Prevention of Teenager's Internet Addiction: Pilot Program

Abstract

The relevance of the problem is caused by the rapid development of Internet-addiction of modern teenagers and young people as a form of addictive behavior. Necessity to start an earlier preventive work with children is recognized in the scientific and professional community as an important socio-pedagogical problem. The aim of the research is to develop and test a pilot program to prevent teenagers’ Internet addiction. The authors present a model of psycho-pedagogical prevention of Internet-addiction for 10-15 year old pupils in school and family, as well as the results of the pilot program. A model of preventive work with children and parents, which includes target, content, technological and resultative components is theoretically developed and experimentally implemented. It is proved that the work of school teachers and psychologists on prevention of Internet-addiction should be carried out both with children and their parents on a particular program. This model was the basis for a pilot program aimed at: a) primary psychological and pedagogical prevention of internet-addiction of children; b) providing psychological and pedagogical assistance to parents in solving this problem.