Addiction is the inability to stop the use of a substance or engaging in a behaviour even though it is causing psychological and physical harm. People suffering addiction use substances or engage in behaviours that become compulsive and often continue despite the harmful effects involved. Government, private organisations and all other relevant stakeholders have been expressing worry and apprehension over the rate of addiction among the younger generation. This addiction comes in different forms.
students in primary, secondary to tertiary institutions are exposed to different forms of addictions, which have negative effects on their academics and general well-being.
The most common kind involves the use of substances. This can be tricky to talk about because there’s often confusion around what constitutes substance misuse and dependency.
Students abuse substances like alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines etc. Cigarettes, Indian hemp, shisha, are also among the commonest substances of addiction among students. On many occasions, students have been caught, punished or expelled from schools as a result of substance usage.
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Social media addiction happens to be the second on the list. This involves the excessive use of social media platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Telegram etc. Students use these social media platforms without regards to proper time management. They smuggle phones to school and browse their favourite sites and platforms even when lessons are going on. They spend more time at home on social media, neglecting their homework.
Thirdly, there is also addiction to sports and video games. Recently, a report released by the World Health Organisation cautioned that addiction to video games is among the leading causes of stress, anxiety and depression among the youths. However, in Nigeria today, a large number of students are already addicted to video games. Many are also addicted to sporting activities such as football among others. Some students will rather play football or video games instead of paying attention to their studies.
Addiction is eating deep into the fabrics of our educational system in Nigeria. Poor performances in schools leading to increase in number of drop-outs and half-baked graduates are among the devastating effects of this trend.
Government, parents, schools, community leaders and all other relevant stakeholders must work together to provide lasting solutions to these forms of addiction among students if we are to salvage our educational sector as well as future generations.
Hafsat Sanusi Tsafe sent in this piece from Zabib College.
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