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Computer addiction can have a variety of negative
effects on a person. The most immediate are social. The user withdraws
from friends and family as he spends more and more time on the computer.
Relationships begin to wither as the user stops attending social
gatherings, skips meetings with friends and avoids family members to get
more computer time. Even when they do interact with their friends, users
may become irritable when away from the computer, causing further social
harm.
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Eventually, excessive computer use can take an emotional toll. The user
gradually withdraws into an artificial world. Constant computer gaming
can cause someone to place more emotional value on events within the
game than things happening in their real lives. Excessive viewing of
Internet pornography can warp a person's ideas about sexuality. Someone
whose primary friends are screen names in a chat room may have
difficulty with face-to-face interpersonal communication.
Over the long term, computer addiction can cause physical damage. Using
a mouse and keyboard for many hours every day can lead to repetitive
stress injuries. Back problems are common among people who spent a lot
of time sitting at computer desks. Late-night computer sessions cut into
much-needed sleep time.
Long-term sleep deprivation causes drowsiness, difficulty concentrating,
and depression of the immune system. Someone who spends hours at a
computer is obviously not getting any meaningful exercise, so computer
addiction can indirectly lead to poor overall physical condition and
even obesity.
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Eventually, the consequences of computer addiction will ripple through
the user's life. Late-night use or use at work will affect job
performance, which could lead to job loss. As the addiction takes its
toll on family members, it can even lead to failed marriages [source:
Young]. |