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Cited by 38Impact of Technology on AdolescentsGambling Behavior and TreatmentsSexuality, Behavior, and Technology

Online Addictions: Conceptualizations, Debates, and Controversies

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Griffiths, Mark D., Pontes, Halley M., Kuss, Daria J.·2016·Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions
DOI 10.15805/addicta.2016.3.0101
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Abstract

The activity of play has endured throughout human history and more recently, the Internet has emerged as a playground increasingly populated by gamblers, gamers, shoppers, and social networkers. Research suggests that a minority of online users experience symptoms traditionally associated with substance-related addictions, including mood modification, tolerance, conflict, and salience. Previous research suggests that a combination of individual, situational, and structural characteristics determine whether, and to what extent, individuals engage in various online activities. For instance, it is believed that access, affordability, and anonymity are critical factors that make the Internet viable for the acquisition, development, and maintenance of online addictions. Since the current scientific knowledge of online addiction is copious in scope and appears relatively complex, this paper examines a selection of the main debates in the field, the conceptualization of excessive online behavior as an addiction, and other key controversies.Citation: Griffiths, M. D., Pontes, H. M., & Kuss, D. J. (2016). Online addictions: Conceptualizations, debates, and controversies. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 3, 151‒164. http://dx.doi.org/10.15805/addicta.2016.3.0101

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  • Excessive internet consumption may result in negative outcomes and become addictive, especially among a minority of adolescents and young adults.

    “Its consumption when excessive may result in negative outcomes and become addictive (Griffiths et al. 2016) especially among a minority of adolescents and young adults (World Health Organization 2011).”

    From Addiction to Social Media and Attachment Styles: A Systematic Literature Review (2019) · cites this paper as Griffiths et al. 2016

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Research works printed but not linked: 20

  1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders - Text revision (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
  2. Block, J. J. (2008). Issues for DSM-V: Internet addiction. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 306-307.
  3. In W. R. Eadington & J. A. Cornelius (Eds.), Gambling behavior and problem gambling (pp. 241-272). Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press.
  4. Griffiths, M. D. (1996b). Behavioral addictions: An issue for everybody? Journal of Workplace Learning, 8(3), 19-25.
  5. Griffiths, M. D. (1999a). Internet addiction: Internet fuels other addictions. Student British Medical Journal, 7, 428-429.
  6. Griffiths, M. D. (1999b). Gambling technologies: Prospects for problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 15, 265-283.
  7. Griffiths, M. D. (2010a). Internet abuse and internet addiction in the workplace. Journal of Workplace Learning, 7, 463-472.
  8. Griffiths, M. D. (2010b). The role of context in online gaming excess and addiction: Some case study evidence. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8, 119-125.
  9. Griffiths, M. D., Wood, R. T. A., Parke, J., & Parke, A. (2006). Dissociative states in problem gambling. In C. Allcock (Ed.), Current issues related to dissociation (pp. 27-37). Melbourne: Australian Gaming Council.
  10. Joinson, A. (1998). Causes and implications of disinhibited behavior on the Internet. In J. Gackenback (Ed.), Psychology and the internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal implications (pp. 43-60). New York, NY: Academic Press.
  11. King, D. L., Haagsma, M. C., Delfabbro, P. H., Gradisar, M. S., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Toward a consensus definition of pathological video-gaming: A systematic review of psychometric assessment tools. Clinical Psychology Review, 33, 331-342.
  12. In K. Rosenberg & L. Feder (Eds.), Behavioral addictions: Criteria, evidence and treatment (pp. 61-95). New York, NY: Elsevier.
  13. Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2012a). Online gaming addiction in adolescence: A literature review of empirical research. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 1, 3-22.
  14. Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2012b). Online gaming addiction: A systematic review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 10, 278-296.
  15. Kuss, D. J., Shorter, G. W., van Rooij, A. J., Griffiths, M. D., & Schoenmakers, T. (2014b). Assessing internet addiction using the parsimonious internet addiction components model -A preliminary study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 12(3), 351-366.
  16. Marks, I. (1990). Non-chemical (behavioural) addictions. British Journal of Addiction, 85, 1389- 1394.
  17. Pontes, H. M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Internet gaming disorder and its associated cognitions and cognitive-related impairments: A systematic review using PRISMA guidelines. Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento, 7(3), 102-118.
  18. Pontes, H. M., Macur, M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Internet gaming disorder among Slovenian primary schoolchildren: Findings from a nationally representative sample of adolescents. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5, 304-310.
  19. Wittek, C. T., Finserås, T. R., Pallesen, S., Mentzoni, R. A., Hanss, D., Griffiths, M. D., & Molde, H. (2016). Prevalence and predictors of video game addiction: A study based on a national representative sample of gamers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 14, 672-685.
  20. Young, K. (1998). Caught in the net: How to recognize the signs of internet addiction and a winning strategy for recovery. New York, NY: Wiley.

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Authors
Griffiths, M. D., Pontes, H. M., & Kuss, D. J.
Affiliations
Nottingham Trent University (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions
Publisher
Türkiye Yeşilay Cemiyeti / Turkish Green Crescent Society
Published
2016-10-25
Volume
3
Issue
2
Pages
151-164
ISSN
  • 2148-7286 (ISSN-L)
  • 2149-1305
DOI
10.15805/addicta.2016.3.0101
OpenAlex
W2548057810
Cited by
38
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3
FWCI
11.44
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Addicta The Turkish Journal on Addictions (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Nottingham Trent University's Institutional Repository (Nottingham Trent Repository) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • BIROn (Birkbeck, University of London) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
Keywords
internet addiction, internet gaming disorder, gambling addiction, online shopping addiction, social networking addiction, conceptualization of addiction, tolerance and withdrawal, anonymity

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