By: Madeline Ellis
Published: Thursday, 8 October 2009
In recent years, there has been an explosion of Internet use, and it’s easy to understand why. The Internet provides affordable up-to-date information on almost any topic imaginable, around-the-clock entertainment, social networking sites that allow for both public and anonymous communication, and email or online chat that lets us keep in contact with family and friends, even if they’re in another time zone. Most people are able to integrate online time into their lives in a balanced healthy manner, but others develop a stronger dependency, often replacing work, school, friends and even family with countless hours surfing the Web, instant messaging and blogging, or playing Internet video games. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 10 percent of Internet users may be considered addicted. Experts say that people who abuse the Internet are typically struggling with other problems, like anxiety or depression, and new research lends credence to that theory.
To access the risk factors for Internet addiction, Cheng-Fang Yen, MD, PhD, of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan, and colleagues conducted a prospective study of 2,293 seventh-graders, whose average age was 12, from 10 junior high schools in southern Taiwan in September of 2005. The students were asked to fill out questionnaires that assessed whether they had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, social phobia or abnormal feelings of hostility. Then, 6, 12 and 24 months later, they were asked about their Internet usage, including the number of hours they spent on the Internet and the sorts of sites they frequented.
After two years, roughly 11 percent of the students were addicted to the Internet. Males, those who spent more than 20 hours a week on the Internet and teens who played online games were more likely to be deemed addicted. But the greatest risk factors were found to be ADHD and hostility. Boys and girls with ADHD had a 72 percent increased risk of developing unhealthy dependence on the Internet and those who exhibited significant hostility had a 67 percent increased risk. Girls with social phobias and those suffering depression were also at greater risk, though these factors did not affect boys.
Michael Gilbert, senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, says it makes perfect sense why the Internet would appeal to children with these issues. “If you have a child that is hyperactive, the Internet can move at their pace. If you have a child that is depressed or has social phobia, they can get in touch with other kids dealing with the same kinds of issues,” he said. “They can go into artificial worlds, like ‘Second Life,’ where they can live out fantasies or take on different personas. For kids who have anger or hostility, the Internet gives them a chance to play out their aggression there.”
The study authors say that because computer use is a way of life in the United States, the potential exists for childhood computer addiction to become a major public health problem, a sentiment echoed by the authors of an editorial accompanying the study in the October Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. “Woven as it is into the fabric of today’s society, the potential for Internet use to lead to overuse and ultimately to addiction is concerning,” wrote Drs. Dimitri A. Christakis and Megan A. Moreno of the University of Washington in Seattle.
As the Internet becomes more intertwined in everyday life, eliminating its use is unrealistic, making prevention all the more critical. Experts say parents of teens should monitor the time their children spend on the Internet and the sites they visit and pediatricians and mental health professionals should ask their teenage patients about their Internet usage. This is especially important for children with mental health conditions.
Internet addiction is not currently recognized as a separate disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. There is debate about whether to include Internet addiction as a separate illness in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due in 2012, which determines which mental illnesses are covered by insurance.
http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/mental-health/teens-with-psychosocial-disorders-prone-internet-addiction-3751.html
Indeed. It seems that teens nowadays are more and more affected by the Internet. They don’t watch television anymore and spend less time outside.
These actions can have dangerous effects on an impressionable youth. But with such large usage of the internet it is difficult for teens to cut down their usage. In order to keep up with the rest of the world, one must be able to have great knowledge of the internet.
Perhaps the right thing to do would be to talk to your child about the evils on the internet. Some parents condemn the internet as a diabolical plaything and restrict their children to certain hours on the net, and only use at certain times of the day. I personally think that these restrictions would spur a child further to rebel and try to get to the internet through negative means.
Talk to your child about his or her feelings about the internet. Share with your child interesting pieces of news that you see on the net that could be beneficial to your child. Look at the internet in a positive light. There is no running away from the net because its here to stay, so we might as well embrace it.
Published: Thursday, 8 October 2009
In recent years, there has been an explosion of Internet use, and it’s easy to understand why. The Internet provides affordable up-to-date information on almost any topic imaginable, around-the-clock entertainment, social networking sites that allow for both public and anonymous communication, and email or online chat that lets us keep in contact with family and friends, even if they’re in another time zone. Most people are able to integrate online time into their lives in a balanced healthy manner, but others develop a stronger dependency, often replacing work, school, friends and even family with countless hours surfing the Web, instant messaging and blogging, or playing Internet video games. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 10 percent of Internet users may be considered addicted. Experts say that people who abuse the Internet are typically struggling with other problems, like anxiety or depression, and new research lends credence to that theory.
To access the risk factors for Internet addiction, Cheng-Fang Yen, MD, PhD, of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan, and colleagues conducted a prospective study of 2,293 seventh-graders, whose average age was 12, from 10 junior high schools in southern Taiwan in September of 2005. The students were asked to fill out questionnaires that assessed whether they had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, social phobia or abnormal feelings of hostility. Then, 6, 12 and 24 months later, they were asked about their Internet usage, including the number of hours they spent on the Internet and the sorts of sites they frequented.
After two years, roughly 11 percent of the students were addicted to the Internet. Males, those who spent more than 20 hours a week on the Internet and teens who played online games were more likely to be deemed addicted. But the greatest risk factors were found to be ADHD and hostility. Boys and girls with ADHD had a 72 percent increased risk of developing unhealthy dependence on the Internet and those who exhibited significant hostility had a 67 percent increased risk. Girls with social phobias and those suffering depression were also at greater risk, though these factors did not affect boys.
Michael Gilbert, senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, says it makes perfect sense why the Internet would appeal to children with these issues. “If you have a child that is hyperactive, the Internet can move at their pace. If you have a child that is depressed or has social phobia, they can get in touch with other kids dealing with the same kinds of issues,” he said. “They can go into artificial worlds, like ‘Second Life,’ where they can live out fantasies or take on different personas. For kids who have anger or hostility, the Internet gives them a chance to play out their aggression there.”
The study authors say that because computer use is a way of life in the United States, the potential exists for childhood computer addiction to become a major public health problem, a sentiment echoed by the authors of an editorial accompanying the study in the October Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. “Woven as it is into the fabric of today’s society, the potential for Internet use to lead to overuse and ultimately to addiction is concerning,” wrote Drs. Dimitri A. Christakis and Megan A. Moreno of the University of Washington in Seattle.
As the Internet becomes more intertwined in everyday life, eliminating its use is unrealistic, making prevention all the more critical. Experts say parents of teens should monitor the time their children spend on the Internet and the sites they visit and pediatricians and mental health professionals should ask their teenage patients about their Internet usage. This is especially important for children with mental health conditions.
Internet addiction is not currently recognized as a separate disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. There is debate about whether to include Internet addiction as a separate illness in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due in 2012, which determines which mental illnesses are covered by insurance.
http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/mental-health/teens-with-psychosocial-disorders-prone-internet-addiction-3751.html
Indeed. It seems that teens nowadays are more and more affected by the Internet. They don’t watch television anymore and spend less time outside.
These actions can have dangerous effects on an impressionable youth. But with such large usage of the internet it is difficult for teens to cut down their usage. In order to keep up with the rest of the world, one must be able to have great knowledge of the internet.
Perhaps the right thing to do would be to talk to your child about the evils on the internet. Some parents condemn the internet as a diabolical plaything and restrict their children to certain hours on the net, and only use at certain times of the day. I personally think that these restrictions would spur a child further to rebel and try to get to the internet through negative means.
Talk to your child about his or her feelings about the internet. Share with your child interesting pieces of news that you see on the net that could be beneficial to your child. Look at the internet in a positive light. There is no running away from the net because its here to stay, so we might as well embrace it.
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