Addiction and mobile internet addiction: A review of empirical Spanish

Abstract

Determine the factors that differentiate problematic from healthy use of Internet and mobile. Method: Twelve empirical studies about Internet addiction and mobile phone published by Spanish researchers between 2002 and 2011 were reviewed. They were obtained from a search in PsycINFO and Psicodoc. Results and Discussion: There was a relationship between problematic Internet use and psychological disorders and between problematic use and time online. Altered identity communication could explain the difference between safe and problematic Internet and mobile phone use. The researchers caution suggests that we cannot confirm the existence of a serious and persistent addictive disorder associated with the mobile and the Internet based on population surveys.