Pathological internet use in children and adolescents: Problem statement and Preventive strategies

Abstract

With the world turning into a global village, there is increasing connectivity with the help of the worldwide web or the internet. The concept of internet addiction (IA) first came up in 1996 when excessive internet use was compared to substance dependence. IA is now labeled as an “important global mental health problem”. IA is defined as overuse of internet, with subsequent impairment of individual’s psychological health, social interaction, and academic or occupational disturbance. IA is described as an umbrella term encompassing categories of cyber-sexual addiction, cyber-relationship addiction, net compulsions (online gambling, shopping or trading), information overload (compulsive searching of information or surfing the internet) and computer addiction (excessive gaming). Problematic internet use, pathological internet use are the lesser controversial terms used interchangeably with IA.