Teens Dancing Away Internet Addiction

Out of all the age groups, teenagers are the most susceptible to being addicted to the Internet.   With all the mobile devices easily available today, from smart phones to tablets and hot spots for Wi-Fi; teenagers can access the Web any time and any place they wish.   In South Korea or Hong Kong, it is not unusual to see teenagers with mobile devices in their hands walking down the street or during school.    Being connected to the Internet for that length of time can be damaging to a teenagers brain.  Emotions and judgment are especially affected when a teenager becomes an addict.  There are many different treatments for this type of addiction in teens.

Dance therapy is a form of psychotherapeutic treatment in which the addict boosts their emotions and awareness of their body.  By listening to the music and feeling the rhythm, people who suffer from Internet addiction are able to work on opening their posture and creating more fluid shapes with their bodies.  According to Zhang, a therapist at Inspirees in the Chaoyang district in China, dance therapy “works on the patient’s inner-self rather than projecting external form”, which has a dual purpose of building confidence and self-esteem.  This is particularly important for teens because a majority of the teens are online gamers which affect their school work and possibly part time jobs.  One participant of dance therapy was a seventeen year old boy who was addicted to playing online games because “he felt like a real man when playing internet games, killing bad people by playing the role of the hero.”   After a few sessions of therapy, the teenager’s mother noticed a dramatic difference in his behavior.  The addict was spending less time online and his grades had improved along with his behavior which was calmer.  The music fills the repetitious movements people may get from playing online games without the chance of becoming addicted to the Internet.   This is important for teens because of the age where the treatment could be easier compared to later in life when there is more to think about such as a job, family and providing shelter.

Source:  ALDANE, JACK. “Dance your addiction away.” Global Times 08 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2013