Internet Addiction documentary shows Chinese boot-camp-style treatment

China's Web Junkies - Internet Addiction Documentary by the NYTimes about a Chinese boot-camp-style treatment center for young men "addicted" to the Internet. Read the story here: http://nyti.ms/1moCt4h



Compulsive Internet use has been categorized as a mental health issue in many countries, including the United States, but China was among the first to label “Internet addiction” a clinical disorder. This video shows the inner workings of a rehabilitation center where Chinese teenagers are “deprogrammed.”

There are now hundreds of treatment programs throughout China and South Korea. The first inpatient Internet addiction program in the United States recently opened in Pennsylvania. Here is the link to the CNN story about the program.

Is Internet addiction real?

According to The New York Times, Internet addiction affects 10 percent of the web users in the U.S. The so-called "Onlineaholics" spend endless hours surfing the web to the point that their Internet activity disturbs their daily life.

 A growing number of therapists are treating web addicts with the 12-step programs, used to treat chemical addictions. The condition is not officially recognized as a psychiatric disorder and insurance companies do not pay for treatment.

 The University of Massachusetts, Lowell has more information on the Internet addiction disorder: Take an Internet Addiction Survey Online

Online social networking may 'harm health' due to reduction of face-to-face contact

Aric Sigman pubslished his "warning" in Biologist, the journal of the Institute of Biology (click here for the original PDF). From BBC:

• Lack of face-to-face networking could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance
  
  
• Number of hours people spend interacting face-to-face has fallen dramatically since 1987, as the use of electronic media has increased
  
  
• "One of the most pronounced changes in the daily habits of British citizens is a reduction in the number of minutes per day that they interact with another human being," he said.
  
  
• "In less than two decades, the number of people saying there is no-one with whom they discuss important matters nearly tripled."

"Netiquette" and married couples

From the study:

Men are more associated with activities that have been associated with internet addiction. Men usually take more risks in their online activity.

Women are more likely to have lower computer self-efficacy and less positive internet attitudes. Women are more aware of privacy and economic risks in online transactions.

6% of married internet users have met their partner online.

In 30% of the couples at least one person checked their partner’s emails or read their partner’s SMS messages without them knowing. In 20% of the couples at least one the partners had checked their spouse’s browser history.

References:

Hooked on the Web: Help Is on the Way. NYTimes, published: December 1, 2005
Is Internet addiction real? American Psychological Association
Netiquette within married couples
Helsper, E., & Whitty, M. (2010). Netiquette within married couples: Agreement about acceptable online behavior and surveillance between partners Computers in Human Behavior DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2010.02.006
Online networking 'harms health.' BBC.

Twitter addiction: Could you get by without Twitter?

From BBC:

A popstar gave up on social networking after a dinner party at which she realised she spent more time updating Twitter than interacting with her companions.

Online communities like Twitter, where people follow each other without being acquainted in real life, can be brutal: "If you're going to broadcast as a tweeter then you need to be thick skinned," says Dr Yeung, "If you're the kind of person who takes things personally, opening yourself up to criticism from strangers is not a good idea."

A Twitter user: "I could not fully concentrate on anything for longer than 20 minutes," says Carolyn. I simply had to check and update the feed. What if someone had asked a question of me? What if there was an interesting piece of information related to our experiment that I could read? It was highly distracting and I felt genuinely anxious."

"Everybody craves information," says applied psychologist Dr Lucy Atcheson, "It's what makes the world interesting. But you have to ask whether you need it all. Twitter has an element of making people feel important."

"You can get addicted to thinking that somebody is interested in your every move. You have this idea that there is a virtual audience. But when are you tweeting information, and when is it just vanity?"

References:
Could you get by without Twitter? BBC.