Internet Addiction Proved to be Physically Harmful

Internet addiction, a controversial issue many health professionals have studied, has been linked to negative behaviors that, experts say, trouble certain youth.

Internet Addiction Alters Brain Structure

According to trained professionals in psychology and addiction, teens from this generation are predominantly the victims of thi classified…’impulse control disorder.’” Initially intended for entertainment purposes, the internet, as a study in China  concluded, has been the cause of aggressive and anti-social behaviors.  The study conducted “found evidence of disruption to "white matter" nerve fibers” which are crucial for cognitive developments; also seen in alcohol and drug addictions. This brain disruption is physically harmful and, as the study proves, can damage brain formation. 

What The Next Step Should Be

Although internet addiction has yet to in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) (a book of mental illnesses published by the American Psychiatric Association) it still has undergone extensive research. Experts say that the best remedy for any addicted teen is therapy; outpatient therapy has proved to be the most effective.

As more cases of this impulsive behavior is exposed, within the next few years we’ll be witnessing an influx of information that will improve our understanding of what it truly means to be a teen addicted to the internet.