Essay Example on Internet Addiction on Campus: A Growing Concern

The internet is perceived as the most suitable element in modern education and communication in colleges. However, continuous use of the internet has led to tremendous impacts on students, resulting in an addiction to computers and the internet. This leads to internet addiction. According to a study by Snyder, O'brient & Li, internet addiction is a new addiction on campus. Various studies conducted in recent times in colleges indicated that internet addiction has become a growing concern in modern education and overall personal development. Internet addiction refers to the excessive usage of the internet resulting in one's inability to control or limit its use and causing them not to lead a healthy life. This means that despite the internet being a reliable source for students in their coursework and projects, it may turn out to be addictive and result in negative impacts on the students. Most of the students in college are at their adolescent stage, which is usually a transition stage to adulthood. At this stage, the internet is a vital source of information and a faster and more efficient channel for communication. This increases its usage and results in addiction among the students. Various studies indicate that college students are the most vulnerable to the vice. Some of the adverse effects of internet addiction include reduced time spent on studies and research which reduces creativity, fewer family times, sedentary lifestyle, moral corruption and staying up late which results in poor sleeping patterns among others. It also contributes to serious effects on the mental and emotional health of the addicts, which may include anxiety, loneliness, and depression.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

In most cases, the effects of internet addiction are ignored by the students while others fail to understand its associated negative effects on their education and overall well-being. Therefore, internet addiction would result in more adverse conditions if counteractive measures are not established. Students are also required to learn how to overcome internet addiction by prioritizing their schoolwork over other activities that do not add value to their education and overall lives.

Some of the solutions to the problem include thinking about how your emotional health relates to internet usage; seeking help from a therapist or established organizations such as the Centre for Internet Addiction (CIA); seeking help from rehabilitation centers with trained professionals such as the Bradford regional medical center and ReStart which provide a myriad of treatment options for internet addictions. All these will help to treat the underlying psychological problem which is the root cause of internet addiction. Other steps include streamlining your internet usage by deleting useless accounts and turning off notifications; rationalizing your internet usage by making a plan and setting a timer on how long to spend on the internet. Living life off the internet is also a vital solution to internet addiction. This includes but not limited to throwing yourself into studies, spending more time with your friends and developing new hobbies that are not associated with the internet or technological devices such as a phone or a laptop.

The topic of internet addiction is not only vital to the affected college students but also for the non-victims, researchers, parents and counselors among other stakeholders. The victims would be able to understand the causes, effects, and solutions to internet addiction and take the necessary steps, non-victims would be able to control themselves, researchers would be able to understand the prevalence of the vice and establish long lasting impacts on the problem and the counselors will be able to understand the cognitive, psychological, emotional and social effects of the disorder and establish more effective ways of handling the victims.

Works cited

Snyder, O'Brien & Li. "There's A New Addiction On Campus: Problematic Internet Use (PIU)." The Conversation. N. p., 2016. Web. 6 Mar. 2019.