Youth and internet addiction: Definition, risk factors and research perspectives
Massimo Vasale
The article aims to summarize and discuss the debate on the definition and the distinctive features of addiction, in which the Internet Addiction (IA) is now placed. It highlights how the IA is not a single disorder, but includes various forms of dependence, linked to specific uses and functionalities of the Net. It presents the criteria to diagnose today the Internet Gaming Disorder, which affects in particular adolescents and young people. The factors associated with the development of IA, divided into environmental and intrapersonal factors, are then analyzed. Future research will be able to use the resources and possibilities offered by Internet-mediated research by combining them with more traditional off-line research. We suggest the need to perform longitudinal studies and studies with control groups and to use larger samples of subjects, shared definitions of the various forms of IA and tools that are specific to the uses of Network and with adequate psychometric properties.
Keywords
Internet, addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, risk factors.