James Donaldson on Mental Health - Is Internet Addiction Real?

The amount of time teenagers typically spend on phones and other devices can be misleading as a measure of whether they are unhealthily engaged.

That’s because many of the things kids do on those devices are age-appropriate activities that in the past have been done offline: socializing with peers, exploring personal interests, shopping, listening to music, doing schoolwork, watching movies or TV.

Texting and use of social media sites, for instance, have become important channels for adolescents connecting to others and being validated.

Role-playing games allow kids to interact not only with friends, but to people around the world.

A 2016 report by Common Sense Media concluded: “What looks like excessive use and distraction is actually a reflection of new ways of maintaining peer relations and engaging in communities that are relevant to them.” Is it masking a mental health disorder?

When a child seems unhealthily focused on video games, to the point of social isolation, the behavior may be, rather than addiction, a product of other mental health problems.

Anderson reports that he finds himself saying to parents, “We understand your hypothesis that your kid is addicted to games, but it may be that he is socially anxious.

It may be that he is depressed.

It may be that he has a learning disorder.

Anderson recalls treating a 16-year-old whose mother was adamant that he was addicted to video games.