Internet Addiction: Starting the Debate on Health and Well-Being of Children Overexposed to Digital Media

Internet is an integral part of modern society and provides a quick and easy way for communication, socialization and education. Epidemiological studies on internet addiction (IA) prevalence have reported large variations. The prevalence of IA among adolescents in Europe was 4.4%; males showed higher rates and the levels of internet accessibility are not associated with the increased relative risk of IA. A recent meta-analysis examined the prevalence of IA in 31 nations across seven world regions. The findings yielded an overall prevalence estimate of 6.0%. Previous studies reported that symptoms of IA were comorbid with psychiatric conditions, including suicidality and depressive symptoms, and that adolescents with problematic Internet use experienced a higher incidence of depression at 9 months’ follow-up compared to other adolescents.Attention has been given to children’s experiences of the health-related outcomes of prolonged technology usage, including headaches, recurrent neck and back pain, stomachaches, dyspepsia, nausea, eye problems. Moreover, it has been reported that sudden death may occur in individuals playing online games for a few consecutive days and that internet addiction can cause poor eating habits, loss of weight and anorexia or a sedentary lifestyle, increasing the risk of obesity and related diseases, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.