A Reddit user named Laura, from Australia, shared her concerns about her nephew with other users. Since his birth, she has been helping her sister take care of the boy. Jake recently turned 10 and loves spending time with his aunt. Laura often picks him up from school and takes him home for afternoons and weekends. However, she recently noticed disturbing changes in his behavior and reached out to the online community for advice. The response came quickly.
Reddit user is worried about her nephew's behavior: "He has withdrawn"
Laura believes that her nephew, Jake, started acting strangely over the past year, and she has no idea what might be causing the changes. It began with a shift in how he spoke. Laura noticed that her nephew, who was born in Australia, started speaking with an American accent. Over time, Jake also became increasingly irritable and lost his patience quickly. Laura consulted with her sister about it, but Jake’s mother didn’t notice any concerning behavior. Laura stated that his behavior continued to worsen, and Jake lost interest in the things he was once passionate about.
At one point, he was speaking with an American accent like a native-born American. When school started, his classmates asked how long he had lived in the U.S. before moving to Australia. During his birthday party, Jake completely ignored the guests and sat in front of a tablet, watching random videos online. His friends wanted to play with him, but he paid them no attention. When the guests started giving him presents, he looked annoyed that he had to stop using his favorite form of entertainment.
Reddit user noticed other concerning symptoms in her nephew: "He has lost a lot of weight"
When Laura tried to express her concerns about the 10-year-old to her sister, the boy's mother didn’t take it well. She felt offended and stated that she didn’t want anyone criticizing her parenting decisions. Moreover, she decided that her son should no longer spend time with her sister. In the end, that didn’t happen, but a new problem arose: Jake started losing a noticeable amount of weight.
I noticed that he had lost a lot of weight. I immediately suspected that he was simply forgetting to eat because he was so absorbed in using his tablet. When anyone tried to approach him, he would quickly cover the screen so that no one could see what he was watching. (...) Just a year ago, he was a lively child who got along well with everyone around him. Now, he’s withdrawn and clearly skipping meals
- the concerned aunt wrote.
Internet addiction
Internet addiction is becoming an increasingly common issue. While it's difficult to diagnose someone based on online posts, some of the boy's behaviors are concerning. If you notice similar symptoms in your children, it’s a good idea to consult a specialist. What else should raise alarm bells? According to Mindhealth, a psychological support center, the following signs of internet addiction are often mentioned in literature:
- Preoccupation with the internet, constantly thinking about being online;
- Feeling the need to be online to gain satisfaction;
- Unsuccessful attempts to limit internet usage;
- Experiencing negative emotions, such as irritation, when internet use is restricted;
- Struggling to manage time spent online;
- Personal and social problems arising from internet use;
- Trying to hide internet use through manipulative behaviors;
- Using the internet to regulate emotions (e.g., to escape from negative feelings).
