write an essay on how to combat internet addiction brainly

PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
EDIT Edit this Article
EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Forums Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
Browse Articles
Learn Something New
Quizzes Hot
Happiness Hub
This Or That Game
Train Your Brain
Explore More
Support wikiHow
About wikiHow
Log in / Sign up
Psychological Health
Technology Dependence

How to Overcome Internet Addiction

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Wes Pinkston . Wes Pinkston is a Certified Holistic Life Coach and the Founder of Wes Pinkston Life Coaching. With more than five years of experience, he specializes in helping people achieve greater fulfillment and understand their full potential. He received his Holistic Lifestyle Coach Certification from The CHEK Institute. This article has been viewed 126,304 times.

Too much time spent online can cause a host of emotional and physical problems, damage personal relationships, and decrease performance at work or school. Nevertheless, Internet addiction is a growing issue. However, if you are struggling with the problem, you can overcome it by taking steps to limit your Internet usage, filling your time with alternative activities, and seeking support.

Controlling Your Internet Usage

Step 1 Develop a personal inventory of things Internet addiction is keeping you from.

Omit any time that you must use the Internet strictly for work, business, or school.
Make a list of all of the other obligations you have and desired uses of your time, such as sleeping, time spent with friends and/or family, exercise, commuting, working or studying, etc.
Determine how much time per week you would ideally devote to these needs.
Consider how much time you have left per week, how much time you want to set aside for relaxing or personal use. From the remaining time, set aside an appropriate number of hours for personal Internet use. You can then apply this information to other methods to cut back on the time you spend online.
Set a timer on your phone so you only stay plugged in for a specific amount of time.

You can set an alarm clock to go off at a certain point when you think you should get offline. [6] X Research source It might be difficult at first, but stick to the goal.
Plan necessary activities or events so that they will prevent you from being online. For instance, if you know you tend to start browsing aimlessly in the afternoons, schedule important meetings and appointments for that time.
There are a variety of apps you can use to cut back on your Internet use. [7] X Research source For instance, some of them work by shutting down Internet capabilities for a predetermined period.

For example, you may decide that you want to get around to that book you’ve been meaning to read rather than spend another hour shopping online for things you really don’t need or want.
Prioritize offline versions of activities over online ones. For instance, set a goal of spending more time with friends in person instead of interacting with them via social media.
You can also set priority tasks that you want to do prior to spending any personal time online. For instance, tell yourself that you will spend the weekend cleaning out the garage before getting online.

Step 6 Abstain from any particular problem apps, sites, and habits.

“Playing X game is taking away time I could spend with friends.”
“I’m not happy when I spend all night online.”
“I won’t take my laptop to bed tonight.”

Getting Help

Motivational interviewing and reality therapy are techniques sometimes used by counselors to treat Internet addiction. [13] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source [14] X Research source These methods involve a therapist providing open-ended questions, reflective listening, and other techniques to help you understand your problem better.

Tiffany Douglass, MA

Our Expert Agrees: If you're addicted to the internet, seek the help of a process addiction therapist. It can be nearly impossible to eliminate the internet from your life and work entirely, but your therapist will help you learn to find ways you can go online safely without it damaging your life.

Identifying the Problem

Be online longer than you intended. Checking your email, for instance, turns into hours of browsing.
Think about being online even when you are doing other activities.
Need to use the internet more and more just to have the same level of satisfaction or enjoyment

Step 2 Look for evidence that time spent online is negatively impacting your mood or mental health.

Feeling restless, angry, irritable, etc. when you don’t have as much time online or try to cut back.
Using time online to escape or to relieve an emotional problem.
Getting online instead of other activities you need to do or used to enjoy.
Feelings of guilt, shame, or disgust due to time spent online.
Inability to cut back after repeated attempts.

Step 3 Watch for signs that Internet use is harming your health.

Weight gain
Weight loss
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Neglecting sleep to get online

Step 4 Recognize when Internet use is harming relationships.

Loss of a job or poor work performance due to time spent on the Internet
Decreasing performance at school
Trouble in a personal relationship (fighting because of time spent online, for instance)
A relationship has ended because of your Internet usage
Lying to others (significant others, family, coworkers, etc.) about your Internet usage
Neglecting time with family or friends in order to be online

John Keegan

Online life can distort love and connection. Dating apps and social media create the illusion of endless options, fueling a tendency to always look for something "better". It can be tempting to prioritize polished online personas over real connections, but try to embrace people's nuances over online highlight reels.

Step 5 Learn the signs of internet addiction in children.

Sneaking around to get online
Lying about time spent online
Anger or irritability when electronic devices or Internet privileges are taken away
A strong desire to get back online as soon as possible
Staying up all night to be online
Refusing or forgetting to do chores, homework, or other tasks
Forming new bonds with people online (especially when offline relationships deteriorate)
Loss of interest in activities the child previously enjoyed

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3480687/
↑ https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3fe7/7890b4d85ebae6196829084034a6a20aef55.pdf
↑ https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/internet-addiction-treatment/
↑ http://netaddiction.com/
↑ http://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/kids-and-technology/how-much-time-internet-kids/

About This Article

If you’re worried you have an Internet addiction, try setting time limits for your Internet use so you become less dependent on it. If you’re still having trouble, you can use a computer app that stops Internet access after a certain amount of time. You may also try filling your schedule with activities, such as cleaning or grocery shopping, during times you feel tempted to be online. Don’t worry if you can’t do it all on your own! It’s okay to seek help from a support group or counselor. To learn how limiting your Internet use can improve your health, read more from our Social Worker co-author. Did this summary help you? Yes No