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Why internet addiction is worse than drugs
Issue:
- Internet Addiction cases on rise and becoming public health concern
About Internet Addiction:
- Characterized by a loss of control over internet use and disregard for the consequences of it
- Affects up to 8% of Americans and is becoming more common around the world
- Becoming public health concern as health is influenced by behavior
- Addictions includes online gaming, gambling, social media, pornography and sexting
- Addictions to cope with symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety which includes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety Disorder
Internet Addiction as Disorder:
- Neither World Health Organization (WHO) nor the American Psychiatric Association recognize internet addiction as a disorder
- WHO recognized the more specific Gaming Disorder following years of research in China, South Korea and Taiwan where doctors have called it a public health crisis
Way Forwards:
- Reboot Program: a pioneer residential therapy for moderating internet use of 11-17 years old at Ohio, US
- YouTube has created a time monitoring tool to nudge viewers to take breaks from their screens as part of its parent company Google’s “digital wellbeing” initiative
- Intensive research on Internet Addiction would soon produce empirical results to meet medical classification standards
