What is Internet Addiction?

Dr. Kimberly Young, a leading researcher into Internet addiction and founder of the Center for Online Addiction defines Internet addiction as:

“Any online-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one's work environment. Internet addiction has been called Internet dependency and Internet compulsivity. By any name, it is a compulsive behavior that completely dominates the addict's life. Internet addicts make the Internet a priority more important than family, friends, and work. The Internet becomes the organizing principle of addicts' lives. They are willing to sacrifice what they cherish most in order to preserve and continue their unhealthy behavior.”

How do you know if your child may be addicted to the Internet? Many parents at least ask their children how much time they're spending on the Internet. Trouble is, most kids are apt to lie, especially if they're already addicted. If the computer is in their room, you have no way of knowing the truth. The following test may help you determine if you are dealing with Internet addiction in your home.

The following Parent-Child Internet Addiction test will help you determine if you may be dealing with Internet Addiction in your home.

What Are the Symptoms of Internet Addiction?
   
Are you concerned about addiction to the Internet? Here are the signs and symptoms of Internet addiction.

No single behavior pattern defines Internet addiction. These behaviors, when they have taken control of addicts' lives and become unmanageable, include:

compulsive use of the Internet
a preoccupation with being online
lying or hiding the extent or nature of your online behavior
an inability to control or curb your online behavior
If your Internet use pattern interferes with your life in any way shape or form, (e.g. does it impact your work, family life, relationships, school, etc.) you may have a problem. In addition, if you find that you are using the Internet as a means to regularly alter your mood you may be developing a problem. It is important to note that it is not the actual time spent online that determines if you have a problem, but rather how that time you spend impacts your life.

How do you know if you have Internet addiction?

Internet addiction specialist, Dr. Kimberly Young has identified 8 major symptoms of Internet addiction. She suggests that if five or more apply to you that you consider seeing a mental health specialist about your internet use:

Preoccupation -- You think constantly about previous online activity or keep looking forward to the next online session. Some people crave time on the Internet the way a smoker craves a cigarette.
Increased use -- You need to spend increasing amounts of time online to achieve satisfaction. A parent who's spending 50 hours a week in a chat room might neglect basic responsibilities such as doing laundry or making dinner for the kids.
Inability to stop -- You can't cut back on your Internet use, even after several attempts. Some people can't stop visiting chat rooms while at the office, even though they know their bosses are monitoring the sites they visit.
Withdrawal symptoms -- You feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when you attempt to stop or cut down Internet use. Some people feel so grumpy in jobs where they can't go online that they make excuses to go home and use the computer.
Lost sense of time -- Everyone lets time slip by occasionally while on the Internet. Consider it a problem if it happens to you consistently when you're online and you're also experiencing some of the other symptoms on this list.
Risky behaviors -- You jeopardize a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of Internet use. One man decided to leave his wife of 22 years for someone he had corresponded with on the Internet for a couple of months.
Lies -- You lie to family members, a therapist, or others to conceal the extent of your involvement with the Internet. Someone who's seeing a therapist for depression might not tell the therapist about her Internet use.
Escape to the Internet -- You use the Internet as a way to avoid thinking about problems, or to allay depression or feelings of helplessness. One CEO constantly downloaded pornography for stress relief at work.
If you’re concerned about your level of internet use, take our Internet addiction test and bring the results to your doctor or mental healthcare professional.

 Internet Addiction and Your Child

Help for parents who are concerned that their child is addicted to the internet. Includes psychological and physical symptoms of Internet addiction.

Information for Parents about Internet Addiction (Online Addiction)

The amount of time kids spend online is a source of frustration for many parents. Initially, parents welcomed the Internet into their homes, believing they were opening up an exciting new world of educational opportunities for their children. However, many parents soon realized that, instead of using the Internet for homework or research, their kids were spending hours instant messaging with friends, playing online games or talking to strangers in chat rooms.

Maintaining a healthy balance between entertainment media and other activities in their children's lives has always been a challenge for parents. The Internet has made this challenge even more difficult. The engaging nature of Internet communications and interactive games means many children and teens have trouble keeping track of time when they're online.

Unfortunately, parents and teachers are usually not aware that there is a problem until it becomes serious. This is because it is easy to hide what you are doing online and because Internet addiction is not widely recognized by the medical community. (Mental health practitioners continue to debate whether this behavior is an "addiction," with some preferring to identify it as "compulsive behavior.")

Children and young people can easily become 'hooked' on online activities such as multi-user games, instant messaging, pornography and chat rooms. The most vulnerable children, according to the Computer-Addiction Services at Harvard Medical School, are those who are "lonely and bored or from families where nobody is at home to relate to after school."

Children who are unpopular or shy with peers are often attracted to the opportunities for creating new identities in online communities. Boys, in particular, are frequent users of online role-playing games, where they assume new identities and interact with other players. Although playing these games with thousands of other users may appear to be a social activity, for the introverted child or teen, excessive playing can further isolate them from friends and peers.

Harvard Medical School's Computer-Addiction Services identifies the following symptoms of computer addiction.

Psychological symptoms of Internet addiction

Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer
Inability to stop the activity
Craving more and more time at the computer
Neglecting family and friends
Feeling empty, depressed and irritable when not at the computer
Lying to family and friends about activities
Problems with school or work
Physical symptoms of Internet addiction

Carpal tunnel syndrome
Dry eyes
Migraine headaches
Backaches
Eating irregularities, such as skipping meals
Neglecting personal hygiene
Sleep disturbances and changes in sleep patterns.

Treatment for Internet Addiction

Treating Internet addiction is similar to treating any other addiction. Internet addiction treatment involves therapy and support groups.

Since Internet addiction disorder is a relatively new phenomenon, there is little research on the effectiveness of treatment procedures.

Treatment of Internet addiction includes a variety of inventions with a primary focus on cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal psychotherapy techniques to moderate Internet usage and to address underlying psychosocial issues that often co-existent with this addiction (e.g., social phobia, mood disorders, marital dissatisfaction, job burnout, childhood sexual abuse). Therapy should utilize time management techniques that help the client structure and regulate internet sessions and strategies that help clients develop alternative activities that take them away from the computer (e.g., more time with family, engage in hobbies, or exercise programs).

Internet addicts typically suffer interpersonal difficulties such as introversion or have limited social support systems in place, which is, in part, why they turn to virtual relationships as a substitute for the lack of real life social connection. In other cases, due to their addiction, they have lost significant real life relationships such as a spouse, a parent, or a close friend.

Interpersonal therapy can help with that. It is a brief form of treatment that focuses on improving interpersonal functioning. Specific interventions include encouragement of affect, communication analysis, modeling, and role-playing to establish new ways of interacting that address role transitions and interpersonal deficits.

The use of twelve-step groups should also be applied to assist clients in finding adequate support and sponsorship that enable recovery.

Finally, couples counseling may be an essential part of recovery among Internet-addicted clients whose marital and familial relationships have been disrupted and negatively influenced by Internet addiction.