In the Information Age, it is impossible to imagine life in society without the Internet, laptops, smartphones.

It is almost impossible to force Internet users to abandon it, so it is important to use gadgets rationally, comply with all requirements, and protect yourself from the development of such a disease as “virtual autism”.

Autism is a developmental disorder associated with brain dysfunction, limited patterns of behavior and activity. Virtual (digital) autism began to develop under the influence of multimedia, tablets and smartphones.

Excessive dependence on smartphones, the Internet, a sense of the need to constantly check social networks, inability to enter into social relations, lack of eye contact, delayed speech development, decreased communication skills, impaired critical thinking and a sense of loneliness are symptoms of virtual autism.

The human body receives various stimuli from the external environment (taste, touch, smell and others), transmits information to the central nervous system and allows it to adapt to the environment. According to researchers, children's brains do not fully develop in front of the screen, age-appropriate social skills do not develop. A certain part of the neurons ceases to participate in regular brain activity. Screen noise can cause negative emotions, and it can cause deviant-aggressive behavior in a child. Experts recommend completely limiting the access of children under two years of age to multimedia technologies, children 3-6 years of age should be allowed only an hour a day, and 6-13 years of age – up to two hours.

Children should be outdoors more often. It is necessary to track the time spent on digital life, set a limit on the daily use of apps.

It is also useful to spend time with a family conversation or reading books, to introduce the rule “Time without multimedia” in the family.

Communicate with your relatives, talk about business, life. Try to understand the problems and help, share your joys and experiences. Through self-improvement and self-control, you can achieve greater personal and professional maturity.

Mokhira Khalikova,

Director of the National Center for Training Pedagogues in New Methodologies, 

Doctor of Philosophy, Associate Professor. 

UzA