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We’re all familiar with the myriad benefits of the Internet: A click or two of the mouse unfolds a world of information, trivia disputes are swiftly settled, you can even chat with friends across an ocean. But, for a small fraction of kids, the Internet’s draw may prove too enticing. Internet addiction, which is loosely defined as excessive use of the Internet that negatively impacts academic, social and family life, appears to be on the rise in much of the industrialized world. Although the diagnosis isn’t yet officially recognized in the United States, it’s being considered for the next edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the American Psychiatric Association’s chief diagnostic handbook.
While empty gin bottles in your child’s room will clue you in on a drinking problem, signs of Internet addiction are subtler. “Kids can withdraw from real-life interactions and dedicate less time, energy and focus to them as they become more directed toward the online world,” says Michael Rich, MD, MPH, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston. Signs that a child may be addicted include losing track of time while using the computer, feeling anxious when away from the Internet and sacrificing other aspects of life—like sleeping, eating, doing homework and going out with friends—in order to spend more time online.
It’s normal and healthy for teens to instant-message friends, post to Facebook and play online games, but Rich cautions that some online behaviors—like role-playing games, porn-surfing and online shopping—can be more addictive than others.
“When kids spend much of their problem-solving energy on functioning and succeeding in the virtual world, it can come at the expense of connection to the real world,” says Rich. Learning how to interact with peers, how to stand up to a bully or even how to catch a football takes practice and skill, and includes a real chance of failure or humiliation. In the online world, it’s easier to achieve goals, and failing doesn’t usually mean as much. But Rich worries that avoiding the so-called school of hard knocks in lieu of the virtual world may have lasting implications for teens’ social skills. “Life is a process of putting yourself in progressively more complex and demanding social situations; it’s a series of small failures and restarts,” says Rich. “Online, kids aren’t only being denied that experiential learning, they’re also learning in an artificial environment with artificial rewards.”
To add fuel to the fire, adolescents are more vulnerable to addiction because of the way their brains develop, says Frances Jensen, MD, senior assistant in Neurology. Teen brains have both fast-growing synapses, which promote speedy and efficient learning, and an undeveloped frontal lobe—the area of the brain responsible for reasoning and judgment. In recent years, research has revealed that addiction is a function of learning and memory. “When you’re learning something new, your brain creates synapse connections,” explains Jensen. “With practice, the connections get stronger.” The same neurological response happens with addiction, and adolescents’ brains allow them to get addicted faster and more permanently than adults. “It’s a perfect storm,” says Jensen. “Their brains are making all these connections and they’re highly influenced by their environment. But they don’t have the judgment to say, ‘I’m spending too much time on the Internet, it’s making my grades go down.’ That sort of reflection requires insight and decision-making, which is all controlled by the frontal lobe.”
While researchers don’t fully know the impact of relentless online stimulation on the growing brain, a recent study of seventh-grade students in Taiwan suggests that kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more prone to Internet addiction.
The findings don’t come as a surprise to psychologist Michael Neessen, PsyD, co-director of Children’s ADHD Program. “Children with ADHD have trouble with self-regulation and distractibility,” he says. “The Internet provides the constant stimulation that they really thrive on.” Although the Internet can provide an astounding educational opportunity, it can pose challenges for kids with attention problems: While other kids may easily discern between a Web site that’s relevant to their homework and one that’s only tangentially related, kids with ADHD may struggle. “They’re more easily derailed,” he says.
But the news isn’t all bad. Neessen also emphasizes the Internet’s strengths for children with ADHD. “Many of them struggle to fit in socially,” he says. “When they’re online, they don’t get made fun of if they click on the wrong button or spell something wrong.” For every kid who uses electronic media, moderation is the key, he says. Simple time-management tools, like kitchen timers, can remind kids how long they’ve been online. Setting goals and expectations around appropriate Internet use can help ensure that it encourages learning and doesn’t impede a child’s social and school performance. |
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