Online Distractions And Family Life: Solutions To Common Problems

Online Distractions and Social Networking

Time spent online increasingly means time spent on social networks. The Pew Internet Research organisation estimates that 73% of internet-connected American teenagers use social networking websites. Given that the average time spent on the most popular social networking website, Facebook, is an hour a day, this implies that young people have altered home activities to make use of social networks.

Online Distractions Impair Academic Achievement

As a Rutgers University study shows, heavy internet use is correlated with impaired academic achievement. According to the Pew Internet Research paper, 39% of 14-17 year olds say they go online several times a day. It’s likely that a significant proportion of teenagers are therefore suffering from reduced academic performance due to online distractions.

Young People Distracted by Internet Use

A comprehensive report of internet usage by young Britons in the 9-19 year old age range by the London School of Economics (UK Children Go Online) found that 74% of children in the UK have internet access at home. It also found that a fifth of all children have internet access in their bedrooms. Research cited in the Guardian shows that the most time is spent on sites such as YouTube, Bebo and MySpace.

There are concerns about safety on these sites, and the information available to parents is limited by multiple computer ownership in the home.

"My mum will ask sometimes 'Is it safe?' but she doesn't really know," a 16-year-old girl told the Institute for Public Policy Research.

A 14-year-old boy added that even parental controls that are put on internet access at school can be circumvented by youngsters, who often know more about IT systems than their teachers. "We have restrictions at school but we can just get an administrator's account and take them off."

Due to gaps in the technological awareness, parents are finding it increasingly difficult to monitor the impact of technology on children’s academic work. As a Guardian report states, "They are a generation abandoning print and paper, and the whole integration of technology and the way they glide from one to the other is seamless. They will be surfing the net, talking to a friend and downloading a track simultaneously.”

With the plethora of electronic distractions available to young people today, it’s likely that there has been an adverse impact on young people. Indeed, a study by Rutgers University finds that some college students’ academic performance might be impaired by heavier use of the Internet.

Time Spent Online

According to the Institute of Public Policy, British children in internet-connected homes are spending more than 20 hours a week online. In the US, the average 8-18 year old in a ‘wired’ home spends more than six hours a day using media, including the internet.

What Can Parents Do About Computer Usage for Older Teens?

1. Read up on internet safety issues and discuss these with your child.

2. Address the underlying problem. Excessive internet usage can be a form of escapism for children. Try to find out what the issue is.

3. Move the computer to an open area. This will increase your ability to monitor the amount of time spent on the internet, and will discourage excessive time spent online.

4. Use software solutions that focus on time management for study. I Free Time For Study is a program that enables teenagers to limit time spent online.

5. Set a time limit on internet usage. This can be achieved using a program like I Free Time For Study.

Some parents may wish for stricter controls such as programs like CyberSitter and Net Nanny. However, these cannot be 100% relied upon, as they can be disabled, especially by technologically savvy children.

Further Information

1. Internet Safety - Thinkuknow http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

2. Study Skills Resources http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/tips-and-tools/study-help

3. I Free Time For Study http://www.ifreetimeforstudy.com

4. HomeworkFocus http://www.homeworkfocus.com

5. WikiHow article http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Your-Child%27s-Computer-Addiction

6. Internet Safety http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Yourchildshealthandsafety/Internetsafety/index.htm