Addiction to new
technologies
Definition
• Computer addiction is an obsessive
addiction to computer use sometimes
known as Dependency.
• A variation of computer addiction is the
Internet addiction disorder, which
suggests that people can not only be
addicted to an object, such as a computer,
but also an environment, that is, the
Internet
How to spot it
• With the high use of computers these
days, it has become difficult to
distinguish people who are ‘highly
engaged’ in their computer use from
those who could be considered truly
addicted
• The definition of ‘true computer
addiction’ is not widely agreed upon
Signs that indicate a possible
problem
• Sleep patterns
– Going to sleep later than normal and waking
later
– Feeling tired in the morning
• Irritability when not using the computer
– For example, often being preoccupied thinking
about the computer and the things done on it
– Can become angry if told to stop using it
Signs that indicate a possible
problem
• Feelings of guilt about computer use
– Attempts to hide evidence of, for
example, gaming/porn purchases
– Attempts to hide evidence of online
activities by, for example, deleting the
cache, using encryption/passwords
– Logging onto the computer secretly
– Being defensive when confronted
Signs that indicate a possible
problem
• Nightmares or dreams about gaming/computer
use
• Social dropouts
– Becoming more isolated by the computer use
– This is seen when there is a consistent pattern of
sacrificing real-life relationships to preserve virtual ones
– Alternatively, seeming to prefer living in virtual worlds
more than the real one
– becoming NEETs - 'Not in Employment, Education, or
Training'
Signs that indicate a possible
problem
• Spending an ever-increasing number
of hours online
• Spending time in activities related to
Internet use – for example, reading
books and magazines about it and
trying out new software
• Mixing with fewer friends
Signs that indicate a possible
problem
• Less communication with the family
• Symptoms of depression which include a
depressed mood most of the day, less of
an interest in activities, insomnia, fatigue,
feelings of worthlessness and a diminished
ability to think or concentrate
• Giving up social, work or recreational
activities in order to spend time on the
Internet
Signs that indicate a possible
problem
• Giving the computer and the Internet
more importance in their life than is
warranted
• Defending their right to use the computer
as much as they want
• Thinking and talking about the Internet
when they are doing something else
How big is the problem?
• No formal studies have been published but
a Harris Interactive poll released in April
2007 found that:
– 8.5% of ‘youth gamers’ in the United States
could be "classified as pathological or clinically
'addicted' to playing video games”
• A British survey reported in November
2006 indicated that 12% of polled gamers
exhibit addictive behaviours
How big is the problem?
• Video game overuse is believed to be
more of a problem in Asia - a
governmental survey in South Korea
estimated that 2.4% of South
Koreans aged 9 to 39 are addicts,
with 10.2 percent more "borderline
cases”
How big is the problem?
• Some experts reckon that up to 10% of all
online Americans are addicted to the
Internet
• Children are more vulnerable to addiction
than adults and seem to be very easily
hooked into online games and
pornography
• And, most worryingly, the younger they
are, the more vulnerable they are
How big is the problem?
• In the USA the problem has got to
the point where the American
Psychiatric Association has actually
defined a medical condition they call
Internet Addiction Disorder
• Some kids spend between six and
twenty hours a day sat in front of the
computer
How big is the problem?
• A 2005 survey by the
Entertainment
Software Association
found that "video
game overuse" was
more common in
players of MMORPGs Massively multiplayer
online role-playing
game
• Ultima Online is an
example
How big is the problem?
• An expert in this field,
Dr Maressa Orzack of
McLean Hospital in
Belmont,
Massachusetts
estimates that 40% of
the 8.5 million players
of MMORPG World of
Warcraft are addicted
Males are most at risk
• A 2008 Study by Stanford
University School of Medicine
suggests that video game
addiction in men may be
more common than women
when the game concept
revolves around territorial
control
• The researchers have shown
that the part of the brain that
generates rewarding feelings
is more activated in men than
women during video-game
play
In-built addiction
• Addictive games lure players with complex
systems of goals and achievements
• EverQuest, for example, has players
engage in activities to develop their
characters from one level to the next
• Players can find themselves wrapped up in
the game for hours as they struggle to
gain one more skill or weapon
In-built addiction
• Each goal leads to another goal, and
there are critical choices to be made
along the way
• People invest a lot of time and
thought into developing a character
and often feel like they've wasted
their time unless they reach the next
goal
Possible causes
• Children who overuse the Internet
often do so to alleviate boredom and
as an escape from their problems
• Many children who have a problem
mixing with other kids turn to
computers and the Internet as a
source of entertainment and social
contact
Possible causes
• Many online games addicts are lonely
and have never felt like they
belonged - they get a sense of
belonging through the games
• Most online games include chat
rooms which allow players to interact
with each other in the guise of the
characters they represent
Possible causes
• It’s more than just mere fun than users get - many video
games can satisfy some basic psychological needs and
often players continue to play because of rewards, freedom,
and often a connection with other players
• It can be caused by psychological problems such as
antisocial disorder, depression, and phobias such as social
phobia
• Many addicts want a way to escape reality and then find
that they can create a whole new persona on an online
game and live their life through their new online personality
Possible causes
• Through this they can start to like
fantasy life more than reality due to
newfound friends and power, and
thus, refuse to be drawn away from
it
• Many experts believe it needs to be
treated on the same level as a drug
addiction
What you can do to help
• Do not 'cut the cord' unless in a
rehab-like setting
– Cutting the person off can produce
worse outcomes such as drug use,
violence, and depression)
• Some experts advocate a 'retreat' or
rehab-like setting for a minimum of 2
weeks
What you can do to help
• Put the computer in a public place such as the living room
or kitchen so that they will find it more difficult to spend
hours online
• Get the child to acknowledge that they have a problem and
that their behaviour is not helping them
• As with other types of addiction, try to find out what the
difficulty is that is at the root of things - perhaps surfing is
serving as an escape from an everyday life problem
• Together devise and put into action a plan to sort out the
real problem, rather than trying to escape it
What you can do to help
• Then get them to take steps to resolve the
addiction itself - a gradual decline in use is
best until a sensible amount of time is
reached
• A systematic plan for breaking habits is
useful
– So if, for example, they come straight in from
school and log on, get them into the habit of
eating and then doing their homework before
going online
What you can do to help
• Get them to set goals for themselves for gradually reducing
their hours. Also get them to set targets for what they want
to accomplish each time they go online so that they do not
log on and surf aimlessly
• Teach them how to manage their urge to go online.
– So each time they feel that strong urge get them to sit quietly
and experience it. If they do that the urge will eventually pass
and they will feel fine again. Eventually they will form a new
habit of responding to the urge
• Visit the website www.netaddiction.com for information and
advice
Treatment centres
• Some countries, like South Korea, have
responded to the perceived threat of video game
addiction by opening treatment centres
• The Chinese government operates several clinics
to treat those addicted to online games, chatting
and web surfing - treatment for the patients,
most of whom have been forced to attend by
parents or government officials, include various
forms of pain, or uneasiness
Treatment centres
• In June of 2006, the Smith and Jones
clinic in Amsterdam became the first
treatment facility in Europe to offer a
residential treatment program for
compulsive gamers
• McLean Hospital in Belmont,
Massachusetts has set up Computer
Addiction Services
Treatment research
• Research in treatment area is still in the
preliminary stages because few clinical
trials and no meta-analyses have been
done to evaluate treatment for this type of
addiction
• As with other addictions or dependencies,
the most effective treatments are a
combination of psychopharmacology and
psychotherapy - 12 step programs have
also shown promise