I noticed that parents are increasingly concerned about the so-called Internet addictive behavior of their children. What if it’s mine too?! What will happen to him? How to check? Is this treatable? Parents' concerns and fears are understandable. The media do not skimp on outrageousness in this area: “Internet addiction is a disease of our century!”, “The Internet is a danger to your children!”, “100 schoolchildren could not spend a day without the Internet!” Electrical sockets are also dangerous for children . And it’s hard to even imagine a day without electricity. You can’t drink tea, you can’t turn on the light for reading, and it’s so dark in the toilet, just know, think about philosophy and enjoy communication. There will obviously be cravings and withdrawal symptoms. However, electricity is not called a disease of either our century or the past. However, like plumbing, transport and other achievements of civilization. I agree that if you ride the subway back and forth 100 times every day and think only about him and lust after him and replace all areas of your life with him, this is addiction and deviation. And if used for its intended purpose, then it is normal. Let’s figure out what is normal and what is addiction in relation to the Internet. Addiction (English addiction - inclination, habit) is an obsessive need to perform certain actions, despite the adverse consequences of medical, psychological or social nature. In the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), addictions are divided into chemical (drugs, alcohol...) and behavioral (gambling, arson, theft...). Internet addiction, among other behavioral addictions, has not yet been identified in ICD-10 due to our youth. But may be considered "Other disorders of habits and impulses" (F63.8). Any person shops, but he is not a shopaholic; works, but is not a workaholic; drinks, but is not an alcoholic... Pathological addiction occurs when a hobby becomes a central idea, and dominating the consciousness leads to a separation from reality. What characterizes pathological Internet addiction? Scientists from different countries, since 1995, have been studying this issue and offering their own criteria for assessing pathology. Diagnostic criteria for the disorder generally correspond to ICD-10 criteria for non-chemical addictions: Computer use causes distress Computer use causes harm to physical, psychological, interpersonal, familial, economic or social status M. Orzack, Ph.D 1996 identified the following psychological and physical symptoms characteristic of PCU (pathological computer use): Feeling good or euphoric while using the computer Inability to stop Increased amount of time spent on the computer Neglect of family and friends Feelings of emptiness, depression, irritation computer Lying to employers or family members about your activities Problems with work or school Carpal tunnel syndrome (tunnel damage to the nerve trunks of the arm associated with prolonged muscle strain) Dry eyes Migraine-type headaches Back pain Irregular eating, skipping meals Neglect of personal hygiene Sleep disorders, changes in sleep patterns K. Young (1999) developed a test for Internet addiction, according to which the prevalence of this disorder is approximately 2%. The test developed by Chinese researcher S.H. Chen (Chen) 2003. It is currently the most reliable diagnostic tool for Internet addiction. Russian scientists adapt and use this particular test for diagnosis. Using this five-scale test, you can not only diagnose the presence or absence of Internet addictive behavior, but also qualitatively determine the severity of certain symptoms characterizing the pattern of addictive behavior. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the prevalence of Internet addiction, according to scientists from various countries, ranges from 0.9% to 5.9% with the condition that they diagnosed not random people, but those who do not use the Internetless than a year and daily. Year Country Sample Prevalence 2008 Iran 1968 3.80% 2006 USA 2513 0.67% 2005 Korea 1573 1.60% 2004 Finland 7229 1.55% 2004 Norway 3237 1.98% 2004 Korea 1535 0.90%2000 Taiwan 910 5 ,90% 2011 Russia 1082 3.69% Authors, according to the order in the table: L. Ghassemzadeh et.al; E. Aboujaoude E. et.al; Kim et.al);Kaltiala-Heino R et.al;Johanson A. Gotestam K.;Yoo et.al;Chou and Hsiao Hsiao); Malygin V.L., Feklisov K.A., Khomeriki N.S. and others. In order not to overload with the intricacies of tests and studies, I am writing only an overview. Using search engines, you can find detailed information about diagnostic methods and experiments. It is important to note that Internet addicts have characteristics of their personality structure. They have: higher levels of affective pathologies and obsessive-compulsive disorders (Kraut et al. 1998, Shapira et al. 2000); depression within the framework of low-progressive schizophrenia (Dzholdygulov et al. 2005); sufferers of bipolar and anxiety disorders (Kim et al. 2005) Many Internet addicts agree that they have an Internet addiction, and also admit that they have abused drugs, alcohol, cigarettes or food in the past. Quite often among Internet addicts there are pathological gamblers (gamblers) or love addicts and avoidant addicts, sexual addicts, those who like to engage in cybersex or search for cyberporn (Loskutova V.A., 2004; Naumova T.A., 2007; Young K., 1996 -2003). Thus, Internet addiction is one of the methods of addictive implementation, characteristic of people who have a certain premorbid background (that is, personal characteristics that contribute to the formation of an addictive personality itself, or addictive implementation using the Internet in an already formed addict). That is, people with the Internet -dependence initially has features of personal organization that predispose to dependent behavior. And, in a sense, Internet addiction has a less harmful effect on a person than, say, alcohol or drug addiction. Chemical dependence destroys the body and causes harm to health. With kleptomania, for example, there is a risk of facing the criminal code. With pyromania - burn or burn others. The problem of Internet addiction is the most harmless. Internet addiction, at least, does not harm the surrounding society, does not threaten the destruction of health, and, as a result, death. Considering that the percentage of Internet addicts is not so large, and they initially have a tendency towards addictive behavior, it is worth exhaling after reading horror stories about the epidemic that is sweeping the world. We can hardly expect the widespread spread of Internet addiction, which the media warns us about, given the data on the etiology and epidemiology of this disorder. However, keeping your finger on the pulse is not forbidden. I will mention why the Internet is tempting and why it is really dangerous. You can participate in communication regardless of geography and the number of participants. Anonymity of all social spheres. You can hide gender, age, appearance, social status, attractiveness... The possibility of any self-presentation. Creating any image that does not correspond to reality Absence of traditional social prohibitions on statements (swearing, aggression, complaints) A serious danger of Internet communication for children and adolescents can be: Exploitation of children's trust: seduction into indecent acts; retrieval of data for blackmail, theft, fraudAccess to.8 (911) 179-31-06