Internet Addiction Is More Common Than You Think

Statistics show that close to 6 percent of people worldwide suffer from an internet addiction--what's otherwise characterized as an inability to stop using the computer.

Recent findings published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking show that Internet addicts may not just be hurting their eyes staring at a screen all day. They could also significantly reduce their quality of life overall from added or exacerbated health issues and lack of personal relationships.

"This study provides initial support for the inverse relationship between quality of life and Internet Addiction (IA). It, however, finds no support for the hypothesis that high Internet accessibility (such as the high penetration rates in northern and western Europe), promote IA," said Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium, in a news release.

Lead study authors Ceclia Cheng and Angel Yee-lam Li at the University of Hong Kong noted that people living in Northern and Western Europe are more likely to be affected by Internet addiction. In fact, the study showed a 2.6 percent rate in Northern and Western Europe and 10.9 percent in the Middle East.

For more information regarding the study can be found via the article "Internet Addiction Prevalence and Quality of (Real) Life: A Meta-Analysis of 31 Nations Across Seven World Regions."

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