by Asta Katutė

Today digital technology, the internet and social media have become an indivisible part of the life of children as well as adults.

The ever-increasing use of digital technology by adolescents over the past decade reached a peak during the corona virus pandemic when even the educational process took place as distance learning on the internet. This made clear the negative influence too intense use of information technologies has on the physical and mental health of children.

The Lithuanian Health Ministry says there was increased depression and anxiety disorders during the pandemic and there was also a significant worsening of the emotional health of students in general. Dr. Giedrė Širvinskienė, the director of the Psychological Health Cathedral under the Social Health Faculty at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences spoke to us in depth on this topic.

Q.: What factors have a causal influence on the worsening emotional health of children? Is the problem the large amounts of time children spend on the internet? Are there other causes?

Dr. Širvinskienė: The pandemic really did bring many changes, the rhythm of life shifted, anxiety and uncertainty appeared, the operation of many educational facilities was restricted, distance learning took a long time, after-school activities and groups for children were also restricted or conducted via internet. These sorts of changes, being shut in at home, restrictions on socializing increase the risk of psychological health problems, increase cildren’s stress, anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. Children spent a lot of time at the computer studying, and spent their free time on the internet as well because of limited options. Excess problem internet usage is connected with worsening indicators of the psychological health of children, with depression, anxiety, hyperactivity and poorer learning. These can also be mutually reinforcing: excess internet use has consequences on emotional states, and children who experience depression and anxiety might tend to spend more time on the internet. This becomes a dangerous vicious circle. So while the internet is an inalienable part of people’s lives, it can also do harm, especially to children and adolescents. The harm can be done by spending too much time on the internet, but the content is not less significant, for example, about 90 percent of computer games involve violence. At the current time computer game disorders have been included in the ICD-11 edition of the International Classification of Diseases as a mental disorder. Many other problems arise from general internet use, including addiction to using the internet which is considered an addictive behavior similar to others, such as gambling.

Full interview in Lithuanian here.