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CYBERTHREATS TO SECURITY OF TEENAGERS // Pedagogical Review. 2017. Issue 3 (17). P. 99-107

Mass interest of schoolchildren in various technical novelties (tablets, smartphones, pocket digital players) that have become widely available, and as well as computer, that gives opportunity of unlimited access to the Network causes concern and have negative effect on the emotional and volitional, communicative and motivational spheres of teenagers’ identity. Cyberthreats of communicative character present real danger for teenagers – Internet users due to the growing social role of virtual communication. The most common threats include the use of confidential information for criminal purposes, anonymous threats, insults or blackmail during message exchange on forums, chats, in social networks, via e-mail and mobile devices (Cyber-Mobbing, trolling, flaming), creation and placement of videos with posts scenes of violence (Happy Slaping) on popular portals. Such actions may lead to serious mental problems in adolescents. The main critical directions of functioning of the Internet and their influence on a mental state, life and health of teenagers are defined. It is shown that in formation of deviant behavior of teenagers the Internet plays a significant role. The signs of a new type of non-chemical dependence – cyberaddiction, its consequences, the ways of prevention are described, the actions necessary for the fight against this dependence among teenagers are listed. The kinds of cyberactivity most of which will likely lead to formation of computer dependence are specified.

Keywords: teenagers, computer dependence, cybersuicide, cyber-mobbing, violations of emotional and cognitive properties of the personality, functional violations of health

EFFECT OF CYBERADDICTION ON THE ADOLESCENTS’ ATTENTION CHARACTERISTICS // Pedagogical Review. 2018. Issue 2 (20). P. 106-112

New technologies actively invade not only the lives of adults, but also the lives of adolescents. The Internet for teenagers today is a free space for opportunities to achieve their goals and meet various needs. At the same time, the Internet can carry a danger to the physical and mental health of schoolchildren, and even for their lives. Currently, the scientific community is actively discussing a new psychological phenomenon cyberaddiction (synonyms: Internet addiction, computer addiction). The article examines the relationship between Internet addiction and cognitive personality. In this study, the phenomenon of cyberaddiction (computer dependence) in schoolchildren was studied, the relationship between this type of addiction and the cognitive characteristics of the adolescent personality was determined, and recommendations for preventing this type of dependence were developed. Based on the use of a set of techniques, including a test for cyberaddiction of T. A. Nikitina, A. Yu. Egorova and the proof-of-concept test of Toulouse-Pieron, quantitative results were obtained to reveal the relationship between the level of cyberaddiction and cognitive properties (concentration of attention, speed of processing information) of adolescents. The study showed that adolescents with a predisposition to Internet addiction are characterized by a slowing down of the processing speed of information and a violation of memory functions in comparison with a group in which there is no computer dependence.

Keywords: adolescents, cyberaddiction, computer addiction, cognitive properties, quality of voluntary attention, concentration of attention, speed of information processing