It’s scary but it’s apparently true.
A 4-year old iPad addict is getting treatment in the UK for her addiction to the device and it’s something experts are saying is on the rise.
The young girl in question has been admitted into a program for her obsession with the device. According to her parents, she plays the iPad for three to four hours a day and then freaks out when it’s taken away. It’s grown to the point where her tantrums and fits are so bad when removed from the device that her parents couldn’t calm her down so Mom and Dad felt they had no choice but to call for professional help.
For 16,000 pounds ($24,700 approximately) the parents have enrolled their child into a 28-day treatment program to a “digital detox” program in London, England. According to the creator of the program, psychologist Dr Richard Graham, the withdrawal symptoms young kids go through are similar to those of herion addicts and alcoholics.
“Children have access to the internet almost from birth now,” he told the media. “They see their parents playing on their mobile devices and they want to play too. It’s difficult, because having a device can also be very useful in terms of having a reward, having a pacifier. But if you don’t get the balance right it can be very dangerous… They can’t cope and become addicted, reacting with tantrums and uncontrollable behaviour when they are taken away.”
It’s a behavior Graham believes is growing and he thinks there are more 4-year old addicts in the world.
The solutions could be controlling the amount of time young children are on. Many parents limit the amount of time their youth and teens are on digital devices but tend to not use the same rules with their babies and toddlers. Perhaps things like the iPotty, which has a stand for an iPad for potty training, isn’t the greatest idea.
All in all, it’s more proof parenting kids and teens in the digital era needs a different set of rules that aren’t even developed yet. Or proof we all need to be hermits in the jungle to raise our kids with social values and a stable mental state. [ Source.]
