July 18, 2010. According to the Foundation “Interactive Generations,” children and teenagers between ages 10 and 18 spend 30 hours per week on video games, Internet, television, cell phones and mp3 devices.
Jesús de Juan
Expert, Interactive Generations
“There were people who were surprised that it was so long and would say, 'This is impossible, it could not have been that long.' What happens is that the screen is a portable screen, and they can carry it in their pocket.”
Do not be fooled by these statistics. For example, although the use of video games is at 3 hours per week, it is not spread out among the days.
Jesús de Juan
Expert, Interactive Generations
“Usually a child won't play a video game for several weeks, and one week when he gets a video game as a gift he plays 18 hours that weekend. The average use can be three hours but in practice, no.”
In contrast, every time they watch less television. While the use of television in Europe is at 27 hours per week for adults, with teenagers it is only at 16 hours.
They spend more of their time on the Internet. Parents are not concerned with how much time they spend, but especially with the content their children receive. The main dangerous one is pornography, but it is not the only one.
Jesús de Juan
Expert, Interactive Generations
“For example, it has been two or three years that in England, two news stories, unrelated to each other, of one boy and a girl of 8 and 10 years of age who entered into an online chat room that promoted suicide. The parents found them the next day, hanged.”
The world of new technology is a changing environment. It is necessary that parents understand it to teach their children to make adequate use of what this technological world offers.
Maybe it's enough to play with them. Join them and also suggest alternative activities.
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