Only a handful of research has been undertaken so far about the symptoms of Internet addiction. I have gathered a few major points that may give you a clear signal if someone is addicted to the Internet. You can use the following points as a reference to identify if you, your kids or anyone you care about have fallen victim to the Internet addiction.
- Salience – when going online or playing games become the most important part of the kids or adult’s life, you will understand that they person is addicted to Internet.
- Euphoria- the Internet addicted person will experience a state of euphoria when they visit their favorite website or play their favorite games. Does using Internet make you feel euphoric?
- Lack of self-control- if a person has less self-control over his emotion than he used to have before is a sign that he or she is an Internet addict.
- Neglecting friends or family- if a person has started neglecting his friends and family ever since he has started spending longer hours playing games or browsing Internet.
- Withdrawal from other activity- an addicted person may withdraw from his or her usual or normal daily activities.
- Crave to go online- when a person craves to go online and become restless when Internet goes down or device not working. Do you feel stressed or irritable when you stop going online.
- Feeling guilty- this is a feeling that only the addicted person will feel because they will realize that they are spending unusually longer hours in the Internet, neglecting their other responsibilities.
- Change in sleep pattern- a change in sleep pattern occurs when a person starts using Internet excessively.
- Physical stress- a person may experience weight gain or lose, headaches, backaches or carpal tunnel when he start staying longer period in sedentary activity.
- Interfere with other activities. – Due to extra hours spending on the Internet a person may find less time for his daily responsibilities.
- When a person use Internet as an escape from your depression or any other problems?
No one can deny that we need technology to solve our daily life problems, and the Internet has contributed a lot to make knowledge freely available and easily accessible to anyone who has Internet connection. However, everything has it pros and cons. When using Internet you should keep it mind how it is adding value to your life and to what extent. Is too much Internet usage causing any issue to your life? If so, pay attention to what you usually do in the Internet and seek help, if necessary, to cut down the time spend on Internet.
