Who Gets Internet Addicted?
Some Teens are More Likely to Become Addicted to the Internet
Oct 11, 2009
Teens are talking on cell phones, texting, using their iPhone, watching television, and on the Internet nearly as much as they are in school. They are becoming sleep-deprived and not doing homework. At the mall, teens are constantly reaching for their cell phones when a text message comes in. And when they get home, they check Facebook just one more time before going to bed.
Internet Addiction by Teens
A study recently published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine states that 1.4% to 17.9% of teens are addicted to the Internet. The study's name is Predictive Values of Psychiatric Symptoms for Internet Addiction in Adolescents, A 2-Year Prospective Study. Leaders of the study are Chih-Hung Ko, MD; Ju-Yu Yen, MD; Cheng-Sheng Chen, MD; Yi-Chun Yeh, MD; Cheng-Fang Yen, MD, PhD. The original study results appear in Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(10):937-943.
Is one group of teenagers more likely to be addicted than another group? Yes. Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan, followed 2,293 seventh-grade students in Taiwan for two years. The study concluded
- Eastern nations had a higher percentage of teens that became addicted than Western nations.
- Boys are at a higher risk than girls in becoming addicted to the Internet because of the interest in games and gambling.
- Teens with hostility, anger issues, social problems and ADHD were more likely to become addicted to the Internet
However, if a girl was suffering from depression and social phobia, she was more likely to become addicted than a girl that was not depressed.
Signs of Internet Addiction
Since most people use the Internet during a week for emails or online shopping, what is an addiction?
The symptoms of Internet addiction are somewhat vague.
- Inability to cut back on usage
- A preoccupation with online activities, symptoms of withdrawal (anxiety, irritability, boredom) after a few days without going online
- Spending more time online than intended
Dr. Michael Gilbert from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication says, "The findings are no surprise. The study’s indication that children who are hyperactive or diagnosed ADHD are finding an outlet on the Web makes such perfect sense. Those children crave the constant stimulation of fast-paced video games and interactive social networks." [1]
Breaking an Internet Addiction
Treatment for gambling, alcohol and other drugs is to refrain from using the substances for a long length of time or ever again for recovery. In today’s technical world, how can students not use the Internet? It is used to order items, schools use Internet sites as part of the curriculum, and it is an efficient way to communicate with others worldwide.
The best practice is for parents, health care practitioners and teachers to identify students with ADHD, social problems and depression and monitor online activity so they do not become addicted. Monitoring closely is the only cure at this time. "Without careful monitoring, Internet addiction could easily become one of the most chronic childhood diseases in America," says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis of the Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, in Seattle, WA. [1]
Giving teenagers daily time limitations on the Internet and placing the computer in a public place (family room not the bedroom), would make monitoring more successful. Just like the best way to avoid H1N1 is to wash hands often, the best way to avoid Internet addiction is to monitor time closely.
[1] Amanda MacMillan, "Internet addiction linked to ADHD, depression in teens," CNN.com, October 5, 2009.
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