Thread:Nadiya Jain. Statistics and trends on Internet and children (1)

Nadiya Jain. Statistics and trends on Internet and children (1) HistoryMoveWatchOther than shutting down forever, how does one treat an Internet addiction? In China online addicts are put behind bars and given shock treatments to ensure they don’t abuse their access. In the German town of Boltenhagen there is actually a camp geared towards weaning kids from the Internet.

Research by Stanford University School of Medicine in 2008 shows video games do have addictive characteristics, and a Harris Interactive Poll released in April 2007 showed that 8.5% of youth gamers in the United States could be “classified as pathologically or clinically addicted to playing video games.”

Here some interesting statictics: The Washington Post • About 6% of surveyed individuals responded, “their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use.” • About 9% attempted to conceal “nonessential Internet use.” • Nearly 4% reported feeling “preoccupied by the Internet when offline.” • About 8% said they used the Internet as a way to escape problems • Almost 14% reported they “found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time.” A 2006 telephone-based Stanford University Study revealed one in eight individuals displayed at least one “problematic” sign of excessive Internet use. Elias Aboujaoude, a clinical Assistant Psycholology and Behavioral Sciences Professor at Stanford’s Impulse Control Disorders Clinic likens these problematic behaviors such as the constant need to check email or visit online forums and chat rooms as being similar to the cravings drug addicts experience. Some statistics from the Stanford University study: • 13.7 percent of those interviewed found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time • 12.4 percent stayed online longer than intended very often or often • 12.3 percent had seen a need to cut back on Internet use at some point • 8.7 percent attempted to conceal non-essential Internet use from family, friends and employers • 8.2 percent used the Internet as a way to escape problems or relieve negative mood • 5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use

Here are some additional research highlights:

-In online chat rooms, youths were less likely to curse or engage in sexual talk if the chat room had a monitor. (WebMD)

-Zheng Yan, EdD suggests using highly restricted filtering programs and kid-oriented sites for very young kids, with less restrictive filters for older children. (WebMD)

-When teens visit moderated chat rooms, they're less likely to swear and engage in racy talk than if they visit chat rooms without moderators. (WebMD)

-A Study by Harris Interactive reports that 1 in 10 kids between the age of 8 and 18 years old are addicted to online gaming.(Symantec)