Internet Addiction

Could You Be Addicted to the Internet?

Michael Dolan
By  and Medically Reviewed by 
Reviewed:
Medically Reviewed

Many of us know that feeling: Your eyes are glazed over, your back is hunched, you’re staring at a screen, and you just can’t seem to stop. If you spend so much time online — on a phone, computer, gaming platform, or other device — that it negatively affects your health, job, finances, or relationships, could that be considered an addiction?

Experts debate whether you can be addicted to the internet in the same way you can be addicted to substances. The term itself — internet addiction or internet addiction disorder — is controversial and is not currently listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which is the guide that practitioners use in diagnosing mental health conditions. Still, although it can be difficult to draw a distinction between addiction and problematic use of the internet, the compulsion to be online is increasingly becoming a recognized concern.

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) included a related condition known as gaming disorder in the 11th edition of their International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Gaming disorder is defined as “a pattern of gaming behavior (‘digital-gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”

Whether “internet addiction” constitutes a mental health disorder, excessive internet use clearly encourages unhealthy behaviors — often in the same way that recognized addictions do. If you’re concerned that you’re overdoing it, here are the signs to look for and ways to help manage being online.

RELATED: What Is Gaming Disorder, and Should You Be Worried About It?

Signs and Symptoms of Excessive Internet Use

Unhealthy internet use can have troubling effects, similar to those of substance abuse or a gambling addiction. Research published in 2012, for instance, noted that it “ruins lives by causing neurological complications, psychological disturbances, and social problems.”

People may spend excessive amounts of time engaged in the following activities online:

  • Gaming
  • Gambling
  • Trading stocks
  • Shopping for merchandise
  • “Shopping” for relationships on dating sites
  • Cybersex or pornography
  • Social media
  • Seeking information

Many of these activities can have serious repercussions, such as relationship problems or financial consequences, if you do them to excess.

Physical symptoms may include:

Emotional or behavioral symptoms may include:

  • Inability to prioritize or keep a schedule
  • Avoidance of work and negative effects on your school or job performance
  • Isolation and reduced involvement with your family or friends
  • Mood swings or feelings of anxiety, agitation, depression, or guilt

  • Loss of sleep and feelings of apathy
  • Preoccupation with being online, even when you’re offline
  • Taking steps to hide the extent of your computer or internet use or lying about time spent on your device

RELATED: Is Social Media Busting or Boosting Your Stress Levels?

Withdrawal Symptoms

Like addictive behaviors, excessive internet use has been shown to release dopamine in the brain.

This means people effectively feel a “high” when engaged online — but it also means they can feel “withdrawal symptoms” when they’re offline.
When people with excessive internet use stop engaging in the internet, they may initially feel depressed, irritable, anxious, or experience other mood symptoms. Interestingly, there’s been one case of a 25-year-old male developing a psychotic episode after discontinuing an internet game that he played for at least eight hours a day for two years.

Causes and Risk Factors of Excessive Internet Use

What is it about the internet that leads to overuse, and why do some people have a problem while others don’t? It could be because the internet is accessible, provides some measure of control to users, and often leaves users with a “high” feeling or sense of excitement that continually draws them back. The combination of these factors makes it difficult for some people to limit their time online.

It’s thought that addiction-like behavior with the internet is similar to impulse control disorders and gambling addiction.

A meta-analysis of research suggested an association between what the study authors describe as “internet addiction” and depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and problematic alcohol use.

Researchers also note that there’s increasing evidence of a genetic predisposition to addictive behaviors.

How Is This Condition Diagnosed?

As noted above, internet addiction is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5. But a variety of questionnaires have been created to determine if your internet use is unhealthy. Some of the questions include the following:

  • Are you preoccupied with using the internet?
  • Are you unable to resist your desire to use the internet?
  • Do you have to use the internet for certain amounts of time in order to feel satisfied? And is that amount of time increasing?
  • Do you try to decrease your online time over and over again, only to fail?
  • When you can’t use the internet, do you find yourself in a bad mood, anxious, or irritable?
  • Do you stay online for longer periods of time than you mean to?
  • Have you hidden from others the amount of time you spend online?
  • Do you have any problems with your school or job performance due to your internet use?
  • Has your internet use created relationship problems with family or friends?

Treatment Options

Rather than eliminating online time entirely, treatment for excessive internet use typically involves learning to set boundaries around internet use and reduce it to normal levels that allow you to function and maintain personal relationships. Research has shown that a combination of therapy, exercise, and possibly medication can be effective in reducing and controlling time spent online.

Treatment typically requires the aid of a therapist who can help you use the internet again in a healthy way.

A particular form of cognitive behavioral therapy — which aims to change negative, harmful thought patterns — was shown to be 95 percent effective over 12 weeks of treatment in one study with 128 participants.

If excessive internet use is complicated by a gambling disorder or substance abuse, you may require an intensive treatment program or, in some cases, even an inpatient treatment program.

Medication Options

In some cases, excessive internet use may be associated with mood disorders like anxiety and depression — and it’s unclear which is causing the other. While more and better research is needed, it appears that medications to treat these disorders, such as antidepressants, may ease symptoms. Examples of antidepressants for this include:

Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of such treatment to determine if this may be helpful for you.

Alternative and Complementary Therapies

Studies suggest that physical exercise may be an effective treatment. A meta-analysis published in 2020 noted that sports interventions can “significantly reduce internet addiction” and that exercise can substantially reduce the time spent online.

Prevention

Taking steps to manage your internet use could help you recognize a problem before it gets out of control. You might try the following:

  • Take breaks — for example, for every 45 minutes you’re online, go offline for 15 minutes.
  • In your free time, engage in activities that are physically intense or require enough concentration to distract you from thinking about going online.
  • Keep your smartphone or tablet at home when you leave the house.
  • Maintain a log of any internet use that isn’t related to school or work, and see if you notice patterns. Are you going online to relieve boredom, or feelings of loneliness?
  • Keep a list of things that you enjoy doing (or that you need to do) that don’t involve being online. When tempted to go online, choose an activity from your list instead.

Complications

Problematic internet use can have serious repercussions, such as relationship problems or financial consequences.

As noted above, a meta-analysis of research suggests that people who are preoccupied with the internet and show signs of “internet addiction” are also at greater risk for the following mental health concerns:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • ADHD
  • Problematic alcohol use
A study published in 2020 found that the odds of developing depression within six months for young adults who used social media more than 300 minutes per day were 2.8 times the odds for those on social media for fewer than 120 minutes per day.

Research and Statistics: How Common Is Excessive Internet Use?

A study released in 2019 showed that 31 percent of Americans claim they are online “almost constantly” due to increased smartphone usage.

And a study published in 2010 found that as many as 8.2 percent of Americans may suffer from what the study authors call “internet addiction” or excessive internet use.

Resources We Love

NetAddiction

Find information on treatment, recovery, and other educational resources at this website from The Center for Internet Addiction, founded in 1995 by Kimberly S. Young, a psychologist and noted researcher on the condition.

Books

Need a good way to get offline? Pick up a book! Here are two thought-provoking works on the subject:

Tech Stress: How Technology Is Hijacking Our Lives, Strategies for Coping, and Pragmatic Ergonomics, by Erik Peper, PhD; Richard Harvey, PhD; and Nancy Faass, offers practical tools and strategies to keep digital life from damaging your real life.

Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, by Adam Alter, a professor of psychology and marketing at New York University, looks at the rise of behavioral addiction and why it’s so hard to resist being online.

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

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