Internet Addiction and the Loneliness Epidemic

Course overview

The use of the Internet and the devices that empower it such as smartphones and computers have become an important part of most people's daily lives, especially those of young people. The recent widespread use of the Internet has led to an increasingly large number of people developing powerful media-based addictions that barely existed during the twentieth century. Internet and smartphone addiction have similar symptoms to drug addiction and can be just as disruptive and disabling. Internet addiction has been shown to play a major role in the recent surge in loneliness to unprecedented high levels in Americans. The U. S. Surgeon General has described the loneliness epidemic as a devastating threat to public health. Internet addiction and loneliness are now having disruptive impacts on the professional and private lives of many health and mental health practitioners. The INR Webinar "Internet Addiction and Loneliness" is designed to inform health and mental health practitioners about the nature and extent of Internet addiction and loneliness and the strong connection between them. Internet and smartphone use are changing how brains develop and process information and one of the consequences is high levels of addiction. The webinar will describe the nature of addiction and how behavioral addictions like Internet addiction resemble drug addiction but have become much more widespread, especially among young people. The various types of Internet-related addictions will be described, including several evidence-based treatment interventions and why there is a strong connection to loneliness. The development and nature of loneliness will be presented, including the "Loneliness Paradox," where increased social media "friend" contacts become associated with more loneliness. Reasons that Americans seem more lonely than other comparable developed countries will be offered, including why middle-aged Americans seem the loneliest. The adverse mental and physical health consequences of chronic loneliness will be explained along with recommended interventions and behavioral changes to decrease loneliness.