Internet Addiction

Is internet addiction a real thing?

Internet addiction has been recognized as an official disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. To be officially diagnosed with this you need to fit 6 or more of the 9 criteria.

These criteria can be found here Link to 9 Criteria

How do I know if someone has an internet addiction? What are the symptoms?

The main way to determine if someone has an internet addiction is when use becomes obsessive or detrimental to other areas of our lives and our relationships.

Symptoms can include; Attention given to the internet almost every hour of the day, changes in personality and mental health, and loss of sleep. There can be other symptoms but these are ones that can be easily noticed.

Effects of internet addiction:

  • Social media can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression
  • Attention to devices can take away from activities that are more valuable
  • Multitasking while doing homework decreases learning abilities.
  • Negative impact on existing relationships

    • Recomendations:

    Face-to-Face interaction

    Time on the internet can take away from real life needs, like face-to-face communication and other responsibilities. Extensive time on the internet can lead to a struggle to maintain relationships, due to constant distractions and lack of attention towards them.

    Maintaining communication and human interaction is very important. Some ways to do this are, engaging with stimulating questions, getting outside of the house, hanging out with friends outside of screens. This will help create a healthy balance between the internet and real life.

    Manage screen time

    Many teens struggle with a balance between screen time and other activities and responsibilities. Most of them are preoccupied with the internet almost every hour of the day.

    Managining how much time they can spend on the internet is a useful and effective strategy. One way to enforce this is setting designated times of the day or week for internet use.

    Goverment and Policy Regulation

    The government and other policy makers are starting to make regulations that help with internet addiction. They are more related to physical safety than addiction, but they do help with regulation. One example is using cell phones while driving a vehicle. This has become illegal in almost every region of the United States.

    Besides the government, places like schools and workplaces have put in regulations They have found that the internet is a big distraction from their responsibilities. They want to make sure that time at school is used for learning and time at work is used for working. Many businesses have banned cell phone use at the workplace, and many schools have done the same.

    Sources:

    Mark Griffiths, Daria Kuss. “Opinion | 6 Questions Help Reveal If You're Addicted to Social Media.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 25 Apr. 2“Internet Addiction Disorder Treatment.” PCH Treatment Center, 3 Mar. 2019, www.pchtreatment.com/internet-addiction-treatment/.018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/04/25/social -media-addiction/.

    Blumberg, Shaour teens hooked? Social media addiction." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 35, no. 6, Feb. 2013, p. 528+. Gale In Context: Middle School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A342468227/MSIC?u=sha41878&sid=MSIC& xid=dd2a0535. Accessed 13 Apr. 2020.ron.

    “Teen Social Media Addiction Treatment.” Paradigm Malibu, paradigmmalibu.com/teen-social-media-a ddiction-treatment/.

    Miller, Caroline, and Child Mind Institute. “Is Internet Addiction Real?” Child Mind Institute, childmind.org/article/is-internet-addiction-real/.

    “Internet Addiction Disorder Treatment.” PCH Treatment Center, 3 Mar. 2019, www.pchtreatment.com/internet- addiction-treatment/.

    "Teens and Technology." Gale In Context Online Collection, Gale, 2018. Gale In Context: Middle School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/HJTSON691780311/MSIC?u=sha41878&sid=MSIC&xid=c3c67d72. Accessed 23 Apr. 2020.