How much time do you spend online? For a growing number of people, the answer to that question is “too much.” And a recent conference in Asia addressed some of the issues involved in that behavior. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.
If you find yourself fiddling with your smart phone a little too much, you’re not the only one. And there’s a conference for that. It’s the gathering of the International Society of Internet Addiction—which met last week in Malaysia. Some 200 researchers and psychologists from ten countries got together to present papers on the potential health impacts of digital overload…and who may be especially vulnerable.
One study from Hong Kong University finds that the more a country experiences traffic jams, air pollution and low life satisfaction, the more likely its residents will be addicted to the internet. China, South Korea and Japan have all studied this issue for years. By one measure, “compulsive internet use” is defined as more than 15 hours a day.
Internet addiction is not a medically recognized condition in the United States, by the way...it’s not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Association—and is used by everyone from doctors and researchers to pharmaceutical companies and insurance firms. The latest version does recommend that “Internet Gaming Disorder” requires further study.
It might sound a touch ironic but you can find out more information by going on line.
