In our country, the boom in the sale of smartphones and tablets began around 2010, so children 14 years old and younger, in the literal sense of the word, grew up with a gadget in their hands. This technological revolution significantly affected children, parents and parenting methods. The terms “gadgetomania” or “Internet addiction” appeared. In psychology and psychiatry, Internet addiction is considered a pathology related to non-chemical addictions (dependence) with the manifestation of all psychophysiological changes in behavior, expressed discomfort when it is impossible to access a gadget and the Internet. The problem is increasing in scale every year and is causing concern at the state level: in 2023, the Law on Education introduced a clause banning the use of telephone gadgets during school hours. A more vulnerable category of children, of course, are teenagers, whose bodies are in the stage of active hormonal changes. In what types can Internet addiction manifest itself? addiction can manifest itself in the form of: Computer addiction - an obsessive desire to play computer games. Cybersexual addiction - a passion for watching pornographic materials, participating in private conversations “for adults”, which may be accompanied by the exchange of intimate photographs, demonstration of sexual deviations. Cyber ​​relationships - constant communication in instant messengers and social networks, which replace offline communication with peers or loved ones. Information greed - uncritical absorption of information from various web resources, which may be accompanied by a feeling of “lost opportunities” if a teenager is deprived of the opportunity to use the Internet. Network involvement - participation in online gambling and auctions , the desire to constantly make purchases in online stores, spending many hours selecting and putting “in the cart” goods that the teenager does not even intend to buy. How to determine if your child has Internet addiction? Your child is susceptible to Internet addiction if he exhibits :1) complete concentration on virtual content (an Internet game, a social network, an information resource), so to speak, to the point of self-forgetfulness, to the point of complete disconnection from one’s real needs and tasks; 2) manifestation of anxiety, increased irritability/aggression, or, on the contrary, depression, in case of termination of access to a gadget/Internet; 3) a gradual increase in time spent on Internet resources not related to solving real problems (completing school assignments). At the same time, the child hides from his parents the amount of real time spent with the gadget; 4) inability to independently stop using the gadget or reduce its duration; 5) gradual abandonment of other activities and loss of interest in offline hobbies; 6) “pain relief” effect during care into the virtual world - weakening of negative emotions (resentment, guilt, anxiety, etc.) caused by relationships in reality; 7) decreased functionality in work, study or real communications. Do digital technologies prevent children from developing or, on the contrary, help in development? Digital technologies neither good nor bad. It all depends on how you use it. If, instead of thinking and reasoning, a child immediately rushes to “Google”, then this limits his development. And if he has the task of learning something, getting to the bottom of it and looking for answers on the Internet, then this is useful. Children are developing now in conditions full and open access to information. The situation is exactly the opposite of the one in which, for example, our generation grew up. But access to information does not guarantee the development of the skill of searching and processing information. Just the opposite, the absence of an information deficit, unfortunately, does not develop, but can block search activity. What do modern children of the 21st century, the era of digital technology, lack? Firstly, information hygiene. That is, the ability to select information “to suit your tasks” and ignore other information. At)