The emergence of the World Wide Web has long divided our lives into two parts: real and virtual. The Internet has become a very convenient place for finding friends and work, purchasing goods and services, a place for leisure and games, obtaining information and personal emotions. The Internet does not set age limits and therefore it is so easy to become “one of our own” for children and teenagers. Parents and teachers very often ask questions about whether this craze for the internet among the younger generation is so harmless. Isn't real life being replaced by this so-called virtual one? And what to do if this virtual life becomes the main one for a teenager, but in real life he only eats and goes to bed? Man is a social being and the communicative need in adolescence still remains one of the main ones. In other words, the fact that a teenager communicates with interest on numerous social networks on the Internet is fully justified by the age situation of his development. At the same time, it is important to note what happens to his communication with his family, classmates, and friends with similar interests. How to see the boundary, deviation from which is no longer called sociability, but computer addiction? This same dependence can be measured in hours and minutes that a teenager is willing to spend on real communication with friends and on correspondence on the Internet. You can talk about it if you started studying your child’s life from his notes and emoticons in the status next to his avatar. Any addiction is a painful craving that must constantly be reinforced. If you see a psychological breakdown in your child, when he loses the ability to return to Internet communication, then, unfortunately, such an addiction already exists. And the next “dose of the Internet” prevents the onset of irritability and anxiety and allows him to feel comfortable. It is obvious that the morbid passion for social networks is a departure from reality, which due to some circumstances does not fully satisfy our vital needs, this is the loss of family connections, this is a lack of understanding among one’s family and friends, this is a rejection of oneself and one’s environment in the real world, this is a search for an illusory space that gives an imaginary feeling of the fullness of life. Why is communication on social networks so attractive for a teenager? Firstly, a situation of complete control over communication is modeled here (with one click of the mouse a teenager can end a conversation at any moment), social boundaries are erased here (communications can have any personal status beyond age limits), the Internet gives a feeling of limitless freedom, impersonality and secrecy ( you are never completely sure who is on the other side of the monitor). Secondly, it is not at all difficult for us to be extremely frank with strangers (“the effect of a random fellow traveler”), while we often deliberately protect our family and friends from “extra” information that could cause them anxiety or pain. And what should parents whose children hang out on social networks for days, how to tear their children away from the monitor, what to offer in return for such exciting communication? The first step is to realize that this problem exists in your family and that it must be solved together. As a rule, in the stories of such families there is experience of dependent conditions (cases of alcohol or drug addiction, gambling addiction, etc. are not uncommon in previous generations), and there is also invaluable experience in resolving these problems. Have patience and resources. Significant people for a teenager can become a resource, communication with whom remains valuable for him. Return to the family the institution of family traditions, which was so mercilessly lost and which has always made our house a home, filling it with family happiness and comfort, turning it into a psychological refuge for all family members, young and old. Take a step towards your child»