Despite the fact that the problem of Internet addiction was seemingly obvious and widespread, it couldn’t be thoroughly studied, primarily due to a lack of clear criteria for its diagnosis. Statistical data on this disorder were very different. For many years, there have been attempts to officially recognise Internet addiction and include it in the WHO classification, but only now have they achieved this.
Finally, society has realised that this disorder is a real cyber threat to humankind. Almost all children grow up in a world full of virtual events and images, they become accustomed to interacting with them on the Web. They are less likely to go out and interact with others, suffer from a lack of sleep, poor eating habits, do sports rarely, and have several other addictions. Constantly turning to internet search engines to get information is a habit that worsens memory, because users do not need to store information in their brain as they can easily obtain it at any time.
However, the most dangerous aspect of Internet addiction is not the mental disorder that strikes some individuals, but social problems in general. Having developed only one a virtual way of solving problems the younger generation can’t consider other, real, ways. They fail or even refuse to participate in society if the government does not provide them with the opportunity to express their will through online services. The nightmare of any democratic system - completely empty polling stations - may well become a reality.
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