Dr. Yunus Emre Yıldırım, Deputy Chief Physician of Adana Dr. Ekrem Tok Mental Health Hospital, said in a statement after the atrocity in Eskişehir that families should follow their children in the virtual world and be their shadows.
In Eskişehir, 18-year-old A.K., influenced by the PUBG game he was playing, attacked citizens sitting in a tea garden in the area with an axe and a knife. A.K., who wore a steel vest and helmet and hid his face with a mask, injured 5 people sitting in the tea shop in the area with a knife. The suspect was caught in a chase after the police officer on duty of Tepebaşı District Police Department realized the incident.
Virtual addiction revealed
With the atrocity committed by A.K., the virtual addiction of children and young people was once again revealed. Dr. Yunus Emre Yıldırım, Deputy Chief Physician of Adana Dr. Ekrem Tok Mental Health Hospital and Chairman of YEŞİLAY Adana Branch, made statements to İhlas News Agency on the subject.
“Families should be the shadows of their children”
Explaining that families have a big role in virtual addiction, Dr. Yıldırım said, “Families should not leave their children alone in the virtual world. They should be their shadows. All digital usage areas should be checked, daily time tracking and frequency should be checked. All digital resources such as computers, phones and tablets should be examined one by one.”
“Paving the road to addiction”
Prof. Dr. Yunus Emre Yıldırım emphasized that game characters influence children and young people and said, “Digital games affect our behavior, thoughts and emotions through the characters in them. They may not be able to distinguish between game characters and real life characters, especially before the age of 6-7, when the abstract concept is not developed. The behaviors, in-game emotions and thoughts of these characters are considered internal by children. In addition, children are instilled with a digital sense of pleasure by winning and achieving success through competition. With this sense of pleasure, the motivation to want to play the game continuously is created and over time, the road to addiction is paved.”
“Alternative social activities should be increased”
Explaining that families should do alternative social activities instead of digital addiction, Dr. Yıldırım said, “Our age is the digital age and it is not possible to be isolated from it. But how to use it should be shaped. Creating a good school environment, good family communication and a good social peer environment can largely eliminate the causes. Vital activities that can be enjoyed and enjoyed as an alternative to the digital space should be created.”
“We are in a digital age”
Explaining the measures needed to get rid of digital addiction, Dr. Yıldırım said, “There are methods currently applied in many countries. These are such as slowing down the internet after a certain period of time, making the computer muscle and decreasing the pleasure in the game. We should also take these measures in our country. Families should shorten their children's screen time. It would be healthier to take measures instead of restricting the digital age and depriving them of it.”
On the other hand, Dr. Yunus Emre Yıldırım, Deputy Chief Physician of Dr. Ekrem Tok Mental Health Hospital and Chairman of YEŞİLAY Adana Branch, said that families can get more comprehensive information from 115 YEŞİLAY Information Line.
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