Internet addiction on college campuses is a growing
concern as more and more global studies are revealing. Find out which areas of
students’ lives technology addiction is affecting in particular and why the
college population is at risk.
Binge drinking and substance abuse are problems that are
consistently talked about on college campuses. However there is now another
problem popping up that despite rarely being addressed is also negatively
affecting students — internet addiction.
Because internet use is such an integral part of a
student’s day to day experience, problematic internet use can be easily
overlooked. Like substance addictions, internet addiction affects a student’s
ability to perform well academically, maintain healthy social relationships,
and impairs their overall mental and physical well-being.
What is Internet Addiction?
In order to understand how internet addiction on college
campuses is becoming a problem, it is first helpful to understand exactly
what the disorder is. Internet addiction
disorder is a broad term used to describe an individual’s
inability to control and limit internet use, which interferes seriously with
one’s ability to lead a healthy life.
Sometimes also referred to as Problematic Internet Use
Disorder or Compulsive Internet Use, the disorder can lead to serious mental
health problems and is related to depression, social phobias, problems
sleeping, and impaired schoolwork, work and home life.
The most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) has not yet classified internet addiction as
a clinical mental health problem, but lists it as a disorder that requires
further study. However, many addiction specialists find that their clients
struggle with internet use, and consider this a new channel for the expression
of addictive behaviour brought on by the disease of addiction.
Research is just beginning to define the scope of the
problem, but it can be helpful to view addiction to the internet in relation to
other process
addictions that
have already been studied further such as gambling addiction.
Process-based addictions occur when an individual becomes
addicted to a particular behaviour, such as gambling, sex, or eating, as
opposed to a substance. These behaviours trigger the brain’s reward system. For
some people, the repeated stimulation of the reward system with certain
behaviours, such as gambling or internet gaming can lead to changes in the
brain and ultimately addiction.
As the public becomes aware of problematic internet use,
more researchers are also interested in developing a greater understanding
about how problematic internet use effects people and develops into a
full-blown addiction.
Addiction to the Internet is
Interfering with College Students’ Relationships:
One of the most
recent research studies published in the India set
out to understand how students’ internet use affected their family
relationships. The study participants self-reported problematic internet use,
and spent at least 25 hours per week using the internet for purposes outside
schoolwork. The participants also reported experiencing at least some negative
consequences due to their internet use.
Through focus groups researchers found that while some
participants noted the internet had positive effects on their family
relationships, such as allowing them to stay connected to family members while
away at college, the majority of the conversations disclosed that the students’
problematic internet use caused family conflict and disconnectedness.
Students reported ignoring their family members in favour
of spending time on the computer and experiencing backlash from family members
in relation to their internet use. The researchers concluded that students are
using the internet compulsively and it is affecting their ability to foster
healthy family relationships.
College students can be particularly
vulnerable to developing an addiction to the internet due
to many factors such as the high expectation of internet use for coursework,
unlimited and uncensored internet access, its use as an easily accessible and
socially acceptable form of escapism from stress and pressure, and the
psychological and developmental characteristics of young adulthood.
When it comes to internet addiction on campus and its
potential problems, the United States is certainly not the only country
researching the effects of problematic internet use. Internet overuse and
addiction has become a concern of parents, faculty, and researchers at
universities around the world.
College Campuses Worldwide are Concerned
about Online Addiction:
Research is taking place on campuses worldwide to assess
how excessive internet use may be effecting students.
At Jamia Milia Islamia University researchers found that
internet addiction as assessed by Young’s Internet Addiction Scale, was prevalent amongst university students,
and positively correlated with depression. Another Indian study in Bengaluru,
the silicon valley of India, found that 34% of students experienced mild
addiction and 8% moderate addiction to the internet
based on Young’s scale, and the study hopes to support the
inclusion of internet addiction disorder in the DSM-VI.
Studies in Malaysia, China, and Taiwan also
document compulsive internet use as a growing problem amongst college students.
Because internet use is an expected and necessary aspect
of modern college education and communication, those who struggle with
problematic internet use may have difficulty reaching out and receiving help to
counter the negative effects they are experiencing.
How is Technology Addiction Treated?
While internet addiction is still in the early stages of
research, there are treatment options available. Internet
addiction treatment shares similarities with the treatment of
other process-based addictions such as gambling addiction.
Currently the treatment approach with the most empirical
support and acceptance in the field is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT
helps clients suffering from addiction change their thinking patterns and gain
the skills necessary to sustain addiction recovery.
At Shafa Home, in conjunction with CBT, we also use a
treatment model called Recovery Zones.
This model is particularly effective for addictions — such as internet
addiction — where complete abstinence is not realistic. It is hard to imagine
working and functioning in the modern world without accessing the internet or
using computers at all. Thus, with Recovery Zones methodology clients can
define a recovery baseline that includes the exact problematic behaviours that
would need to be abstained from.
The programme works by dividing the addictive behaviour
into three ‘zones’, active, slippery, and recovery. For each person these zones
will look different. For example, for someone whose internet addiction is based
around gaming, visiting gaming websites may fall into the slippery zone — an activity
that will likely lead back to the full blown addiction if not dealt with right
away.
This approach is simple and holistic, because whilst
still being a 12 step abstinence-based model it is much less ‘religious’
sounding than the traditional 12 Steps. The 12 Steps may be harder to relate to
for young people S which many internet addicts are. Recovery Zones offer a
different format — and blends extremely well with the CBT and Mindfulness
Meditation that we use here at Shafa Home
If your or a loved one’s internet or smartphone use seems
to be causing significant problems with life, feel free to consult one of our experienced internet addiction
experts on the best way to handle this issue.
Shafa Home is country’s premier
organization for treatment of alcohol/drug problems, de-addiction,
rehabilitation, counseling, treatment for females, nasha mukti , psychiatric
disorders and secondary addictions like gambling, internet etc.
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