"Hooked" on the Internet

Ever feel like all you do is sit at the computer? You get done with your homework and all you want to do is play the next game or maybe that game takes up more of your time then you'd like. This page is here to help you assess whether you may have a problem with internet addiction. The statistics provided are from the 2006 National College Health Association survey of MSU students.

• 18.5% of students said their academic performance had been impaired as a result of problems they experienced because of internet use or computer games.

• Those students living on-campus were more likely than those off-campus to report impairment as a result of internet use or computer games.

• Males were more than twice as likely than females to report impairment as a result of internet use or computer games.

• A larger percentage of respondents in 2006 reported having some type of academic problem as a consequence of using the internet or playing computer games than did so in 2004 (18.5% vs. 18%).

Signs that Internet Use May Be A Problem

Although research in this area is still limited, some studies with college students have attempted to characterize the high internet users, the same ones reporting use with problems academically, as being internet dependent. Anderson (et, al.) describes these students as those who averaged 229 minutes or more per day involved in various on-line applications (i.e.: E-mail, chats, gaming, surfing, or MUD, online Multi-User Dimension or MUD), who typically reported spending 3 or more consecutive hours on-line twice in the previous week, had gotten less than 4 hours of sleep more than once due to on-line activity, looked for an alternative way to go on-line when at school, and used on-line activity to feel better when feeling down.

So for a quick self-check, ask yourself?

1) How many hours a day do I spend doing on-line stuff?

2) How often during a week do I spend 3 or more consecutive hours at a time doing on-line activities not related to actual school assignments?

3) Does my on-line use interfere with my ability to get 7 to hours of sleep a night?

4) Do I find myself spending more time on-line than was intended?

5) Are my social, occupational, or recreational activities reduced because of the time I spent on-line?

6) And the bottom line, is my academic performance negatively affected because of the amount of time spent on-line?

Resources:

• Internet use among college students: An exploratory study
• What is Normal Internet Use?