Study: Internet addiction is real

A new study claims that internet addiction is a real phenomenon, causing measurable changes to the brain similar to those experienced by people with drug addictions and compulsion disorders.

Published in the journal PloS ONE, the Chinese study used an empirical MRI technique to investigate the brains of a group of 17 adolescents suffering from internet addiction disorder (IAD) and an age-matched control group.

The researchers found significant structural differences in the brains of participants, which are believed to be caused by IAD.

"The results demonstrate that IAD is characterised by impairment of white matter fibres connecting brain regions involved emotional generation and processing, executive attention, decision making, and cognitive control," the researchers found.

"The findings also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of impulse control disorders and substance addiction."

The study has met with cautious approval from scientists worldwide, with reservations over the specificity of the disorder.