Youth receiving inadequate parental care more likely to be addicted to internet: survey

Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-19 23:00:20|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A survey by Chinese researchers has found that children who do not receive adequate care from their parents are more likely to become addicted to the internet.

Sun Hongyan, director of the childhood research institute at China Youth and Children Research Center (CYCRC), said that these children may experience underachievement at school, social isolation, and low self-esteem.

The findings were based on a survey Sun and her team conducted in six provincial-level regions, which polled over 6,000 children and parents, according to an article in the China Youth Daily.

"Our research shows that the more resistant parents are to the internet, the more addicted their children may become. Also, careless parents are more likely to see their children become addicted to the internet," the newspaper quoted Sun as saying.

Another survey conducted by the newspaper showed that 87.3 percent of 2,000 respondents believed juvenile internet addiction had become a widespread issue, and 93.2 percent believed special attention should be paid to this issue during the summer holidays.

Damage to school performance and eyesight are the two major negative impacts of juvenile internet addiction, according to the survey.

While 64.5 percent of the respondents attributed the easy accessibility of electronic devices to the issue, 60.8 percent blamed the lack of proper restrictions on online games.

"On one hand, online games cater for the psychological needs of youth with a sense of fulfillment and respect. On the other hand, regulation of online games is not sufficient and rational supervision by parents and society is still not fully established," said Guo Kaiyuan, director of the juvenile law institute at CYCRC.

"Recreation and education are both important aspects of juveniles' rights to development. Therefore, rather than simply prohibiting them, we should deal with the problem in a more rational manner, which may encompass efforts in various fields such as improved law, technology, and social awareness," Guo told the newspaper.

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