The virtual life of our children. Computers have firmly entered our lives and the lives of our children. And it is difficult to find a child who is not interested in video games and video films. Some parents rejoice and admire their three-year-old child for easily and confidently clicking the mouse, others, worried, do not allow the child to play and talk about computer addiction. What to do? What are the benefits of computer games? A regular activity on a computer is perceived by a child as a game. Therefore, what does not interest him at all on the pages of books may be interesting on the monitor screen. Among modern game programs and videos, there are a lot of developmental and educational ones that take into account the age of children. Therefore, with their help, a child can learn a lot of useful and interesting things about the world around him. (“It turns out that bananas grow on trees, and we buy them in the store” or “There are countries where there is no snow”). It has been noticed that children master counting and reading skills with the help of a computer faster than with regular education. Thus, video games and films contribute to the development of the child’s intellectual sphere. There are games that will help develop attention, memory, spatial imagination, logical thinking, helping to improve coordination of movements, increase reaction speed. The child learns to follow certain rules, plan his actions, finish what he has started, and achieve improved results. That is, along the way, such qualities as perseverance, will and patience are formed. They receive new ideas for games that they themselves can play with friends, brothers and sisters. By winning, the child experiences positive emotions, feels more confident and skillful (“Today I have the puzzle is complete!” Children see people and characters who experience the same feelings (the hippopotamus is also afraid of the vaccine), receives different behavior options, and learns the concept of “choice” (the hippopotamus did not get the vaccine because it was afraid and it got sick. Now he is given bitter medicine.) The computer does not get tired, does not get irritated and can explain countless times in the same even and friendly voice: “Try again, my friend!” Disturbances in normal communication with children and adults Insensitivity to the emotions of other people Eye strain, poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity. Dangers awaiting a child in the virtual world. If a child cannot stop playing, his excited state begins in anticipation of the game, when he is not allowed to play, the excitement turns into irritability and anxiety, he often thinks and talks about game, he is not interested in anything other than the game, begins to hide the fact that he was playing and the time spent without a computer seems wasted, then we can talk about addiction. Addiction is understood as a person’s withdrawal from reality through a change in mental state. Those. a person “moves away” from a reality that does not suit him. Of the many ways to get rid of unpleasant feelings and experiences, one is used, for example, a video game, where he gets something that does not suit him in reality. Why are video games attractive? First of all, the actions unfolding on the screen attract children for the same reasons as fairy tales , is an imaginary world, brighter, simpler and more expressive than in reality. The computer is a wonderful communication partner: it always understands (if you press the right buttons), does not act up, does not conflict, and does not lecture. In general, it’s easy to come to an agreement with him, not like with living people. That's why children who have communication difficulties easily go into virtual worlds. In the game, mistakes made by the player can always be corrected; you just need to restart the game or return to the previous level. Computer games and films allow children to identify with the main characters - to feel incredible strong and brave, smart and dexterous, loved and free. Young children, as a rule, can change little in the reality around them, their imagelife depends entirely on adults. But not in a video game! There everything happens according to the child’s wishes, there he can choose and change roles, levels, scenery, and control destinies. Naturally, the role of a ruler is very attractive for children, since so far they can say much more sentences beginning with the words “I want” than with the words “I can.” In the game they are not threatened with death and illness, and from a certain age all Normally developing children begin to fear death. And in video games, the creators of virtual entertainment offer users several lives. How nice it is once again, when you have been defeated by a terrible enemy, to ask with optimism: “Well, how many lives do I have left?” Games can be easily changed when you get tired of them, or not played to the end if something doesn’t work out, and adults will not attach any importance to this. If a child tries to do the same, for example, with responsibilities around the house (not to mention school!), he will immediately become the object of attention of adults who instill in their child ideas about purposefulness and willpower. In real life, there are mistakes and mistakes, conflicts and disagreements, there are disappointments and fear, feelings of loneliness and hopelessness, grief and resentment. All this causes a certain psychological discomfort. In everyday life, each person, as a rule, has a certain set of skills developed in the process of development to get rid of psychological discomfort, and, without especially thinking, they use them quite effectively for this purpose. These include: communicating with nature, exercising, getting support from friends and acquaintances or relatives, watching movies and much more. Often adults believe that children's grievances are petty, fear is ridiculous, grief is far-fetched, but children experience the same experiences as adults, but in their own small world. And often a child does not know how to get rid of psychological discomfort, especially in preschool age, when there is no personal experience or it is very small. And if a child spends a lot of time on video games, think about what exactly your child lacks in the surrounding reality? Then you need to have patience and pedagogical tact, as well as the desire to change something in your life. For example, if you are inclined to believe that the child’s inability to communicate is behind his computer addiction, then take measures to help him acquire this skill (take him on a visit more often, invite other children to your place, take care of their joint activities, write down new clubs, where, perhaps, other students are more similar to your child in interests, etc.). Remember that change takes time and a lot of your efforts. Make changes gradually, give your child the opportunity to get used to them and understand their benefits. Children need help from an adult. Both watching TV shows and computer games are of great importance in terms of developing a child’s personality, forming his self-esteem, and instilling self-confidence. Therefore, with preschool children, it is necessary to watch TV and play on the computer together. Adults talk to them about what is happening on the screen (look, the puppy is also afraid of water, but mom and dad are next to him and he stops being afraid; the boy has a new car, like you, he also rejoices; look, this is the ocean, and in our country there are lakes and rivers), thus the child learns more about the world, about the feelings of others (similar / different from his own), about relationships, about mutual assistance, about ethical standards. Understand the difference between reality and fiction (We could not cross the river in a shoe; the monster is not real, it cannot sit down on you) Many scientists highlight the upbringing of a child in a family in the first years of life as one of the factors in the emergence of dependent behavior: when in a family there is no consistency in the behavior of family members, lack of support from parents, the constant desire of parents to do everything for the child, because they know what is best or, on the contrary, permissiveness. We must not forget about the hygiene requirements when.