Adolescents or teenagers – an age group possess a unique mentality, curiosity, and interests. It’s no secret that teenagers are really fond of video games and the internet. The expansion of technology makes it much easier for teens to easily access the internet and its services. And this could be a matter of concern. What has started as interest, entertainment, or communication means can develop into a severe behavioral problem – Behavioral Addiction.

Adolescents Internet Addiction is a much more serious issue than just an intense desire to be online. Just like other behavioral addictions, teen internet addiction is a severe case of inability to control, regulate, limit, or avoid their compulsive behavior – Similar to Gambling Addiction. But the addictive behavior here we are talking about is spending time online.

Although many people believe that teen addiction is a little more than a parenting issue, not a severe addiction. Experts say that teen internet addiction is a severe case of study. According to them, internet addiction is a serious behavior disorder that needs to be addressed and treated accordingly.

Causes of Internet Addiction:

Like other behavioral addictions, the actual cause of teen’s internet addiction is yet to be known. But it signifies the similarities with other behavioral addictions. As with other behavioral addictions, internet addiction is more prevalent in adolescents struggling with depression, anxiety, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and low self-esteem.

The never-ending nature of a few online games like Warcraft and EverQuest increases the likelihood of internet addiction. These games are considered MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games). Time by time addition of new levels, quests, or adventures in these games entices the user. The user could never reach the completion point in these games. They use to keep the thrill alive, so the user always returns for more.

Internet addiction is majorly attributed to the rush of playing that induces endorphins release (pleasure causing the brain’s chemical). This phenomenon is the same for drug or alcohol addicts or even other behaviors like Gambling. 

This is majorly seen in teens facing problems in “real life” situations; the thrill of online gaming, adrenaline rush, power, sense of community entice them for more.

Signs and Symptoms of Internet Addiction:

The signs and symptoms of internet addiction are similar to other compulsive behavioral addictions.

•             Develop tolerance; with time, they feel the need to play more to experience the same rush and thrill

•             Obsessed with the internet so much that their offline time spends in recalling their past experiences and planning for future experiences

•             Become frustrated, anxious, and depressed if deprived of the internet

•             Abandoning their hobbies, friends, or other activities and devote most of their time on the internet

•             Neglecting negative repercussions (problems in academics, health issues, relationship issues) and continue to spend their time online

Few Visible Signs of internet addicts:

•             Spending all of his/her time online

•             Falling asleep in school

•             Worsening school grades

•             Neglecting home-work and assignments

•             Lying about internet use

•             Poor nutrition (neglecting food in order to be online)

•             Insomnia

•             Vision problems and dry eyes

•             Backache, headaches, or neck pain

•             Poor personal hygiene

•             Avoiding social groups to be online.

•             Become frustrated when abstaining from the internet

In simple words, if you feel that your child is spending too much time on the internet and not being able to limit or control the usage even after knowing that it is affecting the major areas in his/her life, you can consider your child as Internet Addict.

How to treat Internet Addiction?

Determining the treatment course of a teen who is suffering from internet addiction is basically done by considering various factors like the teen’s age, the severity and nature of the behavior, and any other co-occurring disorder.

There are many therapy programs to treat internet addiction like:

•             CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

•             Equine therapy

•             Recreation therapy

•             Expressive arts therapy

•             DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)

•             Behavior modification

•             Group, Individual, and family therapy

Conclusion:

Teen internet addiction is a significant issue and affects significant areas of teen’s life.  It needs to be addressed and appropriately treated before the situation gets more severe.

Thank you for visiting www.fennoscandia.net website and reading this Adolescents and Internet Addiction article. We hope this has been informative and helpful.

Happy New Year 2021.