Dubai: Too much time spent on the internet can impact a child's creativity, imagination, intuitiveness and the development of cognitive skills, according to a Dubai-based clinical and forensic psychologist.
While Dr Raymond H. Hamden says that there is nothing inherently wrong with 'electronic media', problems arise when it takes away from a child's developmental process and impacts social interaction.
With graphic violence and sexually gratuitous material available to internet users at the click of a button, children's internet use should be monitored by parents, he said.
"Children need to be monitored, by their parents, as... children find that they are exposed to things that are questionable," he said.
However, it is not just extreme cases of inappropriate content that is of concern, age inappropriate content should also be monitored, according to Dr Hamden.
"For example, seven-year-old children don't need to be talking about pregnancy or relationship issues - these things can be learned intellectually, but are not correct for their age to be able to handle emotionally and socially. Parents need to be prepared to block and use appropriate software, to protect their children." A link can also be drawn between children with behavioural problems and excessive internet usage, because of the propensity for children who sit in front of a computer for extended periods to become irritable and easily agitated, Dr Hamden told Gulf News.
In extreme cases, children can exhibit signs of depression in the absence of electronic media. So just how much constitutes too much time on the internet? According to Dr Hamden, more than one hour a day on the computer or watching television is inadvisable and children should be encouraged to also take part in creative activities, particularly during the summer holidays.
With children susceptible to exposure to inappropriate content on the internet, Dr Hamden says that parents should maintain dialogue with their children to educate them about safety.
"Parents' interaction, monitoring and control over what their children come across [on the internet] is very important and of essence."
