Those suffering from Internet addiction use the virtual fantasy world to connect with real people through the Internet, as a substitution for real-life human connection, which they are unable to achieve normally.
Internet addiction is described as an impulse control disorder, which does not involve use of an intoxicating drug and is very similar to pathological gambling. Some Internet users may develop an emotional attachment to on-line friends and activities they create on their computer screens. Internet users may enjoy aspects of the Internet that allow them to meet, socialize, and exchange ideas through the use of chat rooms, social networking websites, or "virtual communities."
Korea’s Internet Addicts
Some teens in South Korea are so addicted to gaming, they can no longer distinguish what’s real and what’s not. Dateline follows them as they go through intense month-long digital rehab.
Japanese men locked in their bedrooms for years
The condition known as Hikikomori is one of the biggest social and health problems facing Japan - about 1 million people, mostly men, have locked themselves in their bedrooms and will not come out. Story by ABC 7.30's Matthew Carney.
Residents living permanently in Japan's cyber-cafés
A four-square-metre box with a screen and computer. This is what Japanese cyber-cafes offer, around the clock. Most customers just spend an hour or two here. But there are thousands who spend their lives in them.
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