Teen Internet Addiction

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Internet addiction goes by many names: Internet Dependency, Internet Compulsivity, and Internet Use Disorder. By any name, an addiction to the Internet completely controls the addict’s life, and causes the Internet to become a priority over family and friends. Similar to drug addictions, the Internet provides a “high” feeling, which addicts become dependent on. Internet addiction is divided into three categories: excessive gaming, sexual preoccupation, and e-mail/text messaging addiction (Medindia 1). No matter the type of addiction a person falls into, every addict traces their addiction to a core problem within their lives. The Internet provides solace to teens, as it allows them to create a desirable image online of themselves, lets them mentally escape from their problems, and offers an assortment of entertainment.
Teens overdose on the Internet to escape reality, and create the image of how they wish to be online. The amount of pressure forced on teenagers to maintain a clean, fashionable, studious appearance becomes too heavy a burden for many teens. In the U.S., where independence and one’s unique attributes are stressed, society has pulled away from the simple life of the older days, and caught itself in a trap, where teens are consistently pressured every day (Examiner 3). When a teen feels as if their best is less than the next person’s best, or when a teen is constantly surrounded by all the supposedly ‘popular’ people, self-esteem issues rise. Instead of working to solve their self-esteem concerns, they create a different reality for themselves online. In their reality, no one knows them, they have control of words or pictures that are posted, and the focus of their existence could be on anything, from superficial bea...

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"Teenagers Using the Internet to Escape Reality." counselorcraig. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://counselorcraig.wordpress.com/2011/06/29/teenagers-using-the-internet-to-escape-reality/>.
"Too Much Time Online." iKeepSafe RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ikeepsafe.org/be-a-pro/balance/too-much-time-online/>.
"Video Game Addiction." Social Consequences of Gaming Addiction. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://www.video-game-addiction.org/social-consequences.html>.
"Why the pressures of teens today might be worse than ever." Examiner.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.examiner.com/article/the-pressures-of-teens-today-might-be-worse-than-ever>.
Young, Kimberly. "Internet Addiction Disorder." NetAddiction. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://netaddiction.com/faqs/>.

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