The main means of access for children and adolescents is the cell phone

If 20 years ago what attracted young people were TV programs, 15th birthday parties and DVD and MP3 players, today what attracts their attention is the internet. Whether through a computer, cell phone or tablet, children and teenagers are increasingly connected to the virtual space. Proof of this is that 93% of the Brazilian population aged 9 to 17 are internet users. The data comes from TIC Kids Online Brasil, an annual survey created to generate evidence on the use of the web by minors in the country.

The survey, which included a sample of 2,424 children and adolescents and an equal number of guardians, interviewed between March and August this year, revealed that among the youngest children, aged 9 to 10, internet use corresponds to 89%. Among older people, aged 16 to 17, this percentage jumps to 97%. In all classes, the main form of access is via cell phone, and the place where the majority accesses it is at home. School appears as a second option.

With regard to frequency, 24% of young people interviewed acknowledge using the internet excessively, as they have already tried to be less connected, but failed. A total of 22% found themselves browsing the web without really being interested in what they were seeing, while another 22% spent less time than they should with family, friends or doing homework because they spent too much time online.

Advertising man Daniel Branco, 49 years old, is the father of three children aged between 4 and 19. He says he tries his best to prevent young people from having access to the internet, because he sees more harm than good in using the internet. “In my opinion, the use is abusive and harmful. We avoided a lot and limited access and screen time until a certain age, and then we relaxed as our children grew older. […] The positive points involve socialization, which today depends almost exclusively on digital media and access to information”, he points out.

On the other hand, he sees that the same positive point also brings negative consequences, with regard to access to information from dubious sources. Still, he sees his children increasingly disconnected from social life outside of the screen. “It’s inevitable to compare it with my childhood and fall into the same old people’s saying that ‘it wasn’t like that back in my day’. The relationships were more personal, more affectionate and true. Self-esteem was greater, boredom was less, as was the tendency towards inaction and apathy”, he states.

Despite parents’ concern about their children’s internet usage time, psychologist Ingrid Nayan explains that the signs that access to the web is being harmful are when young people begin to show behavioral changes that are harmful to their own health.

“If the child or teenager is not sleeping well, is not eating properly, is not studying and is spending a lot of time playing games, it is likely that there is an addiction. When they stay in their own world, close themselves off and don’t want to talk, that’s also a warning sign”, he warns.

According to the survey, 15% of young people interviewed have stopped eating or sleeping because of the internet, and 16% have felt bad at some point because they are not connected. Parents who see this situation up close often impose limits on use because they already understand that they are facing a case of addiction. This was the case of administrative assistant Andressa Rodrigues, 35 years old, who almost a year ago introduced a change in the routine of her son, Évio Novaes, aged 10.

“During the week, he cannot use his cell phone. It is only allowed to be used for him to talk to someone on WhatsApp when he needs to. During the weekend, I try my best to enforce the two-hour limit, but there are adaptations. I set these limits because, on vacation, I realized that he was addicted to the point that it started to interfere with his sleep. I noticed that he couldn’t sleep properly, because he kept thinking about waking up to play”, he says.

Just like Andressa, day laborer Paulo Roberto Cavalcante, 54 years old, saw with concern the changes in behavior shown by his son Paulo Victor. He says that, since receiving a cell phone from his godfather, the boy spends at least eight hours a day online and shows little interest in other activities, so much so that he has even shown changes in his eating habits.

“The other day he asked me for a glass of milk and some bread with guava paste to have for breakfast, before going to school. When I gave the plate and glass, I came into the room believing everything was fine. When I went to his room to tell him it was time for him to go to school, I saw that he had only eaten half the bread and hadn’t touched the milk because he was distracted by his cell phone. This has happened frequently. Sometimes he doesn’t even eat,” he complains.

For cases like those shown above, psychologist Ingrid Nayan states that prohibiting use is justifiable to control the crisis, but, in general, parents should opt for dialogue and negotiation. “If you are going to ban it, the reason for the ban has to be explained. First of all, it is preferable to ask what they are doing on the internet, provide guidance on what should or should not be accessed, check what type of game they are playing and whether anyone is encouraging them to do something outside the virtual world. It’s easier to sit down and talk before adopting drastic measures”, he argues.

Although the frequency of web use bothers and concerns those responsible, the usage profile of children and adolescents shows that there is a predominance of searching for positive content. The TIC Kids Online Brasil survey even shows that 86% of young people interviewed used the internet to do school work and listen to music.

Entertainment and socialization are two of the main objectives of young people when accessing the network. Not surprisingly, 84% of them watch videos, programs, films or series virtually, 78% play online or offline, and 76% use their devices to access social networks and send instant messages.

There are also those who use cyberspace to study. This is the case of student Maria Eduarda Santana, 16 years old. “There are free courses and vast types of knowledge that I seek to improve my skills and help with my academic career. The internet can serve people in a very good way,” he says.

Diarist Paulo Roberto Cavalcante, who appears at the beginning of the report, does not disagree with this. Despite seeing signs of screen addiction on his son’s part, he emphasizes that he cannot deny the boy’s intellectual advancement after he started using the internet. “He is very curious on the internet, he researches a lot of different things, he discovered Buddhism and said he wants to be a Buddhist. What’s more, he doesn’t lower his head anymore. Even though he has few words, he does not obey without first trying to find out the reason for the order”, he concludes.