People Addicted to the Internet - Essay Sample

Introduction

Spending too much time on the internet among users has become a health concern not only for the Western nations but also in many other parts of the world. About six percent of the global population suffers from internet addiction with Asia leading in the number of internet addicts. In the United States, definitive of statistics about the extent of the issue does not exist, but evidence shows that internet addiction is reaching crisis levels, especially among teens and young adults (Booth, 2017; Cheng & Li, 2014). Internet addiction causes severe health problems, including sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, cognitive malfunctions, decreasing psychological stability, and poor dietary quality, among others (Kim et al., 2010). With sedentary life, common behavior of internet addicts declared as a major contributor to the obesity crisis, and the number of people accessing the internet rising by the day, things could only get worse hence the urgent need to come up with viable mechanisms to avert a health catastrophe. Internet addiction could be effectively tackled through engagement in physical activities, staying close to family, social support, and creation of awareness.

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If the issue of internet addiction and its related adverse effects are to be addressed effectively, engaging in physical activity must be part and parcel of the package meant to deal with the problem. Participation of physical activities such as sports confers a lot of benefits to the individuals who are involved, including improved physical fitness and better blood circulation and better health. For internet addicts, physical activity reduces the amount of time one spends on the internet. That is to say, internet addiction is inversely related to internet addiction among youths and adolescents. This means that teens and adolescents who participate in physical activity reduce the adverse effects of internet addiction on their lives (Dang et al., 2018). When internet addicts spend some time engaging in physical activities, they create a new alternative for them to vent their emotions through healthy occupation as opposed to immersing themselves in online gaming or serving. With cyberbullying becoming a major cyber issue, participation in physical activities like sports could minimize the risks of exposure to internet devices thereby lowering the vulnerability to internet addiction significantly. Thus, it is crucial that physical activities are availed to internet addicts to provide them with an alternative course of action in dealing with emotional situations which motivate many of them into rushing to the internet for solutions.

The family could play a crucial role in addressing the problem of internet addiction in our society today. A study by Han, Lee, and Choi (2012) revealed that family therapy is an effective way of modifying the behaviors of youths and adolescents are addicted to internet use and online gaming. The researchers found that the severity of the adverse effects of online addiction is reduced when family therapy is used as a method of intervention, emphasizing the need for internet addicts to be helped to get more attached to with their families. The family is important to the lives of every human being because it is where people get love and emotional support not only when they are going about their routine duties but also in challenging moments in life. Such a comforting environment could be useful in equipping internet addicts with the ability to deal with problems that force them to engage in excessive use of the internet. For instance, family members can easily notice the change of behaviors within the family. Internet addicts may also be more willing to share information with family members than individuals unrelated to them. For this reason, involving the family in addressing addicts' problems can help mitigate the crisis of internet addiction.

Closely related to family support is the provision of social support to people suffering from internet addiction to enable them to lead normal lives. Social support in dealing with internet addiction among people of various age groups has been found to beneficial in many ways. According to studies, social support is an effective way of dealing with addiction, especially when one has become a victim and they are attempting to the life of non-dependency on the internet in relieving their emotions whenever they feel that they are free to do so. These studies have shown that people with social support have lower scores on internet addiction as opposed to those who do not receive social support (Rosenthal, Cha, & Clark, 2018). The lower scores for people who access social support can be due to the advantages that support platform offers to the affected persons. Unlike family therapy, social support is offered both informational and emotional treatment to the victims of internet addiction. For instance, it provides an opportunity for people who are recovering from internet addiction to share their experiences with others which can, in turn, help in the recovery process. Moreover, social support forums provide information on the dangers of excessive internet use and ways of identifying behaviors that show signs of internet addiction. Since social support generates positive outcomes in addressing both the individuals are risk and victims, it is essential that it is applied in fighting against internet addiction.

Besides approaches that target persons that have been identified as victims of internet addiction, creating awareness for people to develop personal behaviors could as well be effective in addressing the internet addiction crisis. Addiction develops from overreliant behavior on the internet. For this reason, modifying patterns of behaviors to embrace timelines and personal discipline regarding computer and smartphone access could be useful in preventing people from becoming heavy internet users and potential addicts. Creating awareness that addiction is dangerous and there is a need to institute personal measures to control the time spent on the internet and also the time such access takes place (Cosslett, 2017). For instance, one may use specific times on the specific times to access the internet for a long a time and also plan that internet access to be restricted beyond certain period. The case of family time and other activities such as meeting friends could assist people who are exposed to addiction. The advantage with creating awareness for the modification of internet access schedules so that internet use is regulated is that it is proactive. In other words, it seeks to reduce the risks of people who are exposed to drug addiction and underscores the need for personal awareness in dealing with internet addiction.

For stakeholders to deal with the issue of people getting addicted to the use of the internet, it can be concluded that providing medical and psychosocial interventions could address internet addiction effectively. Offering family therapy allows families to play an active role in supporting their loved ones during recovery. Engaging in physical activity provides youths and adolescents with the best alternatives to spend their time as well as vent emotions which they would have otherwise spent less beneficial activities on the internet. Furthermore, social support helps addicts and other interested parties to share addiction experiences and also learn how to deal with challenges. Most importantly, creating awareness about the necessity to develop personal behaviors that discourage heavy use of the internet regardless of whether they are working on job stations or relaxing with their smartphones. Overall, if internet addiction is to be addressed adequately, a multi-perspective approach should be employed because the problem covers all segments of society.

References

Booth, B. (2017, October 19). Internet addiction is sweeping America, affecting millions. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/29/us-addresses-internet-addiction-with-funded-research.html

Cheng, C., & Li, A. Y. (2014). Internet addiction prevalence and quality of (real) life: A meta-analysis of 31 nations across seven world regions. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(12), 755-760. doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0317

Cosslett, R. L. (2017). Five ways to curb your internet use and get your life back. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/09/5-ways-internet-use-web-addiction

Dang, A. K., Nathan, N., Le, Q. N., Nguyen, L. H., Nguyen, H. L., Nguyen, C. T., ... Ho, R. C. (2018). Associations between internet addiction and physical activity among Vietnamese youths and adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 36-40. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.06.030

Han, D., Lee, Y., & Choi, T. (2012). The effect of family therapy on the changes in the severity of online game play and brain activity in adolescents with online game addiction. Neuropsychiatry of Childhood and Adolescence, 60(5), 126-131. doi:10.1016/j.neurenf.2012.04.346

Kim, Y., Park, J. Y., Kim, S. B., Jung, I., Lim, Y. S., & Kim, J. (2010). The effects of Internet addiction on the lifestyle and dietary behavior of Korean adolescents. Nutrition Research and Practice, 4(1), 51. doi:10.4162/nrp.2010.4.1.51

Rosenthal, S. R., Cha, Y., & Clark, M. A. (2018). The internet addiction test in a young adult U.S. population. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(10), 661-666. doi:10.1089/cyber.2018.0143