Preventing Harmful Internet Use-Related Addiction Problems in Europe: A Literature Review and Policy Options

Abstract

Internet use-related addiction problems are increasingly being recognized on a European scale due to international health organizations considering gaming addiction. In April 2013, the American Psychiatric Association recognized Internet Gaming Disorder in the fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and in April 2018, the World Health Organization included Gaming Disorder in the eleventh International Classification of Diseases. However, findings on these problems within this period are lacking in Europe, and a preventive approach is missing globally. A detailed critical literature review was conducted using PsycINFO and Web of Science in this five-year period. A total of 19 studies were reviewed and problems identified were: generalized Internet addiction and online gaming and gambling addictions across seven European countries (i.e., Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, and Denmark). The individuals with problematic use were found to be educated adolescents, usually young males with comorbid disorders, and gaming and gambling disorders were implicated in the most severe cases. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the main treatment, sometimes combined with a systemic approach for adolescents. Prevalence, high-risk populations, and factors contributing to these addiction problems are discussed, and a set of policy options are developed for this region. The implications for early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in Europe are considered.

Perceived Challenges and Online Harms from Social Media Use on a Severity Continuum: A Qualitative Psychological Stakeholder Perspective

“…The UK Government recently announced the introduction of the Online Safety Bill as a final response to the Online Harms White Paper, initiating a new regulatory framework to target illegal or harmful online content and greater legal accountability on online companies [ 75 ]. Similar approaches have been emerging in other European countries [ 76 ] with East Asian countries leading more externally regulated restrictive approaches [ 77 , 78 , 79 ] due to the high prevalence rates in problematic online use [ 80 ].…”

Emerging Health and Education Issues Related to Internet Technologies and Addictive Problems

“…However, half of the papers (54%) were studies undertaken in educational settings (i.e., high schools [ 14 , 18 ], universities [ 12 , 13 ]) with a health purpose, such as to adapt a diagnostic tool [ 12 , 13 , 20 , 21 , 32 , 37 , 45 ] or to study psychological mechanisms or comorbid problems which affect or mediate these problems to be used in prevention and treatment plans [ 17 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 46 ]. Only a few studies (20%) were conducted in health settings (i.e., hospitals [ 44 ] or health centres [ 33 ]) or were health reviews about these problems [ 46 ]). In the current literature, the method of extracting health knowledge through educational environments is quite common, but at the same time it shows its maturity is still compromise, as more research is needed in non-educational and clinical sectors with qualitative, mixed methods and manipulative research designs (e.g., quasi-experiments and experiments) to go in-depth on knowing better what the mechanisms behind these problems are, what seems to be the cause and how it affects to the prognostic.…”

“…The external indicators which emerged in this Special Issue are related to the Matthew effect (i.e., good premorbid psychosocial adjustment [ 17 ]), parent’s education or socio-economic status (i.e., mother´s education [ 27 ]), parental care and monitoring (i.e., overprotection promotes these problems [ 31 ]), environmental factors (e.g., Internet cafés, advertising [ 40 ]), or professional communities (e.g., who manages those affected and their families [ 22 ]). Indeed, these contextual factors should also be considered in treatment plans, preventive actions, and policy options [ 46 ].…”

“…Indeed, the problems which depend on the Internet (the medium frequently used in pandemic times) and the need to be interconnected seems to have produced a growth in these problems [ 50 ], which means environmental factors, such as a COVID-19, can have a negative effect on these types of addictive problems in some population groups. However, the clinical, academic, and scientific communities have immediately reacted through prevention alerts and strategies [ 46 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ]. For instance, according to Montag and Elhai [ 59 ], who have discussed technology overuse in young populations during the pandemic through Affective Neuroscience Theory, the neglected indirect media effects should not be overseen (i.e., those brain functions involving positive or negative emotions, such as play or sadness systems have been impacted by COVID-19).…”

High School Students’ Dependence on Virtual Social Networks: Approaches to Socio-Pedagogical Prevention in Ukraine

“…; on various sites due to cases of mass suicide and violence related to online activity, showing movies and TV series ("13 Reasons Why", "Black Mirror", etc.). Scientists (Griffiths, Kuss, Rooij & Shorter, 2013;Lopez-Fernandez, 2019;etc. ) confirm that one of the main reasons for the fascination of young men and women with VNSs is the psychological need for their acceptance by a group of peers: similar sites give them the opportunity to not only communicate with one another, but also to introduce yourself to a group of peers, and then receive feedback in the form of likes, comments, reposts, etc.…”