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our reporter tan lun reports from beijing

shen jie, professor and doctoral supervisor at the school of social sciences and ethnic studies of the university of chinese academy of social sciences, pointed out that since the popularization of the internet, internet addiction has always been a topic of great concern to the whole society. the academic community, the media and all sectors of society are discussing how to deal with the challenge of youth internet addiction. from a historical perspective, whenever a new technology emerges, society often has two opposing attitudes: one regards it as a "flood beast" and is full of pessimism; the other believes that the problem will naturally disappear over time, which can be described as blind optimism. both extreme attitudes are undesirable.

shen jie pointed out that there is no universally recognized standard in the academic community for the definition of "addiction" and "internet addiction". however, the adult society tends to regard internet addiction as a toxin, believing that it will cause serious harm to the physical and mental health of young people. however, shen jie pointed out that from a broader perspective, a certain degree of "addiction" may not be entirely negative.

"sometimes, interest in something is an important source and motivation for our in-depth research, passion, and even invention. people who have made outstanding contributions in their favorite fields must be very addicted." shen jie said that this addiction is actually positive and can stimulate children's strong interest in things and even become the motivation for some inventions. therefore, in his opinion, the key is how to guide young people to transform this "addiction" into a positive motivation, rather than letting it affect their normal life and social relationships.

at the same time, regarding internet addiction, shen jie also cited a number of survey reports, pointing out that the current number of underage internet users in china is close to 200 million, and some survey results show that about 10% have internet addiction problems to varying degrees, which is about 20 million people. however, in shen jie's view, the existing survey methods, measurement tools and evaluation standards all have some limitations, so the accuracy and precision of the results may be problematic. in addition, he pointed out that the existing data does not distinguish between mild, moderate and severe addicts, nor does it clearly distinguish the degree of addiction of minors of different age groups.

shen jie believes that many educators often adopt a simple and crude approach when facing children's internet addiction problems, which is not scientific. if teenagers really need help, professional intervention agencies should provide more humanistic care and professional support instead of simply isolating children from the internet for a period of time.

when talking about how to deal with internet addiction, shen jie particularly emphasized the cultivation of autonomy and self-determination. he believes that the autonomy of young people is the key to solving the problem of internet addiction. through education and socialization, young people can develop the ability to make independent decisions, and the improvement of this ability will help them better regulate their internet use behavior.

during the analysis, shen jie introduced that the so-called "generation z" refers to the generation born after 1995, also known as the "natives" of the internet era, who have lived in an online environment since childhood. compared with previous generations, the "generation z" has shown stronger adaptability and immunity when facing the internet. therefore, shen jie believes that the autonomy and self-determination of this generation is the best "prescription" to relieve internet addiction.

he further pointed out that the root cause of internet addiction is not the internet itself, but whether society can provide teenagers with enough rich and meaningful real-life content. if real-world activities are attractive enough to teenagers, they will naturally not indulge in the virtual world. in addition, the content of the online environment should also be consistent with the values ​​of the real world. if the internet is full of unspeakable content, the appeal of the internet will eventually weaken, and it may even be replaced by other forms of entertainment or education.

in addition, shen jie also pointed out that the younger generation usually has an advantage over the older generation in terms of technology mastery, and this phenomenon of "intergenerational cultural feedback" is particularly evident in the internet field. for example, many adults are often not as proficient as teenagers in using electronic devices, and this phenomenon reflects the talent and advantages of the younger generation in the field of network technology.

finally, shen jie emphasized that the internet is a product of human technological progress, and we should promote the autonomy of young people, illuminate the "dark side" of the internet, and help them find a positive direction in the online world. only in this way can the problem of internet addiction be effectively solved.