Literature Review
The internet is a fundamental part of the current society and has improved learning, communication, and socialization. The use of the internet has widely grown around the world, with over 2 billion users from all groups. Most children access the internet when they are about eight years (Vasilpa, 2013) , while also the number of internet use has increased in children to about 57% (Child Trends, 2018) . Children use the internet for various purposes, such as gam ing, blogging, messaging, among others. Continued internet use has been linked with some side effects on behavior, emotions, and communication (Ferrara et al., 2017) . According to Ferrara et al. (2017), the abse nce of guidance to the children using the internet may cause misuse, which may cause personality and mental problems to the users. Excessive internet use causes users to develop Internet Use Disorder, which negatively affects an individual’s daily routine (Cash, Rae, Steel, & Winkler, 2012) . I nternet addiction has become a hot and interesting research topic recently. Various research and studies have been carried out to create a better understanding of Internet Addiction Disorders. Considering the numerous adverse effects of internet addiction, particularly in children, finding a solution to prevent addiction has become the goal of many psychologists and experts.
Over the last few years, Internet Use Disorder (IUD) has caught the attention of most psychologists and mental health experts. Although numerous studies have been published regarding the causes and effects of internet addiction, there are only a few publications regarding prevention. According to Lee, Kim, & Lee (2019), IUD has raised a huge health concern in terms of psychological, developmental, and cognitive problems. Research should not be concentrated on gaming and pornography as most scientific research does but instead should concentrate all fronts of internet usage to identify the best preventive measures. Interventions and prevention of IUDs should be tailored along with individual, environmental, and agent factors. The most efficient methods that may be used to prevent internet addiction include monitoring internet usage and blocking and filtering harmful content (King et al., 2018; Lee, Kim, & Lee, 2019). Vondrácková & Gabrhelík (2016), using analysis of research in this topic, identified that internet addiction in children could be prevented through target groups, environmental interventions, and program characteristics. In target groups, the content available to children is controlled and filtered to prevent them from accessing harmful content. The behavior of internet usage can be controlled by limiting the internet, computer, and mobile phone usage. Environmental interventions can also be used to prevent internet addictions. Environmental intervention involves improving the quality of the physical environment that could encourage children to engage in outdoor activities (Vondrácková & Gabrhelík, 2016; Chung, Lee, & Lee, 2019). Having an exciting environment would help children have an alternative method for relieving stress rather than using the internet (Ferrara et al., 2017) . Ik-Soo, Chun-Ja, & Chul (2007), also found out that parental interventions through advice and counsel help prevent internet addiction. The study identified that counseling reduces internet addiction, improves a child's daily life, and reduces the internet usage time by the children. From all these articles, it is evident that internet addiction can be addressed before it worsens.
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Four of the articles reviewed were based on previous research on the prevention of internet addiction. They are based on peer-reviewed research and government reports. This makes the information in these articles highly reliable and credible. The information was obtained by searching scholarly databases for articles and reports regarding prevention measures for internet addiction in children. The articles were thoroughly evaluated, and the articles that met all the requirements were used. The major problem with these articles is the method of data collection. Although there are many publications regarding internet addiction, only a handful of research involving prevention measures for internet addiction in children are available. This means that there is less knowledge regarding this topic, which means that the information reliability is average at best. For the other two research by Ik-Soo, Chun-Ja, & Chul (2007) and Chung, Lee, & Lee (2019), actual research was carried out. In the first case, research was carried between parents and children where the parents provided advice to their children regarding internet addiction, where 280 families were involved. This research was successful; the single minor problem with it was generalizability. The small number of participants cannot reflect the behavior of Korea, and can not be used to represent the whole world population. The research by Chung, Lee, and Lee (2019) also used a sample of 1628 people to study students in Seoul using questionnaires. The use of questionnaires might have led to misleading information if the participants were not honest. For example, students may fail to disclose information about their family, academics, and internet usage, which misleads the researcher and the data collected.
The research methods used suited the researchers' needs. Carrying out research to determine different methods of preventing internet addiction in children would take much time and resources. Searching the information in the scholarly and government databases is cheap and easy for a researcher to uncover different studies regarding methods of preventing internet addiction. Searchin the database helped the researchers come up with a comprehensive list of techniques to prevent internet addiction. In addition, for the two research carried out, the researchers identified the target groups and tested the effects of a single preventive measure, which allowed them to get reliable information. The proper execution of these research designs enabled the researchers to obtain the information they aspired to get in their design.
The methodologies and research design followed all APA ethical principles. First, for all the research that involved previous literature, the owners of the work are credited. The study design has clearly mentioned on what articles the researchers were looking for and the number of articles they used. For example, Vondrácková & Gabrhelík (2016), mentioned all the articles used and indicated them on the bibliography list. In addition, the authors' contribution and funding organization are all mentioned in the research. For the two research that involved an actual study, the researchers had permission from parents and the ministry of education.
From the research, I have identified that practical research is better compared to content analysis. For my research, I will administer an online Internet Addiction questionnaire and analyze internet usage statistics in schools. Employing these methods provides first-hand information which has a high degree of accuracy and reliability. The data obtained from these methods shows the current trends for internet usage among children.
When carrying out any research, it is important to ensure that it aligns with the APA ethical principles. For this research, all confidential information about the participants will be kept confidential to promote their privacy and minimize any risks. In addition, the research will be based on transparency, where all the aims of the research will be provided. Before the research, the participants will acknowledge their interest in participating in the research through writing. If any participant feels they do not want to continue with the research, they will have the freedom to walk away.
Hypothesis: Counseling children regarding the effects of internet addiction reduces addiction and improves their daily life.
The formulated hypothesis has similarities with the articles reviewed. According to most articles, monitoring internet use, filtering content, counseling, and improving the quality of the environment plays a huge role in preventing internet addiction in children. For example, Ik-Soo, Chun-Ja, & Chul (2007) identified that counseling children regarding internet usage reduces addiction in children and improves their daily life. Vondrácková & Gabrhelík (2016), also confirmed all the three hypotheses are true.
Methods
Methodology
For this research, I will use the Internet Addiction Test to measure internet addiction in children. A questionnaire regarding internet addiction will be attached to obtain parent's feedback regarding the best ways to prevent addiction. The school internet traffic will be evaluated to determine commonly visited sites. The test will be in the form of an online survey, where interested participants will answer questions regarding their internet usage. This tool consists of demeanors and recurrent internet addiction indicators. The answers to the test will be rated on a Likert scale from 0-5. The rating from each question will be added to a cumulative sum and compared to and existing psychological scale. This is a quantitative method as it is not involved in opinions but based on a statistical analysis of the answers, although the opinions of the parents fall under qualitative methods. The research will involve students with internet access between 9-16 years. Advertisement of the survey will be done in a local school, and interested students will register for the test. A total of 150 students will be involved in the survey. The selection of the participants will be on a first comes, first-served basis. Before the test, the participants and their parents will sign a consent form to ensure that APA Ethical Principles are upheld.
Data Collection
The participants of the survey will be students between the ages of 9-16 years. The selection will be based on a first come first served, although there will be a gender balance, which will also depend on the number of male and female participants. In addition, the participants of the study are required to have no current mental disorder that may cause an obsession with the internet, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
For this research, the Internet Addiction Test will be used. The school internet traffic will also be monitored. In addition, the parents will fill a questionnaire regarding the solutions for internet addiction. The tool has 20 elements, which show obsessive internet use and has attributes like dependency and compulsion. The tool examines personal, social, and performance issues that may stem addiction. The questions in the test are randomized on a Likert scale, where 0 shows no addiction, and 5 indicates obsessive internet use. The test will be self-administered through an online form and will have 20 questions, whose answers will have a similar range of 0-5. The total score for the test will be 100, where high scores will show obsessive internet use hence addiction. A score of less than 25 will show normal internet usage, whereas a score between 26-49 will indicate little addiction, 50-75 shows average addiction, while a score higher than 75 will indicate addiction.
The data collected will identify the number of children addicted to the internet, the common sites that the children visit, and the methods proposed by parents to handle internet addiction. The hypotheses will be addressed by identifying the best approaches to reduce addiction using this information. The internet traffic will help identify content that should be filtered or blocked.
APA Ethical Principles
APA Ethical Principles are crucial in psychology research. I will apply several techniques to uphold ethical principles.
Benevolence and non-maleficence. In the research, I will conduct the research professionally with no intention of harming participants.
Fidelity and responsibility. I will conduct the research scientifically with professionalism, accountability, and trust.
Integrity. The research will be based on integrity and honesty. The research will be based on informed consent.
Respect and dignity. All participants in the research will be respected, and their dignity upheld. All personal and confidential information will be protected.
Discussion
Internet addiction is a hot topic recently. With the many cases of internet addiction, particularly in children, various studies have been carried out to determine its causes, effects, and preventions. Various authors have tried to explain the prevention techniques for addiction in children. The authors have identified that monitoring internet usage, improving the environment, providing counseling to children, and filtering/blocking content plays a huge role in preventing internet addiction in children, which is my research topic. In addition, the authors have emphasized the negative impacts of improper internet usage in children, and therefore the more need to protect them from being damaged by the internet.
The issue of internet addiction and prevention is not well researched, and people have less knowledge about it. To ensure that my audience understands how critical this issue is, I would use a presentation for a face to face session and later distribute the research through the school website and article publications to ensure that the maximum number of people get the research paper. The paper would take different styles depending on the audience. During the presentation, the paper would be in PowerPoint form, while in other print media, it would be in the form of a research paper.
As earlier mentioned, the topic of internet addiction and its prevention has not been thoroughly researched. The available information is average at best, which is not good enough considering the threats posed by internet addiction. It is hijacking the future of children! Research institutions should allocate more resources and time to increase understanding regarding the prevention of internet addiction and develop better ways to treat addicted children. Researchers should examine the relationship between internet addiction and decline social activities and conditions like depression and low self-esteem.
References
Cash, H., Rae, D. R., Steel, H. A., & Winkler, A. (2012). Internet Addiction: A Brief Summary of Research and Practice. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 8 (4), 2929-298. doi:10.2174/157340012803520513
Child Trends . (2018, December 13). Retrieved from Child Trends Website: https://www.childtrends.org/indicators/home-computer-access
Chung, S., Lee, J., & Lee, K. H. (2019). Personal Factors, Internet Characteristics, and Environmental Factors Contributing to Adolescent Internet Addiction: A Public Health Perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (23). doi:10.3390/ijerph16234635
Ferrara, P., Corsello, G., Ianniello, F., Sbordone, A., Ehrich, J., Giardino, I., & Pettoello-Mantovani, M. (2017). Internet Addiction: Starting the Debate on Health and Well-Being of Children Overexposed to Digital Media. The Journal of Pediatrics , 280-281.
Ik-Soo, O., Chun-Ja, K., & Chul, K. (2007). The effects of a parent-child counseling program on preventing elementary children's internet addiction. Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education , 307-316.
King, D. L., Delfabbor, P. H., Doh, Y. Y., Wu, Y. S., J., K. D., Pallesen, S., . . . Carragher, N. S. (2018). Policy and Prevention Approaches for Disordered and Hazardous Gaming and Internet Use: an International Perspective. Preventive Science, 19 (2), 233-249. doi:10.1007/s11121-017-0813-1
Lee, S., Kim, M., & Lee, H. H. (2019). Prevention Strategies and Interventions for Internet Use Disorders Due to Addictive Behaviors Based on an Integrative Conceptual Model. Current Addiction Reports , 303-312.
Vasilpa. (2013, December 5). Eurostat . Retrieved from Eurostat Website: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Archive:Internet_use_statistics_-_individuals&oldid=163455
VONDRÁCKOVÁ, P., & GABRHELÍK, R. (2016). Prevention of Internet addiction: A systematic review. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5 (4), 568-579. doi:10.1556/2006.5.2016.085
