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Emotional Attachment to Internet Starts Early: Study
Feb 14, 2012 (KDAF-TV - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
DALLAS, Texas -- Are your kids too emotionally dependent and connected to the internet?
A new study suggests they just very well may be. Young children learn how to navigate their way around the web very young these days. And you may be surprised to learn just how deep their attachment can be.
Dallas mom, Alice Linker, says her three year old twins love to be online.
"They are pretty attached," said parent Alice Linker.
"If they're in the kitchen and they see the iPad sitting up on the kitchen counter, there will be tears if they don't have it," she said.
Plano psychologist, Dr. Susan Fletcher agrees with a new U.K. study that says 49 percent of kids under 12 would feel sad without internet access. It also said 1 in 5 would have feelings of loneliness.
"I think it's really possible that kids do have a lot of sad feelings, if they're not able to be online," said Psychologist Dr. Susan Fletcher, PhD.
In fact, the study says two year olds are most likely to dominate the family iPad.
"I do think they can be obsessed," said Fletcher.
Fletcher says parents should focus on regulating use. Alice Linker says that's exactly what she tries to do.
"The goal is that they know they can only do the iPad a certain times on certain day," she said.
It's a battle parenting experts witness all the time.
"At dinner is your child saying where's the iPhone? Where's the iPad? At the playground are they saying I want to play a game. Where's your phone? I want to play a game," said Kidville Owner Amy Zicarelli.
Dr. Fletcher says an early attachment can come with consequences.
"If a child is relying too much on the internet, or iPads, or iPhones as their method of communication or gathering data, I believe there's going to be some developmental delays, because they won't know how to get it any other way," said Psychologist Dr. Susan Fletcher, PhD.
It's something Fletcher says parents shouldn't ignore.
"It's hard to do, it's hard," said Linker.
Dr. Fletcher says with kids around age two, a feeling of sadness may just be normal behavior when something is taken away. She says parents should be careful not to use the internet as a babysitter to lessen the likeliness of a strong emotional attachment.
___ (c)2012 KDAF-TV (Dallas) Visit KDAF-TV (Dallas) at www.the33tv.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
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