SPARK 2016 Spark 2016 | Page 234

INTERNET ADDICTION Internet has many advantages. But we are supposed to use internet in a limit. In recent years, internet addiction has been a world-wide problem among the youth. Many of them may sit in front of the computer to play online game; chat with others for the whole day without resting. Those prolonged activities bring a lot of destructive effect to them both Internet can be very constructive, but we must be conscious how much time we spend on it on a daily basis. People are addicted to the internet since they do not control the amount of time they spend on it. It is important to have other interests apart from the internet. Today, surfing the Web has become a hobby as social and marketable as bar hopping or going to the movies. As the web has become a part of mainstream life, some mental health professionals have noted that a percentage of people using the web do so in a compulsive and out- of-control manner. In Japan, a 30-year-old man who is addicted to internet killed his father and his 1 year-old niece because of his father terminated the contract of internet broadband. He then set up a fire and burnt his house. In this case, 2 people died and 3 people injured. This phenomenon of obsessive Internet use has been termed 'Internet Addiction'. Internet addiction is not recognized as a formal mental health disorder. However, mental health professionals who have written about the subject note symptoms or behaviors that, when present in sufficient numbers, may indicate problematic use. These include: Obsession with internet, Loss of control, Distraction, Dishonesty in regard to Internet use etc. INTERNET IS OUR NEED NOT OURLIFE. SHARVARI JOSHI – 7A