Business

When browsing is better than sex

Internet addiction has gone viral.

More than half of young Americans polled say they now suffer from the digital disease, struggling to stray from their devices and experiencing withdrawal symptoms when they do, according to a survey by discount shopping site couponcodes4u.

Meanwhile, online retailers are reveling in new highs, with e-commerce sales expected to reach $224.2 billion this year, up 15 percent from last, according to eMarketer. Many of the products shipped will come equipped with Internet capabilities.

Data show that people who spend more time online spend more money there, and most online companies are constantly coming up with ways to keep users clicking back, increasing sales and market value.

But the trade-offs for the steady stream of dopamine and other neurochemicals that come with ever-present access to e-mail, social networking, shopping and online games are starting to garner some attention.

In addition to the poll’s 55 percent who claim to be addicted to the Internet, 52 percent of respondents confessed to spending more than five hours online outside work each day; of those, 62 percent admitted to more hours surfing the Web than spending time with friends and family. A numbed-out 9 percent said they’d turned down sex just so they could stay online.

“We’re way out of balance in the amount of time we spend on the Web,” said Dr. Hilarie Cash, founder of ReSTART, the country’s first program for Internet and technology addiction, which is located near Seattle. The inpatient program lasts 45 Internet-free days and treats intakes suffering from social problems and sleep disorders stemming from the online affliction.

“Many of them are socially anxious because they’ve spent quite a few more years online than they have in face-to-face contact,” Cash said.

While Internet Addiction Disorder is less pervasive in the US than in China and South Korea — where it’s been declared the No. 1 health threat — the problem will appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders next May as a condition meriting further study.

For now, more are taking note of what the tech industry — with its unique outlook on the issue — has quietly known for years: namely, that it’s important to set limits and unplug sometimes.

“There’s a line between being passionate about something and bringing your work into your bedroom,” said Nicky Maser, founder of The Sknny, an online weight-loss startup. Leaving her computer at work, she turns her phone off before bed. “Being hooked up 24 hours a day feels disgusting,” she said.

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