Internet Addiction in Malaysia Causes and Effects

Ashish Kapahi, Choo Siow Ling, Sureswaran Ramadass, Nibras Abdullah

National Advanced IPv6 Centre (NAv6), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia..

DOI: 10.4236/ib.2013.52009                

Abstract

The Internet started as a divine gift to the human society, it was meant to enlighten the human society by transferring knowledge, making available all the information needed for human well being, growth and prosperity. But as the Internet grew, it created its own set of problems—one of the key ones being Internet Addiction. According to Dr. Jerald J. Block, from the Center for Internet Addiction, “Internet addiction” affects as many as one in eight Americans. Block also defined Internet addiction as a compulsive activity involving excessive use, withdrawal and negative repercussions including social isolation, lying, low achievement and fatigue. As the Internet grows in Malaysia, Internet addiction is surfacing as a key problem, particularly amongst the younger generation here. This research outlines a method to examine the level of Internet addiction amongst Malaysian youth. The purpose of our study is to identify the use of Internet among Malaysian youth and the relation of excessive use to the addictive level. We have devised an online survey to study the Internet use among the youth; the findings of this study indicate that the youth are indeed susceptible to Internet addiction.

Keywords

Internet Use; Internet Addiction; Addictive Behavior; Surfing Addiction; Malaysian; Youth

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	M. Griffiths, “Behavioural Addictions: An Issue for Everybody?” Employee Counseling Today: The Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 8, No. 3, 1996, pp. 19-25. doi:10.1108/13665629610116872
[2]	G. A. Marlatt, J. S. Baer, D. M. Donovan and D. R. Kivlahan, “Addictive Behaviors: Etiology and Treatment,” Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 39, 1988, pp. 223-252. doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.39.020188.001255
[3]	J. B. Jerald, “Issues for DSM-V: Internet Addiction,” American of Journal Psychiatry, Vol. 165, No. 3, 2008, pp. 306-307.
[4]	J. Xiong and L. Yao, “The Research of Event-Related Potentials in Working Memory of the Juvenile Internet Addiction,” 2010 International Conference on E-Health Networking, Digital Ecosystems and Technologies (EDT), Shenzhen, 17-18 April 2010, pp 93-95. doi:10.1109/EDT.2010.5496510
[5]	W. Gao, F. Zhang and Z. Chen, “Psychopathological Mechanism and Compensation Psychoterapy of Internet Addiction,” 1st IEEE Symposium on Web Society, Lanzhou, 23-24 August 2009, pp. 172-176. doi:10.1109/SWS.2009.5271788
[6]	H. Li, J. Wang and L. Wang, “A Survey on the Generalized Problematic Internet Use in Chinese College Students and Its Relations to Stressful Life Event and Coping Style,” International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2009, pp. 333-346.
[7]	G. Deng and Y. Xuan, “Internet Addiction and Mental Health Status of Chinese College Freshmen”, ICBBE 3rd International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering, Beijing, 11-13 June 2009, pp. 1-4. doi:10.1109/ICBBE.2009.5162977
[8]	L. Widyanto and M. McMurran, “The Psychometric Properties of the Internet Addiction Test,” Cyber Psychology and Behavior, Vol. 7, No. 4, 2004, pp. 443-450 doi:10.1089/cpb.2004.7.443
[9]	K. S. Young “Internet Addiction: Diagnosis and Treatment Considerations,” Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, Vol. 39, No. 4, 2009, pp. 241-246. doi:10.1007/s10879-009-9120-x
[10]	N. Yee, “Motivations of Play in Online Games,” Cyber Psychology and Behavior, Vol. 9, No. 6, 2007, pp. 772-775. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9.772
[11]	K. S. Young, “Understand Online Gaming Addiction and Treatment Issues for Adolescents,” American Journal of Family Therapy, Vol. 37, No. 5, 2009, pp. 355-372. doi:10.1080/01926180902942191
[12]	A. Cooper, “Sexuality and the Internet: Surfing into the New Millennium,” Cyber Psychology and Behavior, Vol . 1, No. 2, 1998, pp. 181-187. doi:10.1089/cpb.1998.1.187
[13]	K. S. Young, “Internet Sex Addiction: Risk Factors, Stages of Development, and Treatment,” American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 52, No. 1, 2008, pp. 21-37. doi:10.1177/0002764208321339
[14]	A. Bianchi and J. G. Philips, “The Impact of the Internet, Multimedia and Virtual Reality on Behavior and Society,” Cyber Psychology and Behavior, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2005, pp. 39-51. doi:10.1089/cpb.2005.8.39
[15]	P. Brey, “Evaluating the Social and Cultural Implications of the Internet,” SIGCAS, Computers and Society, Vol. 36, No. 3, 2006, pp. 41-48. doi:10.1145/1195716.1195721
[16]	K. S. Young, “Internet Addiction: A New Clinical Phenomenon and Its Consequences,” American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 48, No. 4, 2004, pp. 402-415. doi:10.1177/0002764204270278
[17]	K. Young, “Clinical Assessment of Internet-Addicted Clients,” In: K. Young and C. Nabuco do Abreu, Eds., Internet Addiction, John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, 2011.
[18]	J. H. Kwon, C. S. Chung and J. Lee, “The Effect of Escape from Self and Interpersonal Relationship on the Pathological Use of INTERNET Games,” Community Mental Health Journal, Vol. 47, No. 1, 2009, pp. 113-121. doi:10.1007/s10597-009-9236-1
[19]	A. N. Joinson, “Understanding the Psychology of Internet Behaviour,” Palgrave McMillan, Houndmills, 2003.