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Show: May 31, 2009:
- Birth Defects Correlate with Pesticide Use
- Talk Therapy for Insomnia
- Transplant Counselor
- New Moms and Internet Addiction
- Book: A Brain Wider than the Sky
- Essay: The Association of Associated Associates
- View all topics for the week
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Checkup: New Moms and Internet Addiction
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The Internet is a great way to connect with people, swap pictures, and get information on just about anything. New moms are especially wired these days using the computer as a way to reach the outside world. This instant accessibility could lead to an unhealthy Internet addiction.
Jeremy Shere has more.
Being a new parent can be tough. The baby's crying, he won’t eat, he won’t sleep. You haven’t slept in days. And if you’re a stay at home mom or dad, then it’s pretty much just you, alone, trying to keep it together. So what do you do?
"It’s gonna sound like a lot more then it really is, well obviously facebook, and I have a blog and I use twitter. I actually have two blogs!"
That’s Erin Dunluvy, a young mom with two small kids. Like a lot of parents these days, she turns to the internet for advice, and to connect with people. But despite the two blogs and twitter and facebook, she’s actually pretty good about keeping her internet use in check. She says she only goes online at night, after the kids are asleep.
According to Jay Parker, co-founder of Internet and Computer Addiction Services, that’s OK.
"Now she says the baby is napping for 20 minutes or an hour. Okay, I’ll take this time to catch up on my email, check my Facebook, look for an a recipe for tonight or whatever. In fact she does it in that time; she’s not done it compulsively; there’s been no negative consequence; and it’s non-problematic behavior."
But Parker says he’s seeing more moms overusing the Internet in ways that aren’t healthy.
"But if she looks up and four hours has gone, she didn’t feed her kid, or do the laundry, or do whatever responsibility she has -- it’s going toward a slippery slope."
Internet addiction is real, Parker says, and new parents are vulnerable. If you’re a mom or dad who may be spending too much time online, counselors like Parker can help.
Additional Resources:
- Learn more about internet addiction and where to seek help.
- And still more info on Internet addiction.
