Janet warns on digital addiction

Education and Sports minister Janet Museveni has cautioned children and young people against gadget and social media addiction.

Ms Museveni, who is also the First Lady, expressed concern over the impact of social networks on young people, who spend long periods of time online. 

The First Lady made the remarks on Twitter, saying addiction impacts negatively on users’ mental health.

“The problem of social media or digital addiction is relatively new, but it has really reached all over the world. It has been called the modern day addictive drug – like tobacco or alcohol,” she tweeted.

She added: “It leads to poor school performance, breakdown of family communication and delinquent behaviours. Studies show that, youth worldwide spend an average of seven hours every day online.” 

This comes at a time when Internet platforms are being fronted by the Education ministry to ensure continued learning after schools were closed to curb the spread of Covid-19. 

Ms Museveni said too much use — especially of social media — could impact the general functioning of young people.

She said: “As you, my young friends, devote all your time on…social media platforms, it is very easy for your academic work to suffer. As parents spend lots of time on the same platforms, communication in families breaks down and before you know it, family members are living as strangers under the same roof.”

According to the American National Centre for Biotechnology Information, Internet addiction is characterised by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behaviours regarding computer use and Internet access that lead to impairment or distress.

Experts have linked the addiction to excessive need for dopamine, a feel-good hormone that the brain seeks to balance by forcing the user to return to the source.

Ms Museveni said young people must take deliberate steps to break the habit that scientists have linked to mental health issues like anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies. 

She urged young people to acknowledge that they have a problem and be disciplined

“Bring your addiction under control by putting screen or app timer lock after a set time. This can be done as a family where the desired time is set, and the app locker is on until the next day. If your goal is 60 minutes, then set it for those minutes and give the password to someone else in the family who will keep you accountable. This has helped many to monitor and break their addictions,” she said.

Mr David Kavuma, a psychologist with Mildmay Uganda, said the trend has been worsened by the pandemic with young people now exposed to gadgets with little or no guidance/regulation.

In a bid to curb the addiction, China recently announced that minors can only play video games for an hour on Fridays, weekends and holidays, and are banned from playing during the school week.

The Chinese government plans to enforce the ban by requiring minors to register to games with their real names.

Background

Internet addiction was first identified in the US by Dr Kimberly Young in a 1996 publication titled “Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Disorder.” 

A 2021 study titled “Internet Addiction in Africa: A Study of Namibian and Ugandan College Students” found that while easy access to reliable information technologies has enhanced personal performance globally, compulsive and excessive technology use is also on the rise due to increasing dependence on information technologies. 

One of the study’s findings warns that Internet addiction has “the potential to negatively affect one’s effectiveness, health, happiness, and relationships.”

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