Addicted to the Internet? Look into the matter at the EDUKACJA trade fair

At the EDUKACJA trade fair we can check whether we are the Internet addicts as the trade fair visitors are offered diagnostic tests. Come to Targi Kielce from 28th to 30 March if you feel anxious about yourself or your child you can conduct a test.

- And this is not a marginal issue – says Marek Sochacki the manager of the Regional Division of the MONAR Association in Kielce – suffice to say that all the people who suspected the Internet addiction and visited our walk-in clinic and found that the worries were well-founded. The number of the Internet addicts is constantly increasing. We do not have statistic data here in Poland yet since this is quite a new problem in our country.

The problem however has been recognised and diagnosed all over the world. The Plymouth Safeguarding Children Board organisation (PSCB – a British council for children safety) has examined British children below the age of 5. It has turned out that as many as 72% kindergarten kids already have their personal profile at game services dedicated for kids. The children have also admitted to spending at least half an hour on line!

- The educational trade fair in Kielce has many objectives; verification of the Internet addiction level is one of them – explains the Targi Kielce President of Board Andrzej Mochoń – this year we have prepared over eighty training sessions, conferences as well as workshops attended by children, youth and teachers. The 500 participants of the National Head Teachers’ Forum will be discussing the problems of Polish education system quality. The National Superintendents Forum held simultaneously will bring together superintendents from all aver Poland.

This year’s edition of the trade fair and the head teachers’ forum are of exceptional, European character since they host members of the Commission for Education, Youth, Culture and Research (EDUC) the Committee of Regions as well as representatives of the twinning regions from the Republic of Finland, Hungary, the Republic of Ukraine and Russian Federation.

Already for the seventeenth time Targi Kielce is the venue for the EDUKACJA trade fair. This year’s edition has brought together 185 exhibitors. It is the first time we host foreign exhibitors – from Finland and Great Britain.

The symptoms of the Internet addiction:

• Attempts to control or to limit the time spent on line or in front of the computer screen
• False information about the amount of time devoted to the computer / on line
• Problems in other spheres of life (family, school, work, social life) which stem from the commuter / Internet use
• Engagement in the computer / the Internet activities your family and friends would not approve of
• Need to spend longer time in front of the computer / on line in order to attain required level of satisfaction or excitement
• Using the computer / the Internet as an escape from feelings
• Experiencing euphoric states and the sense of guilt as the result of a prolonged time spent in front of the computer / on the Internet
• Feeling of anxiety, insomnia, uneasiness, mood swings or depression when a computer / the Internet are not available as it has been planned before or when there is an interruption in the computer / the Internet use
• Preoccupation with new software purchases, computer accessories and tools
• Financial problems generated by abusive use of the computer / on the Internet (new equipment, software purchase, internet fees)