Kids online: How much is too much?

  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. • This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. • November 16, 2009

Alex Brill confesses he can go on a Web binge.

"I am addicted to video games; I could play for hours until my mom kicks me off the computer. At least I have my own computer in my own room. My parents are afraid that I'll blow up their computer," the 12-year-old Reno boy said. 

His mom, Nicole Brill, said that she would prefer no video games in the house -- Web-based or game consoles.

"But I limit him to one or two hours a day," she said.

{Read the full article at RGJ.com}

Former student addicted to World of Warcraft

Daily Iowan | BY HOLLY HINES | OCTOBER 28, 2009 7:20 AM

At reSTART, counselors helped Ben work through his problems, in part, by encouraging him to reconnect with former interests. The staff developed a running regimen with him, who had loved his time on the City High cross-country team. Initially, the staff members ran along. However, they eventually found they couldn’t keep up and brought in a marathon runner as a replacement.

At the end of Ben’s treatment, his mother noticed an uplifting change.

“I could look at him and see that Ben was back inside his head,” she said.

Ben and his parents empathetically agreed: Treatment at reSTART worked well.

Ben can use the family’s desktop computer to access the Internet — but no gaming sites — for up to two hours a day; he mostly uses the time for Facebook. Ben works at a Halloween store in the Denver area and volunteers at a nearby high school. And most mornings, he can be found on the winding, tree-lined roads that surround his home, jogging. He’s still learning to adjust his breathing in the thin mountain air.

{Read the full article and watch the video at the Daily Iowan}

Doctor: Internet Addiction Could Become a Chronic Childhood Disease

Mashable } Jennifer Van Grove | October 5, 2009

Back in August we reported that reSTART, a rehab center for Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), was the first facility of its kind to treat the controversial diagnosis in the US.

The disorder has yet to be officially recognized, but specific symptoms have been outlined, and it’s a subject matter that continues to undergo evaluation.

Now, new research from the Kaohslung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan shows a correlation in young teens between internet addiction and other psychological disorders. According to CNN and the research report, “ADHD and hostility were linked to Internet addiction in children,” while social phobia and depression were linked to internet addiction in girls.

{Read the Full Article at Mashable}