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Is the Internet Addictive?

The internet seems to have become so much part of our lives that we see nothing wrong with sitting in front of our screens for several hours a day, paying our bills, chatting to friends and doing our weekly shopping. However, there are some people who sit for entire days and nights, surfing mindlessly from site to site. Experts are debating whether these people could be correctly classified as ?addicted to the internet?.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has given the green light to an Arlington, Va. group to add internet addiction to its list of psychological disorders in its diagnostic manual. Experts are divided when it comes to deciding whether internet addiction constitutes a psychological disorder. Some say that the problem is simply a disorder and not a true addiction, since addiction refers to the need for a habit-forming substance. Given the virtual nature of the internet, it is doubtful whether it can be termed as a substance.

Some experts claim that addiction to the internet is simply impossible, mainly because the internet is a specific environment and, technically, people cannot become addicted to an environment. However experts decide to term the problem, the fact remains that millions of people around the world suffer from behavioral problems associated with too much internet, including compulsive gambling, overspending and anti-social behavior. A solution needs to be found to these problems, including encouraging people to pursue other interests and encouraging live social pastimes.