Internet Addiction in Adolescents

Abstract

The use of the Internet, which is undoubtedly useful and practical, has become an unavoidable part of today’s life. It is also a significant source of problems, which can be seen in that part of the population where there is an evident inability to control the time spent in online activities. The result is the development of numerous and various psychosocial issues that are detrimental to the individual’s functionality, as well as society as a whole. Based on that, it is justiofied to talk about Internet addiction. This is considered a sort of bihevioral addiction, and it includes the development of specific mental and bihevioral damages and problems characteristic of addictive behavior, but without the usage of psychoactive substances as the source of the addiction. Prevalence research systematically indicates a global increase in Internet addiction, with higher rates in Asian countries compared to Europe and America. One of the key issues in the assessment of prevalence rates is the absence of unambiguous criteria for the definition of Internet addiction, as well as the lack of culturally unbiased and realiable measuring instruments. The evident increase in the interent addiction problem among adolescents is especially concerning, which is why it is important to put a much higer emphasis on the implementation of new knowledge, the regular review of existing knowledge and the introduction of new preventive activities concerning the potential dangers of excessive Internet use. The aim of this research was to offer an overview of data attained from research about the prevalence, classification, symptoms and prevention of Internet addiction in adolescents.