Report: Teen Internet Addicts Likely to Self-Harm
It's another "Internet Iz Bad 4 U" study, this time directing the doomsayer claims to "addicted" teens.
An Australian-Chinese study recently discovered that teenagers who are "addicted" to the Internet are more likely to hurt themselves than casual surfers. The study consisted of 1,618 teens aged 13 to 18 from China's Guangdong Province who apparently hit themselves, pulled their hair, and even purposely burned parts of their body when Internet access was severed.
"In recent years, with the greater availability of the Internet in most Asian countries, Internet addiction has become an increasing mental problem among adolescents," the study's researchers reported in the journal Injury Prevention. "Many studies have reported associations between Internet addiction, psychiatric symptoms, and depression among adolescents."
The study, helmed by Dr. Lawrence Lam from the University of Notre Dame, Australia, determined that 10-percent of the students surveyed were "moderately" addicted. Those that were "severely" addicted consisted of less than one-percent of the teens. The study also reports that moderately addicted teens are 2.4 times more likely to hurt themselves than non-addicted teens.
So how can you tell if a teen is addicted? Besides the fact that their faces are planted in front of the monitor every breathing moment, there are various signs pointing the way: depression, nervousness, and moodiness when not online (which soon disappear once the teen is back online). According to Reuters, other signs of Internet addiction include fantasizing or staying preoccupied about being online.
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I heard some kid didn't leave his house for 3 years and had hair over a metre long, while others wear diapers so they don't need to "waste time" going to the toilet. Some people are are so FUBAR. I guess every culture has their own unique addiction problems. I'm sure the Chinese would be shocked if they saw what many Westerners are willing to risk just to send a text message or tweet on their phone.
emo? lol
lol .... just being here and reading this article, will automatically make us all fit that description .... so what else is new ?.......
Question should be is the internet addiction the cause or just another symptom of some other mental problems
Wait, I'm addicted?!?!?! BRB gonna go cut myself now...
Too many emo kids spend too much time online i guess
My question is:
Is there a cultural bias? I'm aware that some Chinese "internet addicts" have died in "rehabilitation camps." It not unusual that some treat mental failings with physical pain?
Good thing I'm not a teenager anymore.
China needs to recall their law made a month ago that banned the beating of internet addicts...
China needs to recall their law made a month ago that banned the beating of internet addicts...
This is like stating that we should legalize prostitution in order to stop masturbation.
Not only is it stupid, it's also wrong.
Some people I swear. Imstil laddicted to the internet and Ill be turnin 21 soon...Addicted since 16.
Even though Im still addicted I still have a social life,I skateboard and ride bikes.Take trips down Psychedelic road once in a while with my buds...Nothing out of the normal.Just spend most....all pretty much of my time when at home.
Majority is spent on PC games though.
There is a lot of interesting things happening online but I don't see how you can become addicted? Are we talking about facebook or COD or neurotically reading wikipedia?
If you call on your kid for dinner and becomes depressed are you sure you aren't the problem? or more seriously, maybe school or job sucks?
Wow burned themselves? Pulled out hair? Shit when my internet went out all I did was get high, crazy azns..
Well, I;m addicted, so?
Is my addiction harmful? Sometimes, yes. Most times, it can be neneficial.
I'm also addicted to food.
I find them both needed in my modern life. I admit I have an addiciton, but I refuse to admit it's going to ruin my life...
Think there's a lot of "noise" in statistics like that.
Last year I cut a wrist by accident while fixing a LCD display. Sure if I didn't care about internet and computers that wouldn't happen, but that's my job!
Also my hair is long. Not for laziness but because I like it.
Concerning diapers... Several disabled people wear them so I guess it's more like real problem than addiction.
I'm probably addicted to the internet. I can't remember the last time I was offline for more than a few hours.
This is just pitiful...i think it's just disgusting how our civilization has developed so now things that thing that were never problems in the past have become problems.
I stay online on the for watching the science documentaries that i like,to troubleshoot some PC problems ,when they came out,and to find info when i need.I lost my job some days ago,and till i find something else i spend some extra hour online.I don't do "social networking" or likewise. I found allot of uses for Internet and i do profit from these uses when is possible. I am addicted?
this just in! :
Report: Drug Addicts Teen Likely to Self-Harm
Report: Depressed Teen Likely to Self-Harm
Report: Emo Teen Likely to Self-Harm
Report: Mentally unstable Teen Likely to Self-Harm
why do they always blame the 'mysterious' magic internet, computers, and games.
Any teen has jus as likely of a chance of getting the age old "the world doesn't understand me!" phase as any other.
Its been going on for ages.
just now officials can use the internet as a resource to gather info, and computers to do the research, saying those things in themselves are harmful for teens.
Next thing we will see
"Teen goes on 10 man killing spree after strolling near a best buy, computer must be linked to the kills somehow!"
Self-harm how? By over masturbating? I didn't read the article.
Depressed, moody teens. Are you shitting me? They've been around for a lot longer than computers. Dumb study by dumb people. Flawed statistics with poor conclusions. I see these all the time, even from respectable news agencies. And stupid people believe them.
Self-harm how? By over masturbating? I didn't read the article.
You can't self harm by over masturbating. I'm living proof.
internet people are all emos!!! i new it!!!
being angry at the isp for probable severance of internet connection, is totally different, than regular surfing of the internet and hurting one self
A long long time ago when I was a kid I was addicted to a tiny Sony transistor radio that cost $2.00 and fit in my shirt pocket. Somehow I survived!
Internet is not the one to blame. Their parents who allow them to spend too much time in front of the PC at early age and don`t know how to raise them. I haven`t been "raise" by my parents... more by myself in the library ... My mother was too busy working her ass off and running from my drunk and violent father carrying us with her to do that. But I turn out quite a mature and calculated person even though I am kinda addicted to the internet. but my will is strong `cause I`ve trained it and I can survive without it. but why when I can filter the information flow and pick what is good?
For many the internet is an escape from their own lives, so it should come as no surprise that an addict of any kind is more likely to exhibit self-destructive behavior and symptoms of depression.
What's the story on the clearly terrible parents in these stories? The internet wasn't around much when I was a kid, but TV was, and my mother put a clear strict limit on how much time each day I could spend watching it. When we did get internet (dialup) the same kind of limits were applied.
There's nothing new here except trends in really bad parenting.
thats what happens when you play too much crysis
If they don't get addicted to the internet, it'll be something else. Addictive personalities will always find something to obsess about, I don't believe there's much of a real cure.
I'm addicted to the internet but if i hurt myself I won't be able to get on !
I would personally appreciate having the original source to look at. I am wondering if an effect size was calculated and if so, what that was. Additionally, how do the percentages break down in terms of different self-injurious behaviors? For example, how many burnt or hit themselves versus how many actually cut?
Everyone, IMHO, should be mindful that the sample used was taken only from China, which therefore invalidates its generalizability to the U.S.A.
And once again, the Internet allows the "bigger problems of society/world" to stare us right in the face- teens need to be guided and parented, and talked to, in order to explore their feelings and thoughts and see what is happening and wrong- and it would be a great idea, IMHO, to take this information and apply it to society and say "hey, our kids need help; and although parents aren't always 100% the problem, neither is the Internet. Both play a role in exacerbating the problem, so let's work on the problem (which is, OUR teens need help, e.g., psychoeducation, therapy, parenting!)."