Problematic Internet Use: A General Perspective

How the Internet is used and any negative outcomes of engagement with it—especially with regards to children—is a topic of great interest, bearing legitimate investigation. Proposed identifiers of problematic internet use(PIU) include aspects of use in correlation with distress or impairment across biological, psychological, sociological, and/or occupational/academic functioning. Adolescents and those with vulnerabilities across developmental or sociological domains are particularly susceptible. Although validated instruments have been utilized to assess PIU, concerns surrounding the methodology, currency, and some validation measures of existing and cross-sectional screening tools and a lack of those with true external validity and variance, combined with some disagreement surrounding PIU, have impeded its diagnostic acceptance. Current investigative approaches to PIU include clarifying problematic gambling and gaming criteria, psychotherapeutic therapy, pharmacological interventions, and non-invasive neurostimulation therapies targeting cortical brain regions. As child screen time appears to be increasing, further research, ethical health/social policy changes, and digital literacy programs are strongly endorsed. To avoid online engagement dysregulating or harming children, digital policy youth user protection standards, pragmatic key player dialogues, transparent reassessments of digital-centric business models without compromising less resourced countries, and even globally agreed child online safety regulations are also recommended.