Internet Addiction Growing: Study

Medill Reports:

WASHINGTON - The Internet is where we spend more and more of our time. But for a growing number of people, it's an out-of-control habit instead of a necessary part of life.

Internet addiction -- an online-related compulsive behavior that interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones and work -- is a psychological and behavioral problem that is spreading around the world, experts say.

Kimberly Young, clinical director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and author of the book "Caught in the Net," said that about 5 percent to 10 percent of Americans --15 to 30 million people -- may suffer from Internet addiction. And the problem may be even greater elsewhere. Young said 18 to 30 percent of the populations of China, Korea and Taiwan, where the Internet is even more popular than in the U.S., may be addicted.

"I've seen a lot of growth in the field of Internet addiction," said Young. "More research and studies (are) trying to understand it better. ... It's a global problem."

Read the whole story: Medill Reports

Comments

[bascombe]

Could it be because of the preponderance of LIES FROM THE MEDIA?

D'YA THINK?????

[Diogenis]

I should have majored on Research and Studies!! I'd be rich! Let's see, they've done it with cell phones, eating habits, sex habits, drinking habits, drug habits, etc...ahhh ya gotta love research.

[ChescoMom]

Would I be on here if I WASN'T internet-addicted??

[Diogenis]

True, Hey Mom, where are the kids?

[cdub1991]

If I had my druthers (and a super-light, voice-activated, discretely-wearable micro-computer with a heads-up display) I would probably stay connected every non-bedroom related waking moment. I like the idea of having at my finger tips the ability to deal with the world and solve problems on the fly. If its creating for you a richer, deeper experience of the world via access and enlightenment, then I would think that would be enriching.

We're all addicted to something. Go ahead--embrace your shadow.

[wm1066]

Remember that computer game on Star Trek Next Generation?
The one with a young Ashley Judd!
The crew became addicted to a computer game.
Wasn't it a malicious virus in the game?
Hmmmm....

[Trucker777]

Here we go again.

All we need is another “expert” telling those of us that enjoy the Internet that we are destroying our lives. What do the “experts” really want? Is it to dominate users of the Internet by denying them access to the billions of pages of information and entertainment that resides there? (Like China and the Olympics?)

Maybe therein lies the real problem for these “experts”. Internet users are not sitting in front of their television watching mindless, stupid, reality shows and make believe news programs that try to do our thinking for us. Heaven forbid that we are not watching all of those dumb commercials.

Yes, the Internet has gaming, or for others, gambling. We've must control people's access to these corrupting web sites. Don't we?

Yes, the Internet has sex. So what? You don't like sex? Don't read, watch, or DO it.

Why don't these “experts” do a study on why our politicians are so full of themselves and obvious disciples of greed? It would be much more interesting.

[Trucker777]

Here we go again.

All we need is another “expert” telling those of us that enjoy the Internet that we are destroying our lives. What do the “experts” really want? Is it to dominate users of the Internet by denying them access to the billions of pages of information and entertainment that resides there? (Like China and the Olympics?)

Maybe therein lies the real problem for these “experts”. Internet users are not sitting in front of their television watching mindless, stupid, reality shows and make believe news programs that try to do our thinking for us. Heaven forbid that we are not watching all of those dumb commercials.

Yes, the Internet has gaming, or for others, gambling. We've must control people's access to these corrupting web sites. Don't we?

Yes, the Internet has sex. So what? You don't like sex? Don't read or watch it.

Why don't these “experts” do a study on why our politicians are so full of themselves and obvious disciples of greed? It would be a much more interesting.

[JScott]

I pulled a marathon internet browse one weekend and that was enough.
I find I use it less lately, mostly to check email.

[trollsbwild]

I am thankful for my so called addiction to the internet. No doubt my life has been enriched because of it. News, politics, music, sports, maps, and yes, occasional surfing for porn (So far I have never paid for it).
Can't imagine life without it.

[WasteNJ]

We've all gone down the rabbit hole, there's no turning back now.

[Diogenis]

So, ahh, when's the last time you interacted with humanoids?

[WasteNJ]

I think it's safe to say anybody who posts regularly is a news junkie. It's just a coincidence that the internet is the only place where news exists.

[marymansour]

I know that the computer and my internet habits have made my retirement years interesting and informative. I could have been sitting in a chair twiddling my thumbs with my failing eyesight instead of reading interesting backlit materi on the computer and keeping abreast of politics and pop culture. It has been my delight.

[vippy]

Right, and whoever has AOL has the lovely political chatroom. You find like minded people and
others who you oppose and have a good solid argument, etc. News are so much quicker to obtain
and the comment section is a real plus. I cannot imagine my life without a computer, have 3 of them and a laptop. Perhaps this explains why McCain is so far behind, he does not know how
to use it and has no basic understanding how fast we can check on his claims to fame LOL.

[jamalystic]

Internet addiction can be good for you and if it is growing, then it could only mean well for society: Internet 'Addiction' Is Good for http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=526&doc_id=147829&F_src=flftwoftwo)

[marymansour]

That was a great site. Thanks for pointing this out. These words are so true:

The Internet makes us smarter by enabling us to easily access information on subjects we never even heard of a few years ago. It makes us more social by enabling us to find long lost friends and relatives and to interact -- through email, VOIP phone calls, and video calls -- with strangers around the world.

[RobinSeattle]

This article is worthless. There are no concrete figures cited, just numbers that Young has pulled out of thin air. She is also defining things people do for fun as evidence of addictive behavior, which is, to say the least, misguided. Would she rather people be passively sitting on the couch watching sitcoms all night or actually engaged with other people on gaming and social sites online?

Is the fact that I use the net for my job and then also peruse it for news and entertainment a sign of addiction or is it using a tool technological progress has blessed us with?

I admit to being addicted to stuff that interests me, including books, baseball, playing with my dogs, riffing away on my Strat and politics. I guess I better call Dr. Drew.

[Summer71]

I can stop anytime...>tick tick twinge

[CJGibson]

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

How come we never had "book addiction" for those poor nerdy kids who are too busy reading to socialize with friends?

I think the medical community has an Addiction Addiction.

[SneathLane]

A friend was in four different 12 step programs at one point - none of them were for drinking or drugs, they were all for modern invented diseases like "sex addiction". And since the invented diseases weren't really what was going on, the 12 step programs didn't do much to help him make the behavioral changes he wanted to make. Sort of like using a fire extinguisher on a mercury spill - it's the wrong fix for the problem.

His therapist thought this was just fine - possibly because it meant that he'd need "therapy" for a very long time.