Articles

The internet originated as a neutral device that was predominantly created to bring ease to the lives of people by making available all the information needed for the growth and prosperity of human beings, but the misuse of this communication medium has created a lot of challenges and the internet addiction is one of them. Internet addiction is a rapidly growing phenomenon exhibiting alarming prevalence rates and a widely recognized problematic condition around the world. Preliminary findings have shown that the unrestrained availability of this communication medium has unfetteredly increased the rate of various complications including psychological disturbances, neurological problems, and social issues. Moreover, it has accelerated the probability of those having an underlying psychological disorder being at serious risk of becoming addicted to the internet, therefore, it has stirred a hot topic of discussion among the mental health communities. The aim of this paper was to deliberately provide a brief overview of the theoretical considerations and ongoing research on internet addiction. A detailed review analysis was performed addressing the types of internet addiction, epidemiology, comorbidities associated with the excessive use of the internet, and different treatment options. Moreover, future areas of research were highlighted stressing the significance of reaching a consensus on characterizing primary features of internet addiction, and an outlook on the future goals of ongoing research has been demonstrated.

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, many countries around the globe initiated lockdown protocols and social distancing procedures for public safety that shifted daily routines to online activities through the internet. Such technology-led new normal life might augment internet addiction. For a better tomorrow, we must act now.