Digital+Health+and+Wellness

=Digital Health and Wellness=

toc Aim: To create a 'c-book' on what it means to be a digital citizen in the 21st century.
 * Use proper ergonomics
 * Avoid becoming addicted to the Internet or video games

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=Overview=

Digital Health & Wellness is keeping teenagers away from danger of physical and psychological harm. Many problems can be contributed to electronic devices. Teenagers need to be aware of the risks of digital predators that they may meet online. It is crucial that teenagers are informed of the hazards of digital life and how to keep healthy and safe.

As the world today has such a digital importance, and dependence on the internet is high, we need to make sure that people know and understand the physical and psychological damage and risks that can occur.

Without the thorough understanding of digital health and wellness and digital safety, you are under the major risk of being in danger. People today, especially teenagers, sometimes take for granted the privacy or risks that can be corrupted through the internet. Some children don't realize the dangers they face when innocently browsing the internet, or chatting to someone that they met online.

[|Ergonomics] is the application of information concerning objects, systems, and environments for human use.

Examples
[|Recent scientific studies] are now showing that:

" it may be possible to experience habit-forming chemical reactions to //behavior// as well as substances"

and thus discussions about [|Internet addiction] have begun to proliferate through the Internet. While some argue that the technological benefits of the Internet are great and therefore [|it could not be considered an addiction], others have written books, such as [|Caught in the Net] to help people recover from "Internet addiction" and its harmful effects. Some of the [|warning signs] according to Dr. John Suler are:
 * " Denial and lying about the amount of time spent on the computer or about what they are doing on the computer.
 * Excessive fatigue and changes in sleeping habits, such as getting up early or staying up late (in order to spend more time online).
 * Academic problems, usually grades slipping. Sometimes parents might overlook the fact that the computer is the culprit since they assume their children are doing school work at the keyboard.
 * Withdrawal from friends and declining interest in hobbies (online friends and activities are taking the place of the "real" world).
 * Loss of appetite; irritability when cut-off from computer use; a decline in their appearance or hygiene.
 * Disobedience and acting out. Teens may become very hostile when parents confront them. They may deliberately break the computer-use rules that are set. Their reactions may be so intense because they feel that they are being cut off from their attachments to cyberfriends."

-[|Why is there a controversy over Internet Addiction?] -[|Your Computer Is Bad for You] -[|Parents Sue School Over Wi-Fi] -[|Computers 'could disable children']

Of course there are many hundreds of more examples and issues related to Digital Health and Wellness, but these three are just some basic cases that we have found.

Here are some examples of Internet addiction as it is directly linked to the issue of health and wellness.
 * Katie Couric talks about Internet addiction and how it is becoming a growing problem; it may affect as much as 10 percent of the population. -CBSNews

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=Social and Ethical=

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=Possible Solutions=

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You can get many different ailments from writing on the keyboard incorrectly. It doesn't matter if you dont feel any pain because it may come later and by using your keyboard correctly you can avoid the problems in the future. Using the keyboard correctly means: having a comfortable keyboard, sitting straight, having the arms in a right position etc. Tell children from a young age about the risks that can occur and for them not to completely trust the internet. Here is a video showing the risks that can occur to your physical health when using the computer and not sitting correctly. media type="youtube" key="QysNdRsObu0&hl=en" height="355" width="425"

=Guidelines for teens=


 * Make sure you are not sitting too close to the monitor - about an arms length away for 40cm screens is recommended.
 * At least every 20 minutes look away from the screen for at least 30 seconds
 * Remember to blink - we often blink a lot less when reading and looking at a screen, which causes eyes to be uncomfortable, blurred and dry.
 * Use enough lighting - inadequate light can force your eyes to work more and to make you move closer to the screen. Too much light can lead to headaches and sore eyes.
 * Look at [|Healthy Computing]
 * Look at [|"PostureMinder"s] videos on youtube.com. 

Input/Ideas for Digiteen Contract

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