(Wisdom) is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her, (Proverbs 3:15)
Dear Spiritual Mom:

My child wants to play video games constantly. I’m afraid he might be addicted. How can I keep him from overdosing on the internet?


It’s amazing how fast technology changes. When our kids were school age, my husband ran a bulletin board system and access to the internet was non-existent. Today the amount of time kids, young children and teens, spend online is a great concern for many parents. In addition to dealing with overuse, there are many dangers that parents must be aware of such as pornography and online predators. Unfortunately, parents are not usually aware there is a problem until a child is seriously addicted.

Ask these questions to determine if your child has an internet problem or not.

• How long are the stretches of time your child spends online (for example, two to four hours)?

• Can your child easily stop and not become restless if not online?

• Have you noticed mood swings?

• Does your child have interest in other activities besides online ones?

• Does your child lie about the time spent on the internet? Does he try to cover it up?

• Is he having problem with school or with homework?

• Does your child have physical signs such as carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, headaches, back aches, skipping meals?

• Does your child prefer spending time on the computer over spending time with friends and family?

Finding a healthy balance
Since most kids will find a way to get online, and computers are an important part of our society, it would be unreasonable to do away with it completely. The key is to teach children not be mastered by the internet.

"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything,” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Here are a few things you can do:

• Pray with your child about using the Internet. Discuss the amount of time, type of activities, and schedules that are appropriate. Allow your child to make some of these decisions with your guidance.

• Once guidelines are set, keep them in place. Statistics show that kids who don’t have Internet rules spend 95 % more time online than kids who do. Examine your own habits. How much time do you spend online? Does your child see you choosing to chat with friends on Facebook over spending time with him?

• Keep the computer in an open part of the house, not in your child’s bedroom. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin, (1 John 1:7).

• Invest in software that restricts Internet use and logs the time spent on the computer and what it’s used for, and update regularly. Our family has used several different types. Ultimately you want to teach your child self control and accountability, but this is a safe guard.

• Find activities that you can do with your child or as a family, both online and off.

• If you feel your child has a deeper problem, seek professional help. 
  Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed, (Proverbs 15:22).

• Teach your child “the man who fears God will avoid all extremes, (Ecclesiastes 7:18). Instill a concern for to obey God. Ask, "Would God want you to spend three hours on the computer? What else could you do?"

• Most importantly, don’t fret. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil, (Psalm 37:8). Work through this your child, and use it to steer him to rely on God more.

How has your family dealt with Internet overuse? Leave a comment and share how your family overcomes this problem.

Resources: Web-Savvy Kids; Enough-is-Enough