Computer addiction

Computer addiction, or more broadly computer overuse, is excessive or compulsive use of computers that interferes with daily life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM) criteria for substance dependency have been used to argue that some individuals suffer from computer addiction. However, the existence of "computer addiction" is currently debated.

Origin of the term

British e-Learning academic Nicholas Rushby suggested in his 1979 book, An Introduction to Educational Computing, that people can be addicted to computers and suffer withdrawal symptoms. The term was also used by M. Shotton in 1989 in her book Computer Addiction.