Net addiction declared disorder

Do you spend more than six hours a day on the internet, suffer withdrawal symptoms if your server crashes and obsessively check your email? You could have internet addiction disorder.

China - which has the largest online population at 253 million people - has become the first country to classify Internet addiction as a clinical disorder.

Massey University's Jhanitra Gavala, who specialises in cyber-psychology, said he was sceptical about the label.

"Many of us prefer the term 'pathological internet use' because 90 percent of people who experience problems have pre-existing mental health issues like depression, anxiety and compulsive behaviour ...

"Their internet use is just a manifestation of these underlying problems."

Victoria University psychology lecturer Mark Wilson said international studies found between 10 and 60 per cent of Internet users described themselves as "addicted".

But the issue was whether it negatively affected their lives.

"If we spent 12 hours a day on the internet but we're happy and no one else is unhappy about it, then is it fair to call it an addiction in the same vein as, say, heroin addiction?"

NetSafe spokesman John Fenaughty agreed the addiction label was "unhelpful".

"People get addicted to gambling - not to the casino."

However, Internet users and their families should ensure online lives did not squeeze out real life.

"If a kid is not getting homework done, his performance at school is dropping, he's tired and seems to be shutting himself off, those are danger signs."

The Centre for Online Addiction website features recovery blogs and online support groups for internet addicts.

China boasts a 70 percent recovery rate with a military-style bootcamp.

However, Mr Fenaughty said a better "cure" would be "text-free days" and treating underlying problems such as depression.