In this process, complaints about bullying in the virtual world, especially online games, have increased. Expert Psychologist Samet Çoban evaluated to our newspaper the issue of cyber bullying that children are exposed to.
The changes that technological developments include in our lives day by day increase the dangers of the virtual world.
Bullying, which has become the most important threat in the virtual world that affects child and adolescent development, is becoming increasingly common in online games and social media.
Complaints about cyberbullying, which negatively affects our future generations, revealed the dimensions of the threats of the virtual world.
Experts state that children and adolescents are exposed to acts such as verbal violence, humiliation and mockery in social media and online games.
Specialist Psychologist Samet Çoban, who conducts research in areas such as game addiction, child development and adolescent psychology, which adversely affects child and adolescent development, made special statements to the Milli Gazete on cyber bullying.
"ONLINE GAMES AFFECT OUR CHILDREN'S SOCIALIZATION"
Specialist Psychologist Samet Çoban drew attention to the relationship between cyberbullying and game addiction.
"Although the game has many benefits for children, today's playgrounds have shifted from the real field to virtual platforms in parallel with technology. In real life, children began to spend a long time in front of the screen rather than on the field. Although there are many types of games on the computer, war games or more offensive style games seem to appeal to a significant audience. Although it is a situation that feeds violence and peer bullying, the presence of such broadcasts and images in the media is reflected in the behavior of children," Çoban said.
"CONTROLLED FOLLOW-UP SHOULD BE APPLIED INSTEAD OF PROHIBITING"
Touching on the measures that can be taken against peer bullying, "So, what should be done in the general framework for the solution? First of all, it is very important to refer to a realistic time frame regarding the child's computer usage time before the game genre. Using the computer for more than 1.5 hours a day negatively affects the academic, social and emotional development of the child. The total time spent on color screens is important here. Again, while choosing the game, their preferences should be respected, but on the other hand, the child should be accompanied or observed during the game. We should not prefer prohibitions in such situations. Prohibitions can increase the child's curiosity more, and at this point, controlled follow-up is important for us. As a result, if the child does not exceed the daily usage period and does not reflect the aggressive behaviors to the environment, he can play games. In addition, if the duration of computer use exceeds the limits we have specified, if the child's behavior is observed negatively from the environment, then it is useful to get professional support," Çoban added.