Last week, when Kosovo Police informed citizens about the danger that an online game could cause, most Kosovar citizens — especially those who work outside the home — were not aware of the fact that their children could play this dangerous game.
According to Kosovo Police, on June16, 2016, after the first reports of “The Blue Whale Game” in Kosovo, six cases of children who tried to play this game were recorded. But according to police, there might be other unreported cases. Thanks to the media, who published the story of a girl from Gjirokastra (Albania), who was saved at the last moment, a very important message for parents and children was sent.
“The Blue Whale Game” is a game that is created online and is shared through social networks. Those who decide to play it must finish different kinds of tasks: watch horror movies, not sleep for several nights, or harm their body by scratching a whale into their skin, until the final level, when the players are asked to commit suicide in order to win the game.
Now, more than 130 suicide cases have been registered in Russia alone. This is an illustration of how prevalent this game is, and the risk that it poses.
This shows that the internet, social networks, and games, despite offering advantages, can become an addiction. It can also become a danger, specifically for children.
Naim Telaku, a psychologist at the Psychological Clinic “Uni” in Prishtina, says that children`s exposure to violent content makes them more aggressive.
“This content increases children’s aggression in the cognitive and emotional aspects. Of course, these behaviors start with social attraction and then regroupings in bands, up to criminal acts, in extreme cases,” he emphasizes.
According to Telaku, another danger for the minors is also the fact that around 80% of all internet content is pornographic.
According to a 2014 study by “Save the Children” and the Center for Advanced Studies FIT, in which 1,150 Kosovar children ages 9-16 years old participated, results showed that 41% of the surveyed admitted to having watched pornographic content, and 28% of them have experienced verbal violence through the internet.
Adelina Avdiu, mother of two young children, says that she tries to control her four year-old son when he`s using the phone.
“I allow him to use the phone, but I constantly check what he`s doing. I don`t allow him to watch scary things, since it happened previously that my child was scared at night,” she says.
Fourteen-year-old Era Qerimi says that she uses the internet up to five hours a day.
“I use the internet because of social networks, but I also use it to listen to music and watch movies. As for the social networks, I use Instagram up to two hours per day, whereas Facebook and Snapchat less,” she adds.
Mufail Sylejmani, a Math teacher at “Thimi Mitko” primary school in Gjilan, thinks that the increased use of social networks has a more negative impact than positive. He also thinks that it is affecting the learning process as well.
“Prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools is the right decision, even though lately, it is being enforced less. This because the dynamic life has made the phone inevitable. However, I maintain that phones should be strictly prohibited in educational institutions and the time spent on social networks should be minimized,” he emphasizes.
In the 2014 report by “Save the Children” and the Center for Advanced Studies “FIT,” 93% of children in Kosovo use internet, and 84% of them have Facebook or Twitter accounts. This report shows that Kosovar children are more active on the internet than their peers in Bulgaria (54%), Romania (46%), or Turkey (49%). What is interesting is that 35% of Kosovar children declared that they feel very safe when using the internet, but 26% declared the opposite.
According to the Strategic Plan for the Protection of Children from Internet Risks, published in 2015 by the Office of the Prime Minister, Kosovo has specific laws against Cybernetic Crimes. The police and the judiciary have been engaged in protecting children on the internet. The Regulatory Authority of Electronic and Postal Communications is also involved.
Hamide Latifaj, a pedagogue in Prishtina, says that as a consequence of internet overuse, children can also develop health issues.
“Children usually have problems with back muscle frailty, which raises the number of thoracic and spinal cord deformities, neck pains, and then comes obesity, in other words, becoming fat. Also, the parents who are busy working, and those who have businesses, are not very dedicated to their children. They should be the initiators to do outdoor activities together,” Latifaj says.
The psychologist Telaku also asserts that internet usage, specifically by children, can cause addiction.
“Internet addiction is the condition in which the lack of internet access causes physiologic and psychic distress, which means the feelings of irritation, frustration and anxiety increase. This addiction, as any other addiction, is a disorder in itself. In this case, it is an anxiety disorder,” he says.
Arbresha Berisha
