Today, communication tools are developing and changing rapidly. With this development and change, individuals use internet tools more functionally. The most prominent and frequently used among these is social media. The use of social media, which has increased rapidly in recent years, has become a set of tools that are among the routines of children, adolescents and young people, and the number of people using them is constantly increasing. Social media; It is a new virtual reality where children and adolescents can express themselves comfortably and connect with other users. With the development of new communication tools and the increasing interest in them, the use of social media is increasing day by day and causing interpersonal communication gaps. As smartphone use increases today, access to social media has become easier. As the time spent on social media increases, family relationships decrease. Intensive use of social media causes not only family relations but also other problems in the family. With this use that changes the definition of leisure time, especially children have built a new living space for themselves.
Nowadays, virtual reality is where children and adolescents express themselves freely and do freely in the virtual environment what they cannot do in real life. These individuals feel free and comfortable in these environments. Many situations that they cannot achieve or express in their daily routines are experienced through virtual reality and have a temporary feeling of pleasure. For example; A child who fails academically in real life or feels inadequate can temporarily get away from this feeling and create a feeling of satisfaction by playing games in the virtual environment and gaining appreciation. The age of using social media is approximately 12. Adolescence is a period in which the identity process begins to form and this process continues. During this period, children adopt different roles and seek to gain new experiences. The more limits and interventions there are on something, the more attractive and fascinating it becomes. This technology that makes us feel good, non-judgmental and encouraging It creates interest for people. Adolescents, who have partially lost their freedom in real life by being reached whenever they want, prefer to buy a phone when weighing the virtual freedom offered by their smartphone on social media. Therefore, it is normal and normal for children to create different profiles by assigning themselves to different roles on social media channels. 12-18 years of age are critical ages for addiction. The child should be informed that the people or channels they interact with while using social media do not reflect reality. Parents should use social media with their children occasionally, and no judgment should be made towards the children in this process. Children should also be informed that they can share with you all the positive and negative events they may encounter in virtual environments.
Turn to the children and say, 'Turn off your phone and talk to us.' We cannot limit the use of social media by saying this. So how should it be limited?
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If the child is over 10 years old, social media communication may be allowed for approximately one to one and a half hours.
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If they are between the ages of 3-6, it should be limited to half an hour or 40 minutes, and care should be taken to allow access by dividing it into minutes.
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Unlimited usage rights for children on holidays. It would not be healthy to suddenly impose limits when school starts. Limitations should also be imposed on holidays.
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Inform them that they should stop using social media before bedtime. Explain that using the phone at night triggers weight gain and anxiety.
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Apart from using social media, encourage the child to engage in activities that require effort and effort.
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Do common activities as a family and do lots of activities. Let them explore nature.
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Inform them about privacy education. Encourage children to think carefully about what they share because all the videos and photos they share on social media can spread and these images can be copied by many people.
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Steer technology addiction with your children. Watch accompanying videos.
Be aware of the symptoms of insomnia, inattention, inability to go to school, fear and aggression that may occur in your children as a result of excessive use and seek help from an expert without delay. It is recommended.
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