23/10/2025
Effects of Internet Addiction on School Violence
The recent surge in school violence has prompted our government to consider a potential ban on smartphone usage for students aged 16 and below, citing concerns that social media and online gaming may negatively influence behavior — even contributing to criminal acts.
Indeed, Internet Addiction (IA) has become a global concern. Both China and South Korea have categorized it as a serious public health threat. In Malaysia, the National Health and Morbidity Survey (2017) revealed that 40% of teenagers aged 13 to 17 are addicted to the Internet, while a 2018 news report noted that over 80% of them spend more than four hours daily on social media. More recently, a 2022 survey by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) found that 11.7% of internet users are online more than 18 hours a day, and 16% of these heavy users are aged 20 or below.
From a macrosystem perspective, it is encouraging that the government is studying preventive measures such as reintroducing caning, restricting smartphone and social media use among students under 16, and installing surveillance cameras. Comparable regulatory steps have been introduced in both China and Japan — such as restrictions on online gaming time for minors and guidelines limiting children’s smartphone and screen use. However, to effectively address school violence, we must also look at the microsystem level — the student’s immediate environment: family, school, and peers. A comprehensive strategy is needed across prevention, intervention, and after-care phases to tackle this growing digital pandemic.
1. Prevention
At the prevention level, attention must be given to the child’s immediate surroundings, especially the family and school. With both parents often working, many children are left alone to navigate physical and emotional challenges. Without support, they become vulnerable to bullying, neglect, and emotional isolation.
Research shows that youth most at risk for internet addiction often have histories of emotional trauma — including parental conflict, sexual abuse, or bullying — leading to social anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and poor emotional regulation. For these young people, the Internet becomes a refuge — a place to escape pain and seek validation.
Gaming, in particular, offers an alluring sense of belonging and purpose. Modern Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) allow players to interact globally, strategize together, and assume heroic roles (such as “healer” or “warrior”). For adolescents grappling with identity formation — what Erik Erikson called the search for “Who am I?” — these games provide a compelling but false sense of identity and power. Virtual victories and rebirths mask real-life insecurity and inferiority, reinforcing escapism and disconnection from reality.
2. Intervention
Intervention begins with awareness — helping the individual recognize that a problem exists. Open discussions about symptoms such as preoccupation, withdrawal, tolerance, mood changes, escapism, and declining academic interest are crucial. Professional counseling may be needed to provide insight and guidance.
Secondly, structured management of gaming behavior is necessary. Depending on severity, this may involve limiting or completely stopping gameplay. Parental response should consider the child’s age and temperament. For older or strong-willed adolescents, abrupt restrictions — such as uninstalling games — may backfire. A balanced approach combining discipline with empathy works best.
When gaming stops, adolescents also lose a key social support system — their online community. Therefore, replacement activities are essential to sustain recovery. Encouraging hobbies, sports, and meaningful social engagement helps redirect their need for connection and excitement. (Note: academic tuition, while useful, does not fulfill this emotional and motivational gap.)
3. Postvention (After-care)
After-care efforts focus on helping affected students rebuild healthy coping mechanisms and cultivate balanced, meaningful lives beyond the digital world. The goal is not total abstinence from technology but moderated and purposeful use — for instance, using the Internet for study, communication, or creativity while avoiding gaming and social-media platforms that trigger relapse.
To support lasting recovery, schools and families can play an active role in reconnecting youth to real-world relationships and activities that provide belonging, identity, and purpose. Practical initiatives include:
Encouraging participation in co-curricular and uniformed groups such as the Boys’ Brigade, Scouts, Red Crescent, or St. John Ambulance, which foster teamwork, discipline, and leadership.
Involving them in church youth fellowships or community service projects, which provide a sense of purpose and belonging while strengthening moral and spiritual values.
Partnering with counselors to create peer-support groups where recovering students can share both their struggles and successes for mutual encouragement.
Organising family-based activities — such as outdoor outings, shared meals, or volunteer work — to strengthen communication and attachment at home.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the opposite of digital addiction is not merely abstinence — it is connection: physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. Only by strengthening these bonds within families, schools, and communities can we truly protect our youth from the hidden violence of isolation, escapism, and disconnection.
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