Adolescent addiction to online content

[Anchor]

Children who are so immersed in the world of games that they skip sleep and meals, does this apply to your home?

If you think it's just a phase of adolescence, it could lead to devastating consequences for your child's brain.

The mental health of teenagers is being bruised by addictive digital content, and reporter Song Hyunguk has looked into this.

[Report]

High school senior Kim is engrossed in an online game.

[Kim○○/High School Senior/Voice Altered: "On weekends, I think I play for about 8 hours a day, and on weekdays, about 4 to 5 hours."]

When Kim is not gaming, he is tempted by social media, especially short-form content.

[Kim○○/Voice Altered: "About 2 hours just flies by, and sometimes I can easily spend 5 hours a day. (Even though you think you should stop, it’s hard to, right?) It’s so addictive that I keep scrolling and can’t stop."]

Kim is currently experiencing stress disorders and ADHD.

[Kim's Mother/Voice Altered: "I can't stop him. He can't even eat in the dining room. Ultimately, the house, his own room, becomes a PC cafe."]

Addictive digital content takes away 'sleep' from teenagers and then gradually robs them of important aspects of life.

[Bae Seung-min/Professor of Psychiatry at Gachon University Gil Medical Center: "Watching such content worsens the quality of sleep, and shortened sleep time reduces the time for brain recovery, leading to accumulated stress, lack of concentration, and increased depression and anxiety. All these are indirect effects that tend to occur together."]

During adolescence, the brain areas responsible for planning and self-control are primarily developing. Addiction or sleep disorders during this period can hinder proper brain growth, potentially causing long-term negative effects throughout life.

An analysis of data from the past decade revealed that mental health-related chronic conditions among adolescents were overwhelmingly high, with the rates of depression, anxiety disorders, and stress disorders increasing rapidly, rising 3.5 times compared to ten years ago.

The main factors harming the mental health of adolescents include digital content, academic stress, family issues, and friendships.

If symptoms are present but are overlooked with the thought that "it will get better as they grow," treatment becomes even more difficult.

[Bae Seung-min/Professor of Psychiatry at Gachon University Gil Medical Center: "There are cases where people think it's just the new semester syndrome, that it's stress from starting a new school year, or that it's a problem with friends or something temporary. However, during adolescence, significant abnormalities that disrupt daily life do not occur. It’s worth considering whether there might be a deeper, underlying issue at play. I hope you take a moment to check on this carefully."]

Experts emphasize that if adolescents show sudden changes in eating, sleeping, or emotional expression in their daily lives, mental health issues should be suspected, and they should increase exercise and face-to-face activities.

This is KBS News, Song Hyunguk.