Teen Internet Addiction

Not that parent’s really welcome hearing about yet another addiction problem in addition to the worries brought on by the constant concerns about teen drug substance abuse, but, hey, you are here for information and though it is exhausting to hear of yet another problem, this one is a bit easier to control. It’s called the internet and parents do have power over the plug. The internet is indeed addicting for many people. The reasons for that don’t actually differ much from those that are given to explain drug addiction; the rush from winning in video game battles, the rush of winning at gambling. Or the loneliness that propels teenagers to search for “someone” on line, just like it sends them seeking comfort in drugs. Addictions are symptoms. Be it addiction to internet chat rooms or a dime bag, when it starts eating away the addict’s life, is needs attention. But how bad can internet addiction be? Well one report out of China claimed that “a 30-year-old man in Southern China dropped dead in an Internet cafe, apparently from exhaustion, after playing an Internet video game for three days.”

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A 12 year old describes his video game addiction: “Last summer, I used to stay here from when it opened to when it closed,” said Corey, a 12- year-old from Amherst. He went through hundreds of dollars he’d been given by relatives and, after that, started taking money out of the change jar at home. He spent so much time there he earned special rewards as a V.I.P. player — until his parents grounded him. “It’s, like, addicting. I don’t know,” Corey said.” (unknown source By Ann Walker