There is no distinction between a dependency on drugs and on the internet and the consequences are similar, according to a youth worker with15 years experience in the field of addictions.
“The roots of an addiction to the internet are no different from those of drug dependency and the needs of the victims are virtually the same,” said Remona Cuschieri, who leads the Youth in Focus service of Aġenzija Appoġġ, part of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services.
The only difference between both addictions is manifested in the complications that could arise, such as health issues in the case of drug use, she said. “If you are not injecting yourself, you are not subject to infections and HIV. Barring these and other health issues, the rest is the same in terms of seriousness.”
The need to feel worthwhile is a basic necessity for everyone and if this is not found in life something else is sought to meet it, possibly in a destructive manner, Ms Cuschieri explained.
“The cry remains fundamentally the same. Some people are lonely and turn to their mummy, who can contain their problem; and others resort to drugs and the internet instead.”
A lack of self-esteem can be the root of a drug problem and is usually also present in those who have an internet addiction. So too could a messed-up family management be the basis of all these problems.
Even the ensuing difficulties – money matters and isolation – were similar to those encountered by gamblers, for example, Ms Cuschieri pointed out.
Missing school and sleeping all the time, losing friends and spending lots of money were the same situations those who gambled, used drugs, alcohol – and the internet – found themselves in, Ms Cuschieri said.
As yet, the youth worker cannot put her finger on the seriousness of the problem of addiction to the internet but her hunch is that it is “far bigger than we know”.
From the few clients she has worked with, it seems their peers are no different. And the possibility of this becoming a more serious problem is prevalent due to the internet’s easy accessibility and the familiarity with it from a young age.
In Malta, almost half the population uses the internet every day, according to a Eurostat survey. Youths are by far the most frequent users, and 95 per cent of households with children have an internet connection, kids being one of the main reasons why parents decide to install the service at home.
“The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the internet is accessible to a large percentage of the population, right in their bedrooms and 24/7. Drugs, on the other hand, present hurdles that have to be overcome, such as the legality issue and how to use them.”
Without wanting to demonise the internet, Ms Cuschieri said the problem was that children were staying on their computers from night until morning. “They confuse day and night, sleeping during the day. The result is they are detaching themselves from life, which happens in daytime.”
Ms Cuschieri’s fear is that such youths are growing into adults who find it hard to work because they are asleep during the day and cannot look for jobs. But her biggest concern is that the addiction is also leading to isolation and that youths are not experiencing the challenges of simple social interaction, skills computers do not teach.
“I also have my doubts how socially adequate they will be to overcome life’s normal challenges and how fine-tuned their conflict resolution and anger management skills are. A computer does not criticise you. It is not conducive to learning that in life, for example, biting your tongue could be a good thing.
“An addiction to the internet could be more isolating than others because of its heightened accessibility,” she pointed out.
The lack of social interaction meant steps everyone had to go through to move from adolescence to adulthood were being skipped and they were remaining stuck in one stage while they would have grown physically, she explained.
“The cognitive and emotional development that should happen hand in hand with physical growth simply does not occur.”