As with all addiction, anybody can be at risk of Internet addiction. However, some people are more susceptible to it than others. One of the things that are particularly important to understand in terms of the neuroscience of addiction is that at this point in scientific research, we often aren’t able to differentiate cause from effect. We don’t have the means to know whether someone first becomes addicted and that causes changes in the brain or whether they already started out with certain structural and chemical brain issues that primed them to become addicted. It’s likely a combination of both. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the populations that seem to be most at risk of developing an Internet addiction.
People who were born before the ubiquity of the Internet may be at greater risk of Internet addiction than those who were born before its widespread common use. Gen Z, and to a large extent latter-born millennials, began using devices at a young age. Because they don’t know anything else, they may be more susceptible to the Internet’s risks of addiction. More than that, though, we know that Internet use and misuse can change the brain, and we know that children’s brains are still in development, so although we don’t exactly know how these two things are going to play out over time, we can guess that people growing up with Internet use are going to have a different neurochemical balance than previous generations. This might be primed for addiction.
The brains of children and teens are still in development, and thus they are even more susceptible to habit-forming input than the adult brain. Put simply, children’s brains aren’t well equipped to handle the intense level of stimulation caused by constant computer use. That dopamine hit is strong! In fact, the teen brain actually receives more of a dopamine hit than the adult brain does for the same activity. Therefore, it loves to seek out the constant rewards of the Internet. The brain easily habituates to that dopamine increase. Dopamine plays such a key role in addiction that it’s likely to place young brains at risk.
We discussed some brain anatomy in Chapter 3, including the important role that the prefrontal cortex and frontal lobe play in uniquely human characteristics. This area of the brain, which helps control impulsivity, is not yet fully formed in teens. Thus, teens notably already have trouble with impulse control. Their brains literally can’t do it yet. Teens who spend a significant amount of time on the Internet may inhibit the development of the frontal cortex, further reducing their ability to develop impulse control. So, they don’t have the control to stop themselves from the compulsive Internet behaviors in the first place, and then engaging in those behaviors makes them less likely to develop the brain’s ability to control their impulses.
A teen’s natural brain changes happen to be well suited to the kinds of technological habits that modern society encourages, habits that can lead to addiction. For example, have you ever noticed that teens love to stay up late at night? This isn’t just a social drive; it’s a drive in the teen brain. Adolescence resets the teen’s circadian rhythm so that biologically they are driven to stay up later and then sleep in. What can a teen do in the middle of the night if they aren’t allowed to leave the house? The obvious answer is to use their phone or computer. The brain embraces a sleep pattern that encourages the teen to stay up, plus it seeks out that dopamine stimulation, and the Internet is the perfect solution.
Moreover, choices made during this stage of brain development can have a lifelong impact on a person’s patterns. You see, there are certain periods of life when the brain is particularly malleable. In other words, the information you put in at that time will stick more readily than if you learn the same information at another time. That’s why it’s easier to learn a second language when you are young, particularly at certain stages of brain development. This relates to neuroplasticity; younger brains are more malleable than older brains. However, there are also specific developmental stages during which brains are especially malleable. Right around the time that we learn to speak (ages one to two) and again in our teen years, our brains are very open to change.
Teens go through a period during which there is heightened malleability. It usually happens just before puberty, and it’s the brain’s last big burst of sensitivity to growth. Basically, whatever patterns the brain takes on at that time are likely going to form neural pathways that create habits that can last a lifetime. Therefore, if a teen starts to learn an instrument at that time, they will probably always have some proclivity toward skill with that instrument. However, the brain doesn’t discriminate; whatever information and patterns you put in at this time are what will stick. So, if the teen spends all of their time playing video games or surfing the web, those are the patterns that will be strengthened. Of course, change is always possible, but it becomes increasingly difficult once those patterns are wired into the brain.
Whatever the teen’s time is focused on, that’s where the pathways will develop. If the teen is hyperfocused on Internet use, it will be at the expense of other brain development. For example, the brain chemicals and structure of the teen brain are perfectly primed to learn and develop problem-solving skills that will help them all throughout life. However, this needs to be developed, practiced, and maintained in order to become a natural path for the brain. If instead the teen is distracted by the immediacy of the Internet, they might not develop those skills. The less developed the brain, the more prone it can be to addictive behavior.
As for younger children, there is a lot of debate about how much and what kind of screen time to allow at different ages. There is widespread agreement that screen time, including traditional TV time, is detrimental to the brain growth and development of young children. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against allowing younger than age two to consume media. And yet, as many as nine out of ten kids under two years old do have screen time, plus they’re regularly exposed to the “background noise” of screens in use by others around them. We don’t know if this makes them more likely to become addicted. We do not know that it can impact their development particularly as it relates to language development and early social skills, and if those get damaged, then the brain may react in ways that make addiction more likely.
Of equal importance as the potential damage of screen time is the fact that if children are excessively engaged with Internet devices, then they are not engaged with some of the most important things that they need in order to grow and develop healthy brains and healthy relationships. The more time they spend on their screens, the less time they spend in human interaction, downtime daydreaming, and experiences out in nature, all of which are critical to human development. According to Attention Restoration Theory (an idea first posited in the 1980s by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan), spending downtime in nature has a restorative effect that helps humans to heal. Nature time improves attention, emotion, social interaction, and stress reduction in humans. Humans who do not spend time in nature aren’t getting this all-important restoration.
The reality is that kids today are growing up with screens, both at home and at school. Some use of those devices probably doesn’t cause any major problem or lead the average child into addiction. But more frequent use, and use of more stimulating content, might become problematic, particularly for very young children. Certain children may also just be more sensitive than others. We don’t know. If that’s a topic that you’re interested in learning about in more depth, Anya Kamenetz’s book The Art of Screen Time, designed particularly for parents, is a balanced starting place about the current research. What we do know is that children and teens have developing brains, the Internet does interact with the brain, and as we continue to learn more and more about Internet addiction, we have to pay particular attention to risks for youth.
The relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addiction to the Internet is complicated. ADHD can be a risk factor for Internet addiction. On the other hand, traits of Internet addiction can look a lot like ADHD. It is hard to separate out cause and effect in a world where ADHD is on the rise and Internet use is prevalent. We simply don’t know why there has been an increase in diagnosis of ADHD, and it’s possible that increased technology could play a role in how many more people experience the symptoms of the condition. To complicate things even further, there are traits about ADHD that make Internet addiction more appealing, but we can’t generally parse out which issue came first.
One important thing to understand is that ADHD is a medical condition, one that is specifically related to the brain. As the brain interacts with the world around it, ADHD can be triggered or exacerbated. This isn’t to say that Internet use causes ADHD; we don’t know that. However, it might increase the development or severity of symptoms in some people because of the way that it interacts with the brain.
Consider, for example, how frequent Internet use impacts the brain in terms of that dopamine hit. You want more and more stimulation. The brain seeking stimulation like that looks very much like the ADHD brain. We don’t have enough information, yet, to determine whether technology can cause ADHD. However, there is enough information to suggest that further study is required.
Of more immediate importance, perhaps, is that research does indicate that people who do have an ADHD diagnosis are at greater risk of developing an Internet addiction. Pediatric neurologist Martin L. Kutscher reports that someone with an ADHD diagnosis has a 25 percent risk of developing an addiction to the Internet. In fact, studies indicate that there are differences in the ADHD brain that naturally make addictive behavior more likely. Of course, this includes addiction to Internet usage.
Furthermore, people with ADHD already have a difficult time focusing, and the Internet provides ample opportunity for continuous distraction. Specifically, people with addiction tend to have reduced activity in the prefrontal brain regions, which is also lower among people with ADHD. Even people with terrific focus find Internet multitasking to be very tempting. The ADHD brain has a very low tolerance for routine; it gets bored quickly. Therefore, it’s especially prone to finding new things to do online.
Video games, in particular, can become addictive, because constantly changing games offer consistent opportunities for novel stimulation. ADHD is a condition that relates to attention, but remember that the brain has different kinds of attention. Top-down attention is voluntary; it’s when we actively make ourselves focus on something. That’s very hard for the ADHD brain. Then there’s the attention that just grabs us, activating our more primal instincts that look out for movement and other sensory stimuli. The ADHD brain has no problem with that kind of attention, so a child with ADHD may be able to spend hours on a video game despite attention issues they experience when engaging with more analog activities.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including Asperger’s, also place people—particularly children with the condition—at a greater risk of Internet addiction. Autism manifests in many different ways, and there are also related conditions, including sensory processing disorder, that we are still learning more and more about each day. However, to simplify things, there are two basic issues that people with ASD have
Laura James, writing in Odd Girl Out, shares more about how people on the autism spectrum often have special interests. Not only are they pleasurable but special interests also help provide a sense of identity and self-esteem for many people with ASD. In some cases, the special interest becomes an obsession, where they tend toward destructiveness. The Internet can become part of this destructiveness. James shares that this was the case for her when two major political elections became the subject of her special interest. She couldn’t tear herself away from the news, and she supplemented it 24/7 with Twitter and Facebook updates, causing a variety of problems in her life. She decided to take a Twelve Steps approach—one minute at a time—to get herself off of political social media. To clarify, she developed the obsession as part of her autism—it was her special interest—but the obsessive destructiveness was facilitated by the constant availability of information from various Internet channels. She developed an addiction to the Internet as a result of her desire to find information about her special interest.
Furthermore, specific Internet activities can themselves become objects of special interests; someone can become passionately interested in a specific video game or a specific website, for example. Kevin Roberts reports that in treating children on the spectrum, he has found particularly high levels of addiction to video games. Not only do the kids with ASD tend to play more than others but they also seem to get much more physically involved with the game than the average players. Heavy breathing, jerking legs, and body gyrations are all common among the kids whom he sees.
This isn’t to say that Internet use is all bad when it comes to people with ASD. In fact, much about the Internet is actually helpful for people with ASD, which can complicate things, and which we’ll explore more in Chapter 9. On the one hand, it can be good for them, and on the other hand, it could make them more prone to an Internet addiction.
In a glance at the good stuff, one example is that people with nonverbal forms of autism may be able to communicate through the use of technological devices that provide them with a voice. Even people with ASD who are verbal may find it challenging to communicate well with others. The opportunity to respond in writing online, and taking the time to do so, helps facilitate socialization for some people. However, it is sometimes used as an alternative, rather than an adjunct, to communication and socialization. In other words, sometimes people on the autism spectrum avoid real-life situations because they are uncomfortable. This means that they don’t get the practice necessary to improve in-person communication, thus reinforcing the awkwardness and leading to increased isolation. This is a particular risk for children on the spectrum. So, the Internet can be helpful or harmful, but this is definitely an at-risk population.
Anyone who has experienced trauma is at risk of Internet addiction. Trauma is often correlated with overactivity in the amygdala, which affects dopamine levels, and as we know, that can lead to increased likelihood of Internet addiction. People in the military have often experienced trauma, and therefore, they are at risk.
In particular, military veterans often find themselves addicted to video games, especially violent ones. There is one famous, unfortunate case, of a veteran named Aaron Alexis. He was a video gamer addicted to Call of Duty, which is a violent shooting game. He would play for upwards of sixteen hours each day, often sacrificing sleep in order to play. He became delusional, went out into the real world, and killed twelve people.
Of course, most veterans won’t go shoot people in civilian life. Most won’t even become delusional despite prolonged, addictive play. However, their experiences with firearms, plus the trauma that affects their brain chemistry, can make shooter games especially appealing to this population. While first person shooter games aren’t quite as addictive as massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), they do have addictive properties that people can fall prey to. The military has been actively studying Internet and gaming addiction in recent years, and it’s an area worthy of further study.
Author Johann Hari did a TED talk in which he says, “The opposite of addiction is connection.” Addiction feeds on loneliness and isolation. Therefore, anyone who experiences social isolation for any reason at all can be at risk of addiction in general. In fact, there is a well-known study called Rat Park that clearly demonstrates that isolation leads to addiction.
This study built upon earlier studies into drug addiction. In the earlier studies, rats were placed in solitary confinement inside of boxes where they couldn’t see or touch other rats. They were never let out of their cages, and they had very little stimulation from their human caregivers. The rats were able to press a lever that would inject them with drugs. The initial studies found that the rats would regularly dose themselves, consuming large amounts of heroin, cocaine, and other drugs. At the time, the information was used to suggest that rats, and by extension humans, just love drugs and can’t help themselves.
However, a group of researchers at Simon Fraser University decided to test this theory, in what became known as Rat Park. They created a relatively normal environment for the rats, one where they could live together, socializing and enjoying a variety of activities. It was called Rat Park because they had playground-like toys to play with, plus they had each other. Many variations were made to the situation during the research, but basically, the social rats were compared to those in solitary confinement. Regardless of the other variables, the social rats always consumed far fewer drugs than those who were locked up alone. When given the opportunity to interact with others, they apparently didn’t feel the need for the drugs. Put the other way, rats in isolation numbed out with drugs, because they felt lonely or bored or both.
This is just one study that has shown that social isolation increases risk of addiction in general. The Internet offers faux social connection plus ongoing distraction, making it a richly potential source for addiction. And there are so many people that this can impact, people who feel socially isolated for so many different reasons. Illness that leaves people homebound, old age, living in a rural community, or simply not fitting in can all lead people to feel like they are alone.
As we saw earlier in the book, loneliness is also a symptom or side effect of Internet addiction. So, it’s another of those Catch-22, chicken-and-egg problems. People who are already socially isolated are more likely to develop an addiction, and the addiction itself can increase the feeling of loneliness. The more you use your devices to reduce loneliness, the less you feel comfortable socializing in the real world; the more you turn to the Internet, the lonelier you actually feel. It is self-reinforcing. The Internet becomes a coping mechanism.
For example, Kevin Roberts describes a client who had a gaming addiction. He intended to quit, and he made every effort to do so, in large part by going out into the world to socialize. However, going out into the world triggered his social anxiety, making him feel even more isolated even though he was technically out with others. He would get overwhelmed, go home, and turn to his gaming addiction to soothe that anxiety.
People living with mental health issues may be at increased risk of Internet addiction for a variety of reasons. The aforementioned social isolation is one cause, because despite increased awareness, there is still much stigma associated with many of these conditions. Another big factor is the interplay of brain chemistry with addictive tendencies. Each condition, and each person with that condition, has different specific brain chemistry issues to consider. However, generally speaking, any mental health issue can make someone more prone to Internet addiction. We’ll discuss this in more depth in Chapter 8, on comorbidity.
One specific diagnosis of particular concern worth mentioning here is that of schizoid disorder. This is a type of personality disorder, which is characterized in part by emotional detachment and a strong desire to be alone. This drive toward low socialization increases the potential attraction of the Internet. The research into this connection is still very new. However, one study from California State University (CSU) Dominguez Hills has shown a direct correlation between schizoid personality disorder and high levels of media use. The correlation is particularly strong in younger people.
Another type of mental health issue worth discussing here is that of substance use. Anyone who has an active addiction to drugs or alcohol is at greater risk of developing other addictions including Internet addiction. Moreover, people who are in recovery for substance addiction are at particularly high risk of developing Internet addiction.
Nicholas Kardaras shares in his introduction to the book Glow Kids that he’s a recovering addict. He notes that despite being in recovery for many years and being an expert in this field, he finds it increasingly difficult to maintain a healthy relationship with his own smartphone. Since technology triggers the same responses in the brain as drugs, it is especially important for addicts in recovery to be vigilant about the impact that their Internet use may have. People who are in recovery for behavioral addictions (e.g., compulsive gambling) are also more at risk of developing Internet addiction.
Put simply, some people are just more predisposed to addiction than other people are. They crave that dopamine hit more than the rest of us. Therefore, even though a person is in recovery doesn’t mean that they lose that craving. Instead, they learn coping mechanisms to fight the craving. This can sometimes lead to cross-addiction, which is substituting one addiction for another. Someone with an addiction history certainly doesn’t look at the Internet and think it will have the same effects as the drug. Nevertheless, Internet use might creep up as part of a recovery coping mechanism. It’s another, safer—or at least legal—way to get a similar feeling.
In addition to all of the risk factors cited in this chapter, here are some specific traits that might increase the risk of Internet addiction:
Anytime that we talk about risk factors, we also have to talk about protective factors. In other words, someone may have a lot of traits that make them susceptible to an Internet addiction, but if they have enough protective factors, then they might be less likely to develop that addiction. Protective factors for Internet addiction include high-quality family and friend relationships, maintaining active engagement with non-Internet hobbies and activities, and intentionally placing limitations on the duration of Internet use.