD wouldn't sit there that long to do that. Um, you would probably be able to do it, but you don't have the exact patients. Well, I lacked the physical dexterity to do it. So I can't work with small parts like that, you know, having large old Gersh hands like I do. Um, or your comics, you know when you sit there and you draw for hours, your comics and your rate, your stories, you know, most folks with ADHD wouldn't have the time to do that. One of the symptoms of Adhd is moving from one thing to another, to another to another and never being able to focus on something and you don't exhibit any of those symptoms. But for teams that do, one of the things that they find is that the internet can tend to hold their attention. And I think part of that's because of the nature of the Internet. You know, you get on the Internet and you can jump all over the place and look at all different things. So for some who have ADHD, it's a manifestation of that ADHD. Like you jump on youtube and you can look at thousands of videos in an hour. That's not focus. I mean, you're focusing on watching videos, but you're not focusing on the videos themselves. At that time. So the point that they make here is that inability to focus is something that the Internet tends to draw those types of folks into. Uh, the next thing that they have here is the need to escape. The Internet can be an escape for the hormones and emotions of adolescence. You're going through a lot of that stuff now and you have your emotional challenges, we'll call them challenges. Okay. Um, and you have your bad days and those bad days off to require you to escape. Just like all of us, you know, I have bad days on my Wednesday this week was horrible. Oh boy. And you know, when I got home from work, I just want it the vege out. So it's normal for everybody. Yeah. A lot of people will find the Internet to be a good place to achieve that escape. Um, the next thing that they have here is the need to explore a different identity. And you say that your team may feel that he or she can have a different identity online and can be more themselves away from the in person, family and peers. Now, do you ever feel the need to sort of step outside of who you are and, and, and have, and from the way that you interact with the Internet? I would probably guess no. Yeah, pretty much snow, but then happens to me. I mean, you know, in my gaming group I'm known as the young, you know, I'm a certain personality online. Um, it's a reflection of who I am, but that character is really just a character in a game. Um, and the ability to sorta take off my every day personality and slip into this one. It's kind of a, you know, a nice thing to do. Uh, and just as a programming note, when I talk about this gaming environment, it is a star wars game. Uh, and today is, by the way, may the fourth at his star wars day. So may the fourth be with you. Yup. Um, and the character that I play happens to be a bad guy in the game. So playing that alternate personality allows me to explore things that I can't explore in my, my regular, you know, life. So it's an interesting retreat. Um, and some people find that to be relaxing. Now that's not something that you've encountered at this point in time because you're mostly a consumer. Yeah. So you're not interacting very deeply and you're not producing a lot on the Internet, so you consume a lot. So I don't think this applies to you, but later on in life, if you decide to do, I dunno, a roleplaying game or something like that, you might find that it's nice to actually try out different personalities. I can tell you from a creative writing standpoint, it helps to fuel my ability to write because it allows me to see things from different perspectives when I can put different hats on. So just,
Speaker 5:I mean like I can also relate to that. Like when I have to do my assignments with writing and when I'm allowed to like make up a whole new story on a certain topic. I basically feel as though I'm the main character because I'm typing all of this and I normally do it like it's like character is telling the stories so, right. Yeah. And allows you to be a different person. Yeah. It's kind of fun that way.
Speaker 6:Yup.
Speaker 2:So the last thing that they have in this particular study is Co occurring disorders. Your teen may also be facing obsessive compulsive disorder or other anxiety disorders or depression. And this goes back to what we talked about pretty recently where if you're suffering from, from other disorders, those combined may compound your need to seek some kind of solace or shelter in the internet itself and could potentially fuel that addiction further. Um, but I don't think you're suffering from any of those at this point. I don't think so either. So, but that's just a quick study of some of the things that it can lead to it. So we have a list of signs of Internet addiction and I want to run through these one at a time. Some of these I have a little bit more detail on. Um, and I'll, I'll delve into that as well, but I want to run through these and then have you tell me if you think you suffer from any of these. Okay. So losing track of time while online, your team regularly loses sleep due to internet use. So when you're on the Internet, do you completely lose Trent loose track of time?
Speaker 5:Well, I don't really, well I would say so because I really don't look at the time. My man, they really don't bother with the times. So I guess yes.
Speaker 2:Okay. Responsibilities and tasks fall behind because of time spent online.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 5:Well look that isn't really true for me cause I always try to get my work done before I go on the Internet. No. When you say work, what are you referring to? Homework, schoolwork, stuff like that. Anything I'm supposed to be doing that needs to get done quickly. What about like your chores and stuff? Oh, with laundry it's not that bad cause normally, well yeah I have like an hour and a half before I have to check it. But now that we have um, a new Amazon Echos, yeah. Amazon Echos. Um, I can word yes, I can. Um, I can have her send a timer, I'll be online and when the timer goes off I go check laundry.
Speaker 2:So in this case, you're actually using technology to help you curb those addictive tendencies and actually do your work. Yep. That's ironic.
Speaker 5:A little bit. Yeah, a little bit ironic means right. That align to that. Thank you for defining that for us.
Speaker 2:Uh, isolation and end or distance from friends or family. The Internet seems more important than time with friends. Do you find that to be the case?
Speaker 5:No, because normally I would spend all my time with my friends at school because pretty much all my friends a k neighbors because they're also my neighbors go to run a school with me. Occasionally we would even plan play dates.
Speaker 2:Yes you do. And once in a while you actually stumbled from one house to the next on the same street and actually play with each other. You should probably do that more often. Probably. Uh,
Speaker 5:um, I have a problem with interacting with you guys cause well I, we, we always do something on the weekend if even if we don't have things to do, I always try to like say hi to you guys and thanks for saying hi. I appreciate them. And yesterday my came down with some funny videos. So we always try to find something on the weekends to annoy you with. And we also have the podcasts. So
Speaker 2:yes we do. And this is, this is quality time that we get. Yeah. So the next thing they had as a sign was noticeable or guilt or defensiveness about how much time you spend online or what activities you gauge. And do you feel guilty about how much time you spend online?
Speaker 5:Well, can I have an example cause I really stand it.
Speaker 2:Well, when someone says get off the Internet, do you feel like, you know, you've been on too long? Sometimes. Sometimes. So that's another one that we might have here. Okay. Uh, another sign is using the Internet to improve your mood or finding pleasure or relief from time spent. Is it therapeutic for you? Do you, do you go to the Internet to feel better?
Speaker 5:Yeah, sometimes. Okay, let's stay on bad days. Like I said before.
Speaker 2:Yup. No, I got you. Uh, the next one is failed attempt at cutting back on Internet. You so and Mommy and daddy tell you, stop using the Internet. Do you find that you go off into the corner and start sneaking Internet time and stuff like that? Or can you stop using the unit and when you're told to stop using it, that's a good sign. Uh, physical symptoms such as carpal tunnel syndrome, that's where you get pain. Oop. That's where you get paid when you're hitting the microphone. That's where you get pain up your wrists from using the keyboard too much usually. But based on your type of Internet use, that's probably not going to be an issue. Yep. Uh, headaches, um, back or neck aches from using technology, unexplained weight gain or loss, dry eyes, strain, images and sleep disturbances. Do you suffer from any of those symptoms?
Speaker 5:Um, headaches. I don't think I suffer from, um, because apparent cause apparently mommy sometimes gets headaches with like, and I watched like stop motion Lego ones, but I don't really get that right. Um, back or neck cakes. I mean I don't really experience that cause I normally get in a comfortable position on my bed and I wouldn't be on it too long. Like occasionally like when I wanted to stop I would stop putting them on the charger and probably do something else.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Honestly it's funny you mention that. I think the number one thing that regulates your time on the Internet is the battery on your phone cause you don't leave it cause you're not using a computer. And a lot of these symptoms of results of um, using computers and you know, computers are powered on all the time so people don't run into that issue. But you know, you don't keep your phone on the charger bringing you use it. So why would you use it? The battery runs out. You naturally have to put it back down and charge it.
Speaker 5:I mean I don't really, the battery isn't really the problem that much, but like whenever I want to get off I'll get off. Like when I'm tired of watching videos and stuff or playing games or just turn it off fines on the mouse to do right. Usually come down and see you guys.
Speaker 2:Uh, one of the next ones is internet use becomes a teens only hobby. Well, we know that's not the case for you, but that certainly is a warning sign to keep an eye out for. Yeah. Oh, we did a whole podcast on hobbies that you have. So we know Internet use isn't your only hobby. Yeah. Uh,[inaudible] uh, Internet use has affected your child's grades unless it's helped you get you straight A's. Um, there hasn't been a negative effect, right?
Speaker 5:No, I'm laughing at it because I get straight A's. It doesn't affect me at all. So.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly. Your team has meant suspicious or unsafe people online. You've never met anyone online, have you?
Speaker 5:No, I just don't use those type of stuff.
Speaker 2:Perfect. Uh, you've discovered missing money or increase online spending for websites, games and other purchases. You're not stealing or anything?
Speaker 5:No, I'm not. I normally,
Speaker 2:no you're not because you've got enough money to your room because of all the work and money you get for your grade
Speaker 5:anyway. I only got, I only get apps if I'm able to get it for free. I always tell you guys with the apps I want to get and uh, apparently you guys don't tell me the apps to get, cause I always get random apps downloaded on my phone.
Speaker 2:Well then I have to say, you know, uh, just a quick sidebar here that I give a lot of credit to apple because you and I, mommy is not an apple. She's on an android. So any apps you get our apps that I have the black sheep of the family. She, yeah, if it comes to that. Yeah. But um, apple does a very good job of curating all the applications, protecting your privacy and providing parental tools for, for me as a parent to make sure that, you know, you're not using the Internet too much. You're not going to, things you shouldn't be going to and that you're fairly well protected online, online. Online's a very dangerous place, especially for kids. There's a lot of bad people out there and um, parents who aren't aware of that and don't have the tools to protect their children out there, um, really need to be very careful and apple to apple and the apple framework does a very good job of providing those tools. So Kudos to apple for that.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So let's take a longterm, let's take a look at longterm effects of Internet addiction disorder. Uh, this is the clinical term for it that all the very smart people have come up with. So they say Internet addiction disorders problematic because the disorder can interfere with one's real life responsibilities and relationships. And in it addiction disorder or Iad as they refer to it, can also affect the person's house. This way in a addiction alters the volume of the brain. Did you realize that? Yeah. Most at most addictions tend to do this and actually chemically changes the brain. The brain changes are similar to those produced by alcohol and cocaine addiction. A IED shrinks, the brain's grain white matter fibers, which results in changes to emotional processing and brain function. The brain will continue to negatively perform a negatively transform as long as the addiction continues. So anytime that your body, your brain is exposed to extreme stimuli, it changes itself. Remember we talked in our fears and phobias episode, um, how your brain changed, right? Your Amigdala actually changed as a result of that. So that's because of how adaptable the human brain is and, and it basically tries to cope with every situation. So there are certain risk factors associated with Internet addiction disorder. And I don't say this to scare you, but it's important to be aware of these because if you start feeling any of these things, there are warning signs that maybe you need to look at your usage patterns and maybe you need to seek help. So I'm just going to run down a brief list of these and you tell me if you suffer from any of these. Yup. Suffering from anxiety, depression or other mental health or mood disorders. We already know you suffer from anxiety, but so does 91% of everybody else your age. Yeah. So I don't think we can attribute that to this. Yeah, we know you don't suffer from depression. We already came to that. Yeah. And other mood, other mental health and mood disorders, I don't think you're suffering from. Would you agree? Yeah. Okay. So then we should be good there. Uh, another symptom is feeling lonely. Do you feel lonely often? No. Okay. That's good. Uh, not having enough social interaction or support, is that something that you experienced?
Speaker 5:No, I mean, I, I mean my, I don't really feel that. I always have like you guys to talk to. If I ever come to a problem, I also have my friends to talk to.
Speaker 2:Got It. Good, good circle of friends and my friends are all my neighbors. So the other is already sought struggling with other addictions, which you're not. Yeah. Then a change that limits social activity or mobility such as moving job loss, disability or having a baby, none of which you're experiencing. Nope. And high levels of stress. So this is a risk factor for high levels of stress. So that's one thing that we need to keep an eye on because we do know you're under a lot of stress. Less so this late in a year than you were earlier though.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I've been able to cope with stress more. Nice. Less. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I, I think for the most part, the risk factors that you have here are the longterm effects that you have here are not having a huge impact on you, which is a good sign.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Let's talk a little bit about how Internet addiction is treated. Addiction in general needs to be treated and it needs to be treated sooner rather than later. And this comes from Internet addiction, substance abuse, you know, food disorders, whatever it is. Uh, so embow reports explain the problems are very real. And those students who are unable to control their online activities, whose grades drop and whose relationship with friends and family sour definitely need help. And I don't think you'll disagree with that. The best treatment approach depends on your team and his or her specific mental, physical and emotional health. So the important takeaway from this is that it's very, uh, specific to the person. There's no generic way of handling this. So they share. The treatment approach is very ranging from cognitive behavioral therapies and counseling to the use of drugs. Normally used to treat addiction such as Adhd or depression. So there's counseling, there's a counseling aspect of it where you're going to sit down and you're talking to someone, they're going to try and help you get through it and beyond that point then you will resort to a more clinical approach with medication. They say a drug free approach is the best first approach to treatment with medications can be useful tools. Before, during, and after a treatment program, you can have your team balance any underlying mental health issues, issues that can be assessed and identified during professional care.
Speaker 6:Okay.
Speaker 2:They also go on to say that other resources that can help include activity monitoring, which is what we do. So we checked to make sure that you're, you're working okay, you're not spending too much time. We look at your screen time, a medical care, nutritious meals. That's another big thing. Now you're sitting here yawning. Now is that because you were up late last night on the Internet?
Speaker 5:Well, I wasn't actually up late last night on the Internet. I mean, I turned my phone off and I was, and I didn't actually have my TV on. I didn't have any sound, so I was just 12 laying in my bed hoping to fall asleep and I fall asleep on my own terms. I bought it makes me fall asleep on my own time.
Speaker 2:Okay. So some of the other things that they talk about here are individual counseling. One on one counseling group therapy. They do a group therapy sessions, kind of like alcoholics anonymous does. We're talking to a group of your peers helps. Okay. And then just basically education, like what we're doing here, the websites that we looked at and podcast like we're doing here. Um, and I think awareness is important because a lot of people who suffer from this type of thing aren't aware that they're suffering from it and they don't know what the signs are and they don't know what the impact is and they don't know what to look for. They don't know how to get help for. So I think education as with most things is probably the first most important thing.
Speaker 6:Okay.
Speaker 2:So any thoughts on, on how to treat this type of thing yourself? Any of pinging you have?
Speaker 5:Well, I can definitely say that these all sound like good ideas for helping treat um, and the addiction. Okay. Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, I think that's about what we had for today's topic. We can, uh, go to work closing remarks and our shout outs, as long as you're up to it. I don't want to keep you awake.
Speaker 5:Oh my God.
Speaker 6:I go to Uw Madison
Speaker 2:for your closing remarks and shout outs.
Speaker 5:Well, so people who, um, are watching this and have her have most of the steins that show in another addiction and who realize that they have an addiction. I would definitely recommend going to someone. Say I'm mentioning it and hopefully you, um, thought that some of these, um, you know, treatments, um, we're good and can possibly help you. I would also say for anyone who doesn't really have Internet addiction, I'm still try to go offline, find other things you like, like I do. And just don't spend too much time on the Internet cause I couldn't be unhealthy for you as we've read before.
Speaker 2:Very good. Any shout outs this week?
Speaker 5:Um, I guess it has to have a shout out to all my friends and family. Um, because it was without like having all my friends and family who I can talk to. I might have you own more stress and I could possibly have been led to in an addiction and possibly the other symptoms that can factor into it. So.
Speaker 2:Very good. Well thank you for that Magnuson and thank you for joining me today. Thank you for having me. I think that's all we've got for today. We'll be back next week with another great podcast. Yup. And we'll talk to everyone later. Bye everyone.