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Dr. Kimberly Young's Page

Dr. Kimberly Young
Online Gaming and Internet Addiction
Dr. Kimberly Young is an internationally known expert on Internet addiction and online behavior. Founded in 1995, she serves as the director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery (www.netaddiction.com) and travels nationally conducting seminars on the impact of the Internet on individuals, couples, and families. She is the author of Caught in the Net, the first book to address Internet addiction, translated in six languages, Tangled in the Web, and her most recent book, Breaking Free of the Web: Catholics and Internet addiction published by St. Anthony's Messenger Press. She is a professor at St. Bonaventure University and has published over 40 articles on the impact of online abuse and served as an expert for the Child Online Protection Congressional Commission. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, CBS News, Fox News, Good Morning America, and ABC’s World News Tonight. In 2001 and 2004, she received the Psychology in the Media Award from the Pennsylvania Psychological Association and in 2000 she received the Alumni Ambassador of the Year Award for Outstanding Achievement from Indiana University at Pennsylvania

Q & A

China and Internet Addiction

2/22/2008 12:00:00 AM - Permalink

What is the environmental difference between China and other countries that makes internet addiction so prevalent there? - Steve

According to my colleague who is the assistant director of the Internet Addiction Recovery Centers in China, young people aged 25 and below are most at risk for internet addiction. What is happening in China now is that online games have become increasingly the most common form of entertainment among young people. This is completely differently from the time when he grew up (about 30-40 years ago), during then they mostly played out-door games and are mostly group-oriented (e.g., card game, chess) and physical in nature (e.g., playing hide-and-seek). Now, online games have the following advantages over other non-online games. They can be accessed at any time; they can be played for as long as one wishes; they are highly self-rewarding; and they are highly stimulating.

These are common problems in any country but from what I understand the issue is much more public in China, as many do not own personal computers, so they go to Internet Cafes to play. When you compare this to American, most people in the US have easy access to home computers, where the problem is much more hidden. The American Medical Association has considered calling videogame overuse an addiction at the annual policy meeting, so the problem is very significant here as well as in China. The real issue is that the Chinese Government has been highly proactive and controls the healthcare system as compared to the US, so change is slower although we have identified online gaming as a serious problem.

Madden Gaming Addiction

2/22/2008 12:00:00 AM - Permalink

I play Madden a lot. I would say I am online playing 5-6 hours a day. At what point would I be considered of having a problem? - Dave

Gamers who become hooked show clear signs of addiction. Like a drug, gamers who play almost every day, play for extended periods of time (over 4 hours), get restless or irritable if they can’t play, and sacrifice other social activities just to game are showing signs of addiction. Common warning signs include:

A preoccupation with gaming
Lying or hiding gaming use
Disobedience at time limits
Loss of interest in other activities
Social withdrawal from family and friends
Psychological withdrawal from the game
Using gaming as an escape
Continuing to game despite its consequences

The addiction process begins with a preoccupation with gaming. Gamers will think about the game when offline and often fantasize about playing the game when they should be concentrating on other things. Instead of thinking about the paper that needs to be completed for school, or going to class, or studying at the library, the gamer becomes completely focused on playing the game. Gamers start to miss deadlines, neglect work or social activities as being online and playing the game becomes their main priority. Some gamers spend days and nights online. They don’t eat, sleep, or take a shower because of the game. They lie to family and friends about what they are really doing on the computer. Students tell their parents that they are doing their homework, spouses tell their family that they are using the computer for work, and friends will make up excuses for why they can’t go out – all to find more time to play the game. If you find yourself engaged in any of these behaviors it may be pointing to an addiction.

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Articles

What is Internet Addiction?

9/12/2007 - Permalink

Cybersexual Addiction – Individuals who suffer from Cybersex/Internet pornography addiction are typically engaged in viewing, downloading, and trading online pornography or involved in adult fantasy role-play chat rooms.
Cyber-Relational Addiction – Individuals who suffer from an addiction to chat rooms, IM, or social networking sites become over-involved in online relationships or may engage in virtual adultery. Online friends quickly become more important to the individual often at the expense of real life relationships with family and friends. In many instances, this will lead to marital discord and family instability.
Net Compulsions – addictions to online gaming, online gambling, and eBay are fast becoming new mental problems in the post-Internet Era. With the instant access to virtual casinos, interactive games, and eBay, addicts loose excessive amounts of money and even disrupt other job-related duties or significant relationships.
Information Overload – The wealth of data available on the World Wide Web has created a new type of compulsive behavior regarding excessive web surfing and database searches. Individuals will spend greater amounts of time searching and collecting data from the web and organizing information. Obsessive compulsive tendencies and reduced work productivity are typically associated with this behavior.
Computer Addiction – In the 80s, computer games such as Solitaire and Minesweeper were programmed into computers and researchers found that obsessive computer game playing became problematic in organizational settings as employees spent most days playing rather than working. These games are not interactive nor played online.

Based upon the DSM, Dr. Kimberly Young developed eight criteria to diagnose Internet addiction:

Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (think about previous online activity or anticipate next online session)?
Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?
Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use?
Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?
Do you stay on-line longer than originally intended?
Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?
Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet?
Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)?

Answering "yes" to five or more questions may mean you suffer from Internet addiction over a six month period and when not better accounted for by a manic episode. Internet addiction is a global problem and according to studies at the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery:

71% of office workers abuse the Internet during work hours visiting social networking sites, shopping online, reading personal email, or visiting pornography, gaming, or gambling sites.
Individuals who suffer from depression, anxiety-disorders, social phobia, and other compulsive disorders are more likely to develop Internet addiction.
Cybersex addiction, online affairs, and online gaming are the most common forms of Internet addiction.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective form of treatment for Internet addiction.
Internet predators are twice as likely to suffer from Internet addiction.
Children who suffer from Internet addiction are more likely to suffer from depression, experience academic and social problems at school, and are at greater risk to develop physical illnesses, obesity, and carpel tunnel syndrome.

According to the Stanford University School of Medicine Study, 1 out of 8 Americans suffer from Internet Addiction, 14% of respondents found it hard to abstain from Internet use for several days; 5.9% said excessive Internet use affected their relationships; 8.2% said the Internet was a means of escape from the real world.

According to the Chinese Government, approximately 13 % of Chinese teenagers suffer from Internet addiction and they have banned the opening of Internet cafes for the year 2007

The Government of China funded a military-style boot camp to combat the disease. Patients are males between 14 and 19 years old. This China boot camp reports a 70% recovery rate and over 1,500 young who have received treatment at this facility operating since 2004.

In Germany, estimates suggest that close to 1 million people are addicted to the Internet, or about 3 percent of the German online population. In 2003, the German social security services instituted the first camp in the seaside town of Boltenhagen, northern Germany. It is the first camp of its kind in Europe and aims to wean children off computers.

In Amsterdam, the first Detoxification Center to treat video game addiction opened in 2006.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai adopted a measure to cut the students' use of Internet in the school dormitories after the suicide of an IIT student in October of 2005 due to Internet abuse.

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