About this Research Topic
With the development of science and technology as the main approach of entertainment, Internet has become one of the necessities of daily life. According to a report published in January 2021, there are 4.66 billion Internet users and 4.2 billion social media users, and Internet using time on all devices is up to 7 hours every single day for each person. Science and technology are changing people's ways of life, bringing convenience for human beings, and a series of problems at the same time. Although there are no unified standards or measurement instruments, research and clinical evidence show that excessive Internet use is becoming a severe problem, especially for young people. Due to inconsistent classification and measurement instruments, the prevalence of excessive Internet use is difficult to estimate. However, through comprehensive research, its prevalence globally ranges from 0.6 to 22%, and it is often comorbid with not only various mental disorders like ADHD, depression, OCD, anxiety, but also serious mental health problems, such as self-injury behavior and suicidal behavior, especially in children and adolescents.
The purpose of this research topic is to explore the impact of excessive Internet use on mental health in children and adolescents from different areas around the world, to explore the related factors, and to help improve interventions for Internet use-related mental health problems. We are particularly interested in original research papers that increase our knowledge of (but not limited to) the following topics:
- The prevalence of excessive Internet use in children and adolescents from different areas.
- Specific mental health sequelae of problematic and excessive internet use in children and adolescents.
- Etiological pathways for excessive Internet use-related mental disorders.
- Risk factors associated with excessive Internet use, such as environmental factors, genetic factors, social factors, personality traits, etc.
- Protective factors for Internet use-related problems.
- Effectiveness of intervention programs for internet use-related mental health problems.
- Validity and reliability of excessive Internet use measures in children and adolescents.
The purpose of this research topic is to explore the impact of excessive Internet use on mental health in children and adolescents from different areas around the world, to explore the related factors, and to help improve interventions for Internet use-related mental health problems. We are particularly interested in original research papers that increase our knowledge of (but not limited to) the following topics:
- The prevalence of excessive Internet use in children and adolescents from different areas.
- Specific mental health sequelae of problematic and excessive internet use in children and adolescents.
- Etiological pathways for excessive Internet use-related mental disorders.
- Risk factors associated with excessive Internet use, such as environmental factors, genetic factors, social factors, personality traits, etc.
- Protective factors for Internet use-related problems.
- Effectiveness of intervention programs for internet use-related mental health problems.
- Validity and reliability of excessive Internet use measures in children and adolescents.
Keywords: Children and adolescents, Mental health, Mental disorders, Prevalence, Intervention, Internet addition measures., Factors, Excessive Internet Use
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
