Internet Addicts Experience Brain Changes

Study suggests internet addiction may have physiological effects similar to drugs and alcohol.

According to a study conducted in China, a country with no known bias against the internet or its uses, young web addicts experience changes in the white matter of their brains. Those who were classified as addicts after answering questions about their internet habits displayed evidence of disrupted connections in nerve fibres relating to self-control, decision making, emotions, and executive attention in MRI tests. Reassuringly, to be "addicted" to the internet, one would have to answer "yes" to two or more questions like “Do you feel preoccupied with the internet?” and "Do you stay online longer than intended?”.