Students today learn how to use computers as early as age 5 or 6. They are also spending more time online, surfing the web, e-mailing, twittering, playing games, using Face Book, etc. Rumor has it some even use the Internet to research term papers. The question I’d like us to consider is, are people spending too much time on their computers? Many doctors believe that people can misuse the Internet, the same way people drink too much or gamble too much. They call this problem Internet Addiction Disorder, or IAD for short.

The doctors have identified seven signs of Internet Addiction Disorder. The first sign is that a person wants more and more time on the Internet. One hour is not enough; iit's got to be two or three. The second sign relates to what happens to people if they cannot get on the Internet. They might, um, dream about the Internet. During these dreams their bodies might tremble, and their fingers might move as if they were typing. The third sign is that they need to use the Internet to stop these things from happening to their bodies. In the same way that a few drinks will steady an alcoholic, being on the Internet actually improves the way their bodies feel. Fourth, people with IAD use the Internet more often and stay on line longer than they intended. For example, they might go online to check e-mail, but three or four hours later, they are still there, chatting or surfing the web, or whatever. Fifth, People spend a targe amount of time doing things related to the Internet. They might, oh, read books about the Internet, for instance, or download new Internet programs, or attend Internet-related conferences. The sixth sign of IAD is that people substitute online time for social activities. Frankly, they prefer communicating electronically rather than face-to-face. The seventh and last sign is that Internet use becomes more important than almost anything else——showering, schoolwork, losing a job, feeding children, even eating. They will also lie about how much time they are spending online, and they will keep using the Internet even if they are punished for it.

Any of this sound familiar? Well, if so, don’t panic. Some doctors discount the notion of IAD. They claim that IAD is not the same as drug addiction, because the Internet is a useful tool for getting information, and also a multi-faceted tool for communication. In other words, there is so much to do online that it takes a lot of time. If we think about that for a minute, it makes some sense. Yet still, most people agree that it’s not good to spend too much time on the Internet. One US newspaper told about a woman who was on the Internet so often that her husband left her, and she forgot to buy food for her children. A Chinese magazine told about a teen-age boy who jumped off a roof and died, because he had said he wanted to be with the characters in his favorite computer game. The same magazine told stories of other children who skip school and go to Internet bars all day.