Last weekend, I met a man who confided in me that he and his wife are at their wit's end because their fourteen year old daughter appears addicted to the internet. She uses it to where she skips school for it and has become increasingly anti-social with almost no friends. This teen is apparently very intelligent with excellent grades (top 5-10% of her class) but school doesn't seem to motivate her. This man asked me for advice. He and his wife have taken their daughter to a psychiatrist because they fear biochemical imbalance, they took her to a counsellor but she didn't say much.
My initial thought is to figure out what some of her dreams are and empower her to refine her priorities. I already heard she was interested in earning a full scholarship to college and for some special programs in the interim. I would encourage her to find out names of former students who have won the desirable scholarship so she could contact them. She may connect and learn from them. I also have a few other ideas. As it happens, her dad may put me in touch with her later this week. I plan to ask a few questions and really listen to her. I will encourage her to explore her dreams through people and activities outside the Internet. My plan is not to try to control her but to understand why the Internet has suddenly become such a focus. Everything happens for a reason.
