Half a million people are addicted to the Internet

Especially young people are affected by Internet addiction

27.09.2011

According to a study by the Universities of Lübeck and Greifswald over half a million people in Germany are addicted to the Internet. The Drug Commissioner of the Federal Government Mechthild Dyckmans (FDP) announced in this context, in the future to set a focus on this issue. In particular, children and young people spend an excessive amount of time in front of the PC screen to play online games or to spend time in social networks. In many cases, real friendships are replaced by virtual acquaintances. Is the internet to blame or the outside circumstances?

According to the study results, around 560,000 Germans spend so much time in virtual worlds, so that scientists are talking about internet addiction. The online addiction is similar to a drug addiction and already take on levels that can be compared in terms of numbers with the cannabis addiction. In many cases, those affected neglect their social contacts, barely go to work or skip school. The Internet addicts spend most of the day in virtual worlds. If they are denied Internet access, show massive withdrawal symptoms such as depression, anxiety, aggression or inner turmoil.

The researchers are very worried about the results among young people between the ages of 14 and 24 years. Already 2.4 percent of this age group are classified as addicted online. The younger the subjects were, the more serious was the dependency on the Internet. In the age group of 14- to 16-year-olds, according to the study authors, over 4 percent were already addicted to the Internet.

While in the age group of adults especially men showed an Internet addiction, among the children and adolescents between 14 and 16 years, the girls were the majority among the addicts. The scientists suspect that the excessive use of social networks such as Facebook or VZ students plays a crucial role here. In boys, mostly online games contributed to the addiction.

Intenet addiction is a symptom
The therapeutic options, however, seem to be limited. While addiction therapies are aimed primarily at total abstinence, this seems hardly possible with Internet addiction in times of the digital world. Whether at school or at work, the Internet is used extensively everywhere. Perspectively, therapies will work to create a normal relationship between the virtual and the real world, said Bernd Müller, psychotherapist from Langenhagen. „It is important to strengthen the self-esteem of those affected“. Because many of the affected people find the Internet popularity, which is denied them in the offline world. For example, especially young people can escape into the internet world, who only hear ridicule and bullying elsewhere. Therapy must be at the core rather than the symptom, says the therapist. Because the Internet itself does not make you dependent. Rather, it is the external circumstances that lead to excessive Internet consumption. (Gr)

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Image: Dieter Schütz