Internet addiction serious problem
The internet has become a very important part of people's lives. But what is the situation in the Netherlands as far as internet use is concerned?
The internet has celebrated its fifteenth anniversary - during those fifteen years, the medium has evolved into the main means of communication, information and amusement. More than sixty percent of the Dutch population use the internet. In the mid 1990s, the term ‘internet addiction' is first (jokingly) used. Much research amongst internet users and counsellors shows that internet addiction is a serious problem. Not as much the internet itself is addictive but the stimuli that are available at the world wide web are. Addictive stimuli are, for example, looking for information or pornography, searching contacts through chat or e-mail and playing internet games.
Excessive use
For a long period of time, the Dutch scientific bureau for research, expertise and consultancy on lifestyle, addiction and related social developments (IVO) in Rotterdam has been conducting research after internet addiction. A recent study has shown that the group of internet addicts in the Netherlands consists of more than 50,000 adults. Probably, the group of young people is even larger. About four to five per cent of young people (between the age of thirteen and fifteen) are unable to cope without internet. In most cases, this concerns excessive use of MSN Messenger, a chat program where people constantly send messages to each other that can be read immediately. MSN is very popular amongst children and young people. One of the IVO press releases mentions that young people consider MSN to be one of the most important means of communication. For what? Maintaining social contacts with friends. The IVO study also shows that girls are more vulnerable to the addictive effects of internet than boys. According to the study, this is due to the fact that girls are more aimed at communication than boys.
Effects of excessive use
The popularity of the internet and chat can largely be attributed to the anonymity of the medium. In a chat box, you can be a completely different person. You can change your identity and maybe change your appearance. This makes chat a very easy way of communicating with people. It is ideal for people who struggle with this in real life. However, excessive internet use also has negative consequences. According to the IVO research, excessive use of MSN, for example, leads to loss of concentration and attention for other matters, such as playing outside or reading. Contacts with friends and parents as well as school results could also deteriorate. With adults, excessive internet use primarily causes a feeling of shame and loss of control. People who cannot live without the internet, hide this from other people. The majority of them even suffer from withdrawal symptoms if they cannot use the internet. They become agitated or easily annoyed, for example.
More attention
There has not been a real increase in requests for help at mental health or addiction care institutions. However, there is a growing interest for the phenomenon of internet addiction due to (IVO) research results. Researchers expect internet addiction to become a large problem within ten years and that institutions should prepare for the upcoming requests for help. Therefore, the IVO has continued its research in order to collect more information about adolescent internet use. This way, the institute wishes to gain more insight in the positive and negative effects of excessive chatting and internet use as well as in the situation in which these effects occur. IVO also looks for an answer to the question what parents, teachers and adolescents can do to prevent problems from occurring. After all: prevention is better than the cure.
Published in De Hoop Magazine, no 4, 2005.
Resources:
- IVO, http://www.ivo.nl/
- ‘Altijd internet in je hoofd', March 2005, Nederlands Dagblad
- ‘Internet: meisjes vaker verslaafd', May 2005, Algemeen Dagblad
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