Grade 9 A Reading Comprehension Internet Addicts Internet

Grade 9 A – Reading Comprehension: Internet Addicts

Internet Addicts Need Help The amount of time kids spend online is a source of frustration for many parents. Initially, parents welcomed the Internet into their homes, believing they were opening up an exciting new world of educational opportunities for their children. However, many parents soon realized that, instead of using the Internet for homework or research, their kids were spending hours instant messaging with friends, playing online games or talking to strangers in chat rooms. Kids are not the only ones who develop addiction. Internet addiction is a growing problem. Research from the Center for Online Addiction suggests that people are spending an increasing amount of time online and then lie about it to hide their activities. Dr Kimberly Young, director of the centre for Online Addiction, sets out a series of questions she says may determine whether or not someone is an Internet addict. An Internet addict would answer yes to at least five of the following questions: • Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (Do you think about it constantly)? • Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction? • Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop Internet use? • Do you stay online longer than originally intended? • Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet? • Have you lied to family members, therapist or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet? • Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving, for example, feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression?

Most people agree that the Internet is a productive tool, but research findings document serious negative consequences when it is used in a negative manner. The anonymity of the Internet made it easier to indulge the addiction, and encouraged "deviant, deceptive and even criminal online acts, such as the development of aggressive online personas or the viewing and downloading of illegal images". In a true addiction, a person becomes compulsively dependent upon a particular kind of stimulation to the point where obtaining a steady supply of that stimulation becomes the sole and central focus of their lives. The addict increasingly neglects his work duties, relationships and ultimately even his health in his drive to remain stimulated. 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. Over the long term, computer addiction 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. Longterm 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.

1. 1. The purpose of this essay is to_____________________ 3. Complete: At first, parents thought the Internet could help their kids with _________ or ________ , but now they understand that their kids ______________________ 4. Copy the suitable English definition for the word “suggest” as used in line 7. 5. Cause and Effect – Complete the following table based lines 28 -44 Cause 1. ____________ 2. People spend too much time sitting _______ Effect a. drowsiness b. difficulty concentrating c. ____________________ 3. People want to get more computer time __________