FAQ: Is My Child Addicted to the Internet?
Matt Hannon
parents. Concerned parents sometimes see signs of addiction
everywhere. A teenage daughter plays Farmville late into the night.
Their son chats on Facebook all day with his friends, ignoring a pile
of overdue math homework. Are they addicted?
The answer to this question depends on your definition of addiction.
If a teen loves basketball and plays it for hours each day, would you
call her a “basketball addict”? Is an avid reader a “book addict”?
Also, should a medium ever be blamed for an addiction? Is someone who
looks at pornographic magazines a “magazine addict”?
Currently, the DSM-IV, the diagnostic manual that psychologists use to
label someone with a disorder, does not include any criteria for
Internet addiction. Some researchers have rewritten the criteria for
substance addiction or compulsive gambling to try to diagnose for
Internet addiction. For example, in the Kaltiala-Heino (2004) study of
teens, the researchers changed the words “is restless or irritable
when attempting to cut down or stop gambling” to “I snap, shout or get
irritated if I am bothered with other things when I am in the
Internet.” The research showed that less than 2% of teens were
classified as “addicted.” However, Kaltiala-Heinlo did self-report
surveys and did not use control groups, so there is not any empirical
evidence that shows that Internet addiction even exists.
Some teens that have impulse control problems or have signs of
obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)may develop habits of compulsively
checking their Facebook profiles or chatting with friends online.
In summary, we still don’t know what Internet addiction is. Most kids
who use the Internet for multiple hours each day just really like it,
but they are not addicted. If you are concerned about your child’s
constant Internet use, try to figure out if they just love using the
Internet (think “basketball addiction”) or if it points to a greater
compulsive problem like OCD. Moderation is important, and helping your
child find balance can be challenging. Please look at our downloadable
parent-child contracts in The Smart Parent's Guide to Facebook for
tips on how to set reasonable limits for your child.