Prof. Nevzat Tarhan Warns: “Digital tools should be used in moderation and for their intended purpose”

President of Üsküdar University and psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan was a guest at the program titled “Digital Violence and the Family from a Woman’s Perspective,” organized by the Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DİTİB) in Cologne, Germany. At the program, which was attended by participants from many regions of Germany, Tarhan made striking remarks under the title “The Effects of Digitalization on Mental and Physical Health.” He discussed both the opportunities and threats of digitalization and emphasized the negative effects of digital addiction, cyberbullying, and domestic violence. Highlighting the importance of developing the social and emotional skills of children and young people, Tarhan recommended that digital tools be used in a controlled manner and in line with their intended purpose.

The talk, held at the DİTİB Federal Headquarters Conference Hall in Cologne, was attended by members of the DİTİB Board of Directors, administrators of the DİTİB Federal State and Regional Associations, and many members.

“Digitalization is now a part of life”

At the meeting moderated by DİTİB member Merve Mert and accompanied by Vice Rector Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan drew attention to both the threat and opportunity dimensions of digitalization and said: “Digitalization is a reality of this age. Just as the invention of the printing press led to a major transformation in the history of humanity and just as the steam engine initiated a new era, artificial intelligence and digitalization will also lead to a similar transformation. We discussed this at the university and said, ‘Let us prohibit banning artificial intelligence.’ Because it is not possible to resist this. Digitalization is now a part of life. Digitalization can be either a threat or an opportunity. Whether it is a threat or an opportunity, there is always a dimension of trial in it. This dimension of trial should never be forgotten. I liken digitalization somewhat to this: Jesus emerged from Palestine, but Christianity became global in Rome. How did that happen? Two or three hundred years later, it became the largest religion. The reason was the power of the Roman Empire. All social, economic, and military mobility was carried out through stone roads. The saying ‘All roads lead to Rome’ comes from here. The stone roads of our time are the internet. Just as Jesus and his followers used those roads to globalize Christianity, today we can use digitalization to convey truth, goodness, beauty, and what is right to people by keeping our intentions in the right direction. It is also possible to convey Quranic morality to people through these paths. For this reason, the trial dimension of digitalization must be considered within this framework.”

“The ‘Northern Paradox’ has also begun to reflect on our culture”

Drawing attention to the rising rate of births outside of marriage, Tarhan said: “In the United States and especially in Northern European countries, as well as in Germany, the rate of births outside of marriage is around 40 percent. In Türkiye, this rate is 3.9 percent. What is meant here is not abandoned children, but births outside of marriage. The rate is around 43 to 44 percent in Germany, 56 percent in Sweden and Norway, 59 percent in France, over 40 percent in the United Kingdom, and 69 percent in Iceland. This is because there are movements that oppose marriage. These movements that say, ‘Why is marriage necessary?’ encourage births outside of marriage. Parallel to this, violence is also increasing. Movements of liberation regarding violence against women and global cultural trends that support opposition to the family are rising. However, despite this much freedom, violence has increased even in countries such as Denmark. In fact, the rates are close to those of Türkiye.

When I was researching while writing the book ‘Psychology of Women’ in 2003, I saw that violence rates in Türkiye were much lower at that time. While there was almost a case of violence every day in France, in Türkiye only two or three cases were seen per month. The statistics of 2004 and 2005 also showed this. Today in Türkiye, almost one or two women are killed every day. Approximately 30 to 33 women lose their lives each month due to domestic violence. We have now surpassed Europe. There, the rate of femicide is around 25 to 30 percent. This is how the ‘Northern Paradox’ has also begun to reflect on our culture.”

“Violence reflected through the digital environment has a negative impact”

Stating that evil has become normalized with digitalization, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said: “Unfortunately, digitalization makes violence easier. For example, we transfer money from one place to another through a virtual environment. Is this virtual or real? It is absolutely real. The money actually leaves one account and goes into another. In the same way, digital violence is also real. Just as the transfer of money is a digital reality, violence reflected into the family through the digital environment has an equally negative effect. It is imprinted on our brains and creates an effect that normalizes violence. A person who is constantly exposed to violence becomes desensitized. Seeing negativity all the time causes people to get used to the negative and begin to accept evil as normal. Evil becomes ordinary. Unfortunately, especially the TV series produced in Türkiye also contribute to this. They normalize negative events within the family.”

“Most of us do this”

Stating that digital addiction negatively affects families, Tarhan said: “If a person checks messages immediately upon waking up in the morning, this is the beginning of digital addiction. Most of us do this. This is called addiction, that is, captivity. It is such a type of dependency that you become a prisoner. Loss of control begins. The person uses it longer than planned, manages their entire time accordingly, and loses control. This is how it works in digital addiction just as it does in gambling addiction. Gambling addiction has now become very widespread in Türkiye, especially illegal betting and games connected to abroad. Opening a casino is prohibited, but gambling through mobile phones has unfortunately become normalized. We encounter many victims of this. This is also a type of digital addiction. It seriously destroys families and causes major family crises. Because digitalization is not something abstract, it creates a very concrete impact. It disrupts the reward system in our brains just like other addictions.”

“Being rooted in tradition is good, being traditionalist is dangerous”

Stating that children should be approached according to the era in which they live, Tarhan said: “There is a saying attributed to Ali: ‘Do not raise your children according to the age you live in, but according to the age they will live in.’ This is an incredibly visionary perspective. However, we try to raise our children according to the era we lived in. Yet the era they will live in is completely different. We impose not even today’s era, but the habits of a past era. Being rooted in tradition is good. Transferring good values to the child is necessary. However, being traditionalist is dangerous because it increases generational conflict. This is called anachronism, an approach with a distorted sense of time. For example, saying, ‘This is how I dressed when I was young, you should dress the same way,’ is not correct. Form is not what matters, essence matters. Morality and character matter. The main issues matter, and we should not get stuck on details. Another factor that increases generational conflict the most is this: Good intentions alone are not enough. You may have good intentions, but the methodology you use is very important. Along with a good intention, you need a good method and the right effort.”

“We must develop emotional and social skills between the ages of 4 and 6”

Emphasizing that children must be taught social and emotional skills, Tarhan said: “Children between the ages of 0 and 3 should definitely not be exposed to screens. After the age of 3, it can only be used under parental supervision, for play purposes, and in a controlled manner. For example, if a child accesses violent content, they must definitely be guided. This is because abstract thinking skills only begin to develop at the age of 6 or 7. In some intellectually advanced children, this ability can begin as early as the age of 4. Therefore, between the ages of 4 and 6, children must be taught how to sit, how to stand, how to share, how to help, and how to support one another. In fact, in Far Eastern countries, they say, ‘Even teach the child that the fish in the aquarium can die,’ because at these ages, the child begins to understand the realities of life. During this period, instead of making the child memorize the multiplication table, teaching mathematics, or imposing ideological concepts, they are taught purely social and emotional skills. China and Japan are currently implementing this model. We must do the same. We must especially develop emotional and social skills in children between the ages of 4 and 6 because the emotional and social architecture in the brain is formed during these ages. Just like algorithms that perform mathematical modeling, these skills are also embedded in the brain as concrete records.”

“Digital tools should be used in moderation and for their intended purpose”

Emphasizing that digitalization prevents social interaction, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said: “Digitalization also gives rise to a condition called learned autism. When a child is given a mobile phone or a tablet at an early age, the child begins to resemble a child with learned autistic traits. In some areas, the child may become very skilled and even show superior abilities, yet they cannot sit down and play with another person. They cannot communicate with their peers. Everyone is laughing in the classroom, but that child does not understand and does not laugh, because they become asocial. For this reason, social contact is extremely important. Digitalization prevents this. If digital tools are used in the right place, in the right amount, and for the right purpose, they make our lives easier. If they are used outside of their purpose or incorrectly, they harm us. In medicine, there is a snake symbol. The reason the symbol of medicine is a snake is this: If snake venom is used in the right dose, it becomes medicine; if it exceeds the dose, it kills. Digitalization is exactly the same. When used in moderation, it makes our lives easier, but when the dose is exceeded, it becomes harmful like snake venom.”

“One of the biggest causes of attention deficit is digitalization”

Stating that attention should be paid to screen use at home, Tarhan said: “One of the biggest causes of attention deficit among children and young people is digitalization. They consume content at a very fast pace. They even speed up a one-minute video and watch it at one and a half times speed. This level of speed weakens the ability to focus. However, in order for the frontal part of the human brain, which is responsible for focus, to develop, a certain level of mental effort and struggle is required. The brain must be challenged to develop endurance, perseverance, and resilience. When you challenge the brain, a network related to that subject develops in the brain. It is just like young people doing bodybuilding. When they work their muscles, they become stronger; in the same way, the cognitive networks related to attention and memory are strengthened through exposure and effort. Emotional and social networks work the same way. When there is no challenge, the child gets bored immediately. In children and young people, attention is lost within three minutes. They only look, but their minds are somewhere else. For this reason, a book titled ‘The Attention Killer’ was even written in France about fast social media content. That is why screens should be removed as much as possible from children during the school period. If we cannot remove them completely, at least with a media protection approach, phones should be given only for communication purposes and for essential searches. Long hours of screen use should not be allowed. If parents pay attention to this at home, the child will also behave accordingly.”

“Cyberbullying and peer bullying are rising sharply”

Stating that children need to be made aware of peer bullying, Tarhan said: “Cyberbullying and peer bullying are rising sharply. For example, while peer bullying is around 10 to 15 percent in European Union and OECD countries, this rate was 33 percent in Türkiye, and in some studies, it has reached as high as 40 percent. For this reason, the Ministry of National Education launched a campaign called Peer Courtesy. Why do peers bully one another? During adolescence, there is already a natural tendency for such behavior because impulses are intense, but in recent years this has increased and with the effect of digitalization, cyberbullying has emerged. Currently, in many developed countries, anti-bullying programs are being implemented against cyberbullying, along with education and awareness activities. In Türkiye as well, the Ministry of National Education runs continuous programs against peer bullying and continues its efforts to raise awareness among children.”

“In societies where fear prevails, problems grow”

Stating that there is peace in a rule-based environment, Tarhan concluded with the following remarks: “The increase in hostility among people toward one another is one of the most important factors in social tension. People may not love one another but love alone is not enough. In societies where love weakens and fear prevails, problems grow. The difference between societies governed by fear and those governed by love emerges here. In a company, a family, or a society governed by love, people act more healthily in relationships. If there is a sense of trust such as ‘No one other than the doorkeeper will knock on our door,’ or ‘If I go to the police, I am sure nothing extraordinary will happen, and if I go to court, nothing unlawful will occur,’ then the person feels safe and acts more comfortably. This is the sign of a rule-based environment. Even if there is not much love, if there is order and a system based on rules, there is peace. If there is no order and if the environment is not rule-based, and if companies or societies function in a structure where the strong oppress the weak, then there will be no peace.”