Recreation - Limiting Internet Usage

It is important to limit children from spending to much time online and keeping the home computer at a central location is an effective way. The location should enable the computer to be easily supervised. It should not be located in the bedroom.

The parents and child should work out an agreeable weekly schedule of permissible times for going online. Children under 12 years old should not go online alone at all. The computer used by this age group should be in a common living area.

Recommended time period for going online:

• Below 13 years old - maximum one hour of internet use a day; and

   

• Above 14 years old - maximum one and half hour of internet use a day.

There are no fixed time period to determine at what point is internet use excessive or has become an addiction.

However there are general signs to watch out for. They are:

• Restlessness or Sleeplessness or Nervousness when not online;

   

• When the child had trouble keeping up with the agreed permissible times for going online and keep increasing the amount of time online.

Continued use of the internet would then have an adverse effect on the child's development.

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