Language
Country/Area
No result found
The shocking truth about Internet addiction: Why are young people more vulnerable to it?
With the advent of the digital age, Internet addiction has received increasing attention, especially among the younger generation, where it has become a common phenomenon. According to surveys, more and more young people are suffering from multiple problems in their academic studies, mental health and social relationships due to excessive use of social media, online games, etc. Faced with these problems, we can't help but ask: What exactly makes it so easy for young people to fall into the quagmire of Internet addiction?
Internet addiction is a compulsive use of the Internet that, if continued for too long, can lead to impairment of individual functioning.
Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) refers to the impairment of people's life functions caused by Internet use, especially prolonged use of social media. According to research, young people are particularly vulnerable, and their academic performance is often affected by their addiction to the Internet. For example, some students sacrifice sleep by constantly scrolling through their phones at night, which eventually leads to more anxiety and insomnia.
Although the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5 and the World Health Organization's ICD-11 do not officially consider excessive Internet use as a mental illness, some specific Internet addiction behaviors, such as gaming addiction, have been Included in ICD-11. The debate in this area is whether Internet addiction should be considered a separate clinical condition or simply a manifestation of an underlying psychiatric disorder. Inconsistency regarding this definition complicates the development of evidence-based recommendations in this area.Excessive use of the Internet, especially dependence on social media, has a significant impact on mental health.
Many scholars have proposed various theoretical models to explain the factors that lead to Internet addiction. After more than two decades of research, the cognitive-behavioral model has been widely used to explain Internet addiction. However, new models developed in recent years, such as the Individual-Affective-Cognitive-Executive Interaction (I-PACE) model, are gradually being incorporated into clinical research.
"There is a strong correlation between social media use and teenage suicide rates." - Mental health experts say.
In 2020, the documentary "The Social Dilemma" aroused strong public concern about social media addiction, and many mental health experts and former employees of social media companies expressed concerns about the addictive nature of social media users. For example, when users haven’t logged into Facebook for a long time, the platform will lure them back through change notifications, making it difficult for users to stay away from social media.
In addition, studies show that the prevalence of Internet addiction has been on the rise since the outbreak of COVID-19. The stress and loneliness brought about by forced isolation have caused many people to overuse the Internet to seek relief and communication. Recent studies have pointed to a strong link between this behavior and mental health problems.
Long-term Internet addiction can lead to emotional detachment and social impairment, which has a heavy impact on adolescents.
In addition to psychological distress, Internet addicts often experience actual physical problems such as a weakened immune system, insomnia, and eyestrain. Different forms of Internet addiction can also have a serious impact on an individual's social life. For example, excessive use of social media often leads to the interruption of real-life relationships, gradually causing young people to prefer online communication and ignore face-to-face interactions.
We also cannot ignore the role of parents. Good communication between parents and children has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of young people developing Internet addiction. The results of the study show that children who communicate frequently with their parents are better able to self-regulate when faced with online temptations and avoid addiction.
However, many teenagers choose to immerse themselves in the virtual online world in the absence of social support. This not only fails to solve their inner loneliness, but may make the problem worse. How should we balance Internet use with real life? We need more discussion and understanding.
