October 06, 2009

Doctor: Internet Addiction Could Become a Chronic Childhood Disease

Back in August we reported that reSTART, a rehab center for Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), was the first Facility of its kind to treat the controversial diagnosis in the US.

The disorder has yet to be officially recognized, but specific symptoms have been outlined, and it’s a subject matter that continues to undergo evaluation.

Now, new research from the Kaohslung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan shows a correlation in young teens between internet addiction and other psychological disorders. According to CNN and the research report, “ADHD and hostility were linked to Internet addiction in children,” while social phobia and depression were linked to internet addiction in girls.


The researchers studied 2,293 Taiwanese students for two years, 10.8% of whom had developed an internet addiction, and scored the children based on their Internet activity. The researchers developed an addiction scale that factored in the “inability to cut back on usage, a preoccupation with online activities, and symptoms of withdrawal such as anxiety, boredom, or irritability after a few days of not going online.”

The study also deemed that boys are at higher risk for developing an unhealthy addiction, with the same conclusions holding true for those who participate in online gaming or spend more than 20 hours/week online.
While the results may seem obvious and easy to laugh off, researchers are starting to take internet addiction very seriously. The CNN article states:

“But if at-risk children–such as those identified in the Taiwanese study–are given sufficient time and exposure without careful monitoring, Internet addiction could easily become one of the most chronic childhood diseases in America, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis of the Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, in Seattle.

Our culture practically mandates time online, he says, with Wi-Fi connections in coffee shops and BlackBerries and iPhones that allow Internet access almost anywhere. “It would be as if we mandated that everyone drink two beers every day or everyone gamble for an hour every day,” says Christakis.”

If the research is to be believed, it’s easy to see how new cultural norms around online behaviors could be contributing to the problem, since those who are already predisposed to internet addiction are constantly exposed to the web in educational and professional environments. While the study is localized to Taiwan, its findings are likely to trigger even more research and continue to fuel the debate around the legitimacy of internet addiction.
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