Internet Addiction: Risk

Abstract

There appear a number of factors that put individuals at risk for developing Internet addiction. Based on interviews with Internet addiction therapists, this chapter considers individual, situational, and structural factors that therapists believe may increase the vulnerability for Internet addiction. Individual risk factors appear to be related to age, gender, and the clients’ individual profile. Situational risk factors include neglect, student life, and having a trigger that sets Internet addiction development into motion. Structural risk factors related to the different Internet applications, the excessive use of which may be pathological, with online gaming standing out as particularly problematic.