Internet Addiction: Is Digital Addiction Really an Addiction?

What is digital addiction, or internet addiction?

During the pandemic, as we try hard to stay connected with others and keep ourselves entertained while social distancing, most of us spend much of the day online and glued to screens. But this does not mean that we are all addicted to the internet. This behavior is considered addictive when it negatively affects a person’s well-being and takes priority over important areas of life, such as work, school, and relationships. It has several names, including internet addiction disorder, compulsive internet use, and pathological internet use. It was theoretically classified as a disorder in 1995 by Dr. Ivan Goldberg and was later addressed in 5DSM and ICD11.

Simply put, internet addiction is compulsive or repetitive online activity that has harmful consequences. People with this addiction often stay up all night, repeatedly turn off the alarm to go back to sleep, and then wake up late or miss school or work. They neglect their relationships and other responsibilities, such as bathing or paying their bills. Treatment for internet addiction is available, but there are only a few specialized internet addiction services. However, a psychiatrist knowledgeable about addiction treatment will probably be able to help.

When is internet use considered excessive?

Although there is agreement that excessive internet use is a key symptom, no one seems able to determine how much computer time should be considered excessive. While recommendations suggest no more than two hours of screen time per day for young people under 18, there are no official recommendations for adults. A recommendation of two hours a day is also unrealistic for people who use computers for work or study during this period. Some define excessive use as “unnecessary use”; the truth is that a person addicted to the internet feels that every use of the computer is necessary.

You can refer to the following diagnostic criteria, proposed by KW Beard in the journal Cyberpsychology and Behavior and well received by specialist communities:

• The person remains preoccupied with the internet, constantly thinking about using it or frequently discussing internet-related topics.
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• The person spends steadily increasing amounts of time online to achieve satisfaction and fulfillment.
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• The person makes several unsuccessful attempts to control, reduce, or stop their internet use.
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• The person becomes depressed, distressed, moody, or irritable when trying to manage their internet use.
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• The person remains online longer than planned.
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• The person experiences problems at work, in relationships, or in education because of their internet use.
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• The person lies to family members, friends, and others about their internet use.
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• The person uses the internet to escape or avoid problems, or to cope with difficult feelings.

One term associated with this topic is tolerance, which can be understood as a pressing desire or need to increase computer- and internet-related activities. This leads to spending more open-ended time than planned on internet-related activities. Another term is withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal was originally used in relation to physical dependence on alcohol or drugs, but it is also applied to behavioral addictions, including internet addiction. Symptoms of internet withdrawal include anger, tension, depression, boredom, listlessness, moodiness, nervousness, and irritability when internet access is unavailable. If you experience some of these symptoms when you cannot connect to the internet, you may be addicted.

If online activities cause no harm, there is no problem. But when these activities have negative consequences—such as disrupting achievement, neglecting relationships, abandoning responsibilities, going to sleep late, missing school or work, or perhaps experiencing financial problems because of compulsive online shopping—excessive computer use becomes an addiction. So think carefully about the consequences of your online behavior.

Consequences of internet addiction

Emotional consequences of addiction:

These range from an inability to set priorities in life or manage time to feeling bored or uninterested in routine tasks. They also include losing track of time, feeling lonely and isolated, mood swings or irritability, depression and anxiety, avoiding work, and increased impulsivity.

Physical consequences of addiction:

Addiction negatively affects the body, appearing as headaches, insomnia or other sleep disturbances, poor nutrition and/or personal hygiene, significant changes in weight, neck and back pain, spinal problems, wrist pain, dry eyes, or other vision problems.

Internet addiction and mental illness: cause or consequence?

There is debate over whether computer, mobile phone, or internet addiction is a cause or consequence of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, including difficulty planning ahead and poor time management, as well as above-average levels of impulsivity, are also common among people with internet addiction.

Types of internet addiction:

Cybersex addiction:

Cybersex addiction is one of the most common internet addictions among adults. It includes online pornography, adult websites, sexual/adult chat rooms, XXX webcam services, and others. This type of addiction harms a person’s ability to form sexual, romantic, or intimate relationships in the real world. Sexting or sending pornographic images has also landed many people in trouble on charges involving the exploitation of children in pornography when they were underage.

Compulsive online activities (net compulsions):

These are interactive online activities that can be extremely harmful, such as online gambling, stock trading, auctions, and compulsive shopping. These habits can damage a person’s financial stability and interfere with job-related duties. They may also cause someone to spend or lose large amounts of money, which in turn creates strain in their relationships.

Cyber (online) relationship addiction:

People addicted to online relationships become deeply involved in forming and maintaining relationships online, often forgetting and neglecting their real-life family and friends. Online relationships are usually formed in chat rooms or on various social networking sites, but they can develop anywhere people can interact online. People who pursue online relationships often do so while hiding their true identity and appearance. Once consumed by an online social and personal life, a person with this type of addiction may be left with limited social skills and unrealistic expectations about personal interactions. It often results in an inability to form real-world connections, making people more dependent on their online relationships.

Compulsive information seeking:

The internet gives users a wealth of data and knowledge. For some, the ability to find information so easily turns into an urgent, uncontrollable desire to collect and organize data. In some cases, information seeking is an expression of pre-existing obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Compulsive information seeking can also reduce productivity at work and may even lead to job termination.

Computer or gaming addiction:

Computer addiction, sometimes called computer gaming addiction, includes online and offline activities that can be performed using a computer. When computers became widely available, games such as Solitaire, Tetris, and Minesweeper were included in their software. Researchers soon discovered that an obsession with playing computer games had become a problem in some settings, causing students and office employees to spend long periods playing these games and producing a noticeable decline in productivity. Today, these classic games remain available, along with thousands of new ones. Computer addiction is the oldest type of internet/computer addiction, and it remains widespread and harmful today.

There may be overlap between these subtypes. For example, online gambling involves online games, while online games may contain elements of pornography.

Finally, I would like to emphasize that when we say someone is addicted to the internet, the term is almost metaphorical. Parents often use it to describe their concern that too much screen time is unhealthy, along with their sense of helplessness about stopping it. The truth is that around 10% of those who use computers excessively do so in a disordered way. In other articles, I will discuss treatments for these disorders, which are metaphorically called addictions.

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