Canadians spend more time online than most other developed nations. Whether it’s on our desktops at home, laptops at school, or mobiles while we’re on the go; some studies show that the average Canadian spends over 14 hours a week online. For most of us, time online adds value to our lives. For others, it doesn’t. It can be difficult to assess if the amount of time you or someone you live spends online is unhealthy, but fortunately Capital Choice is here to help.
Youth Are Particularly Affected
Being online is a fundamental part of what it means to be a Canadian Youth. Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Reddit. It’s simply impossible to integrate with peers without spending a significant amount of time paying attention to social feeds, consuming content, and interacting with others online.
Though significant amount of time online is the norm, there is a line that many cross into unhealthy habits. Because time spending extensive time online is so common and accepted, most don’t even know they’ve crossed the line from making life better by being online to making life worse.
Online content and social networks are supposed to make life better, but sometimes we can become so dependent on them that we forget what is important in our real life. When internet use gets to a point where it is detracting from non-online life, you can safely say you’ve got an internet addiction.
What is Internet Addiction?
Internet Addiction is multidimensional. There are as many types of internet addiction as there are types of internet use, each that arise for reasons that can vary from person to person.
Gaming, blogging, social media, content consumption; each one of these can provide endorphin releases in a person that lays the foundation for addiction.
Online gaming, for instance, releases endorphin’s every time a given task is completed. A gamer plays and plays and plays in search of this transient high, experiences it, and continues to play and play at the expense of their everyday life. Life becomes about playing, about achieving this high.
The same can be said for those that are addicted to social media. Every like, share, or comment on a post comes with a certain high, a release of endorphins that causes immense pleasure, if only for an instant.
When life is all about producing these feelings via whatever internet tool you use to achieve it, you have a problem.
What to Do About It.
The first step to dealing with an addiction is to admit that you have one, and recognize that it is a problem in your life. From there, you can take the steps you need to take to fix it.
Admitting you’ve got an issue isn’t easy. But getting in touch with help is.
If you’re reading this article, chances are you or someone you know is suffering from an Internet addiction. To get them or yourself the help you need, all it takes is getting in touch with Capital Choice Ottawa Youth Counselling.