Many teenagers struggle with internet addiction because they are at the stage of their lives where they want to be involved in everything happening around them. This is why you will find some teenagers who would prefer to spend time online, than with people around them in reality.
Parents and caregivers need to watch out for their teenagers and be more intentional about knowing the activities they engage in when they are online. In this post, you will learn some signs that tell if your teenager may be addicted to the internet.
Preoccupation with the internet
One of the ways to know that your teen may be addicted to the internet is when they are always thinking or obsessed about being online.
They will always look forward to the activities on the internet, and they might be sad when they are missing out on anything. When you have a conversation with them, you will notice that they always talk about the internet, or being online generally.
Aversion to socializing
To some teenagers who are addicted to the internet, the online world is a safe place for them where they have online friends that they may not have met in their lives.
Therefore, they are likely not to prefer socializing with people because of their online connections. When you notice that your teenager does not like mingling with people, it might be internet addiction at play.
Average or poor academic performance
Many teenagers who are addicted to the internet might not have a good academic record, and the reason is simple.
Most of them spend so much time on the internet, and they don’t allot the same amount of time to read their books and study for tests or assessments. Hence, they may likely come up with poor or mediocre academic performance.
Withdrawal symptoms when cut off from the internet
Just like other forms of behavioral addiction, when your teenager does not have access to the internet, they might experience some withdrawal symptoms. Some of them are anxiety, fatigue, depression, irritability, etc.