Internet Addiction Test - Preliminary Online Assessment

Are you getting somewhat irritated with people suggesting you are spending too much time on the internet or that you are addicted to the internet?

You may agree that you spend a lot of time on the internet but feel that it is not a problem for you and so shouldn’t be a problem for anyone else. You may ask what is wrong with spending all your free time on the internet, so long as you are taking care of your essential responsibilities – for example, your family are well fed and clothed, the bills are paid, no one has run out of clean clothes to wear, there isn’t a hole in the roof letting water in and you hold down a regular job. You may have concluded that, for all intents and purposes, despite the amount of time you spend on the World Wide Web, life is running quite smoothly, thank you very much, and wonder why people keep nagging at you or hinting that you have an internet addiction.

As far as internet addiction disorder is concerned, you may deem that as you are not doing anything covert on the internet such as connecting with people for illicit purposes, spending large sums on gambling, or obsessing on pornography, then there isn’t a problem. You may have concluded that being on the internet helps you to relax and that there are far worse things to be addicted to such as drink, drugs or the like.

However, if you still have a feeling of unease, guilt or defensiveness about being in front of your computer screen, then it’s a good time assess yourself by way of an internet addiction test.

This is the $64 thousand dollar question and the answer will be different for every person. Answering all the pertinent questions below in a completely sincere and honest manner should help you arrive at an answer. If your nearest and dearest are jealous of your computer screen, it’s important to acknowledge that persistent feelings of resentment from family and friends have the potential to irreversibly damage a valued relationship.

Ultimately, only you can decide whether or not you are spending too much time on line and how to address it. Seriously consider taking a day or two off using the internet and use this time to reflect on the true answers to the questions below. Having completed the test, you may feel re-assured that you are not off-track, or you may need to resolve to take action to balance your internet usage.

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Answer Yes or No

1. Do you plan your activities to fit in with the time you want to spend on the internet, limiting your pursuits in the process?

2. Is your social life and interaction with “real” people being compromised?

3. Are you passing up opportunities to go on a day out with your friends or family in preference to being on the net?

4. Are you only half heartedly participating in conversations with your children or partner or housemates whilst you surf and cannot wait until they go out or go to bed so that you can give the internet your undivided attention?

5. Has your partner repeatedly asked you to spend less time on the internet and/or become resentful about the amount of time you spend on-line?

6. Would you rather be online than participate in the sports or hobbies which you formerly enjoyed?

7. Have you begun to lose personal touch with friends or extended family because you would rather go on-line than pick up the phone to actually speak to them or visit/meet up with them?

8. Does the thought of going an entire day without being on-line make you feel anxious or fill you with dread?

9. Do you feel irritated, defensive or guilty when people make jokes about you being addicted to the internet?

10.Are you experiencing or ignoring health issues such as eyestrain, neck-ache, back-ache, wrist-ache, stiff or heavy legs/swollen ankles or other issues often linked with spending too much time sitting in front of a computer?

11.Are you spending time on the internet in order to distract or distance yourself from a particular person(s) or certain issues?

If this point rings true for you, you must seriously think through whether or not evading or putting the issue on ice will do you (or others involved) any good in the long run.

If you have answered yes to three or less of the above preliminary internet addiction test questions, you likely have a healthy internet usage.

Answering yes to four, five or six of the questions in the test does not necessarily mean you are addicted to the internet but you may be at risk as it is having negative consequences in your daily life. Therefore now is it probably a good time to take stock and reflect on your on-line activities to ensure that it does not escalate out of control.

If you have answered yes to more than six of these questions, your internet usage appears to be extensively negatively impacting your day to day life, relationships and potential future relationships. Therefore it is time to seriously consider, and implement, significant changes in how much time you spend on-line.

Don't procrastinate. Having taken an assessment the next step is for you, your partner or your children/teenagers to stop over-using the internet.

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