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Researchers indicate teenagers addicted to the Internet are more likely to harm themselves than other teens

A new study indicates teenagers who are addicted to the internet are more likely to have behavioral issues along with a higher likelihood for self-harm.

During the study that involved 1,618 teenagers between the ages of 13 to 18 from the Guangdong Province in China, some of those surveyed admitted to hitting themselves, burning, pinching, and other forms self-abuse. People who admitted to being addicted to the internet reportedly were 2.4 times more likely to have hurt themselves in the past six months.

Specifically, less than one percent said they were severely addicted to the internet, while around 10 percent were moderately addicted.

"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 noted.  "Many studies have reported associations between Internet addiction, psychiatric symptoms and depression among adolescents."

The joint Australian-Chinese study, carried out by the University of Notre Dame Australia's Dr. Lawrence Lam, indicates a "strong and significant" correlation with internet addiction and self-harm.

So-called internet addiction -- which has reportedly existed since the mid-1990s -- is still a grey area among mental health experts interested in creating specific guidelines to define internet addiction.


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RE: Perfect Job
By Hieyeck on 12/7/2009 8:30:24 AM , Rating: 3
Maybe study something that's not so obvious.

Just like TV, parents are now using the internet as a substitute for actual parenting. What you're asking to fix is human stupidity, and as Einstein has already postulated, "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."


RE: Perfect Job
By bupkus on 12/7/2009 10:11:14 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
Maybe study something that's not so obvious.

Perhaps all further studies of human behavior should first be run past you so you can set them straight on the obvious nature of their inquires. It could save countless dollars and an unnecessary waste of time.
quote:
Just like TV, parents are now using the internet as a substitute for actual parenting.

I too have seen parents plant their toddlers in front of TVs to distract them while they clean, cook or talk on the phone, but these subjects were...
quote:
For the purpose of the study, researchers surveyed 1,618 students aged between 13 and 18.

quote:
What you're asking to fix is human stupidity, and as Einstein has already postulated, "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."

I cannot begin to express my fatigue with all the "exceptional" people who post here, each certain if they state how stupid humanity is they can somehow disassociate themselves from the affliction and place themselves above other opinions.
How often do we hear social Darwinism rolled out to provide an excuse for our lack of humanity and often racist feelings.
Are people really stupid or is there another source of our rabid lack of regard for our fellow humans.
For one, so many are turning to technical educations with a severe neglect of our humanities. Excelling in the study of computing does not make one an authority on the methodology of social inquires.
Also, the "angry" politicisation of every issue that a political pundit can spin for viewer ratings and market share has poisoned our hearts and minds against each other.
Add to that an American preference for cowboys over our better educated has helped us avoid a president with a PhD but for one Woodrow Wilson.

You, sir, by way of your insults and quotation of Albert Einstein have awarded yourself a mantle of exceptional intelligence that you do not deserve.


RE: Perfect Job
By killerb255 on 12/8/2009 1:49:00 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I cannot begin to express my fatigue with all the "exceptional" people who post here, each certain if they state how stupid humanity is they can somehow disassociate themselves from the affliction and place themselves above other opinions.


It's called pathological narcissism. It's a way to build up one's self-esteem without actually accomplishing anything worth building up, present it to others as something that's "better than the status quo," at best or "godlike," at worst (or shift the comparative adverbs depending on your point of view).

It's easy to do on the Internet. It's effectively reduced the cost of entry for voicing an opinion to a larger audience to nearly nothing.

People leveling themselves against what they envy or hate is normal to some degree. However, when it's done so frequently that their very self-esteem depends on it is when they cross the line towards Narcissistic Personality Disorder.


RE: Perfect Job
By killerb255 on 12/8/2009 2:03:26 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
How often do we hear social Darwinism rolled out to provide an excuse for our lack of humanity and often racist feelings.


People want a simple answer to complex problems. Even extremely intelligent people fall for this trap (sometimes they do it more often, as they try to process all the things they're pondering in their minds that they have no solution to or workaround for).

One of Freud's primitive defense mechanisms is called splitting . It's when we take a crap load of stuff going on in our lives and divide it into two categories--good and evil--because we think anything beyond that is overwhelming.

The problem is that the criteria for this is loose: anything that gives off pleasure can be in the "good" container (i.e.: fast food) and anything that yanks one out of their comfort zone could be in the "evil" container (i.e.: going on a diet).

The media encourages this to some degree. If the media can stimulate the extreme "good" (i.e.: quick diet solution) or extreme "evil" (i.e.: finger found in fast food), they get ratings. Any polarizing topic is that way because of an excess in splitting by those involved (yes, I'm looking at the two of you: religion and politics!)

Hell, we're even taught to split as kids! How many times have we asked our parents questions only to get an answer that falls under "good" or "evil," and then find out when we're teenagers and adults that life isn't that freaking simple?!! We find out that there are a lot of "grays" in the world that can't be processed by simple "Republicans are good/bad" or "Christianity is good/bad." Some people grow up and learn to process the grays in healthier ways, while others don't.

Also, because of all the splitting, we've "battle hardened" ourselves to deal with conflict. Remove the conflict and we're left with "neutral"--something we've never learn how to handle. We're not getting ecstasy out of it and we're not comfortable with it, so what happens with "neutral"? It gets thrown into the "evil" compartment and we end up trying to find something NEW! and EXCITING! only to create yet another problem. It's like coming home from a 20-year war to try and learn to live in peace-time. Your solution to conflict is to take an M-16 and plug as many holes in that conflict as possible. Of course that doesn't work in peace time without drastic consequences...


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