Guess What? I'm Addicted to the Internet

Does your internet habit:

• Keep you online while your family sleeps
• Include reading the news online
• Allow you to facilitate in your real life friendships
• Involve reading blogs or writing your own blog

If so, you may be addicted to the internet.  I know I am.

CNNHealth.com's Why Moms Are At Risk for Internet Addiction states says that moms like me are “contributing to a growing global addiction.”  Psychiatrists are moving to recognize the internet as an addiction just like alcohol dependency which would make it an official mental disorder.

A mental disorder?!?  I’m online a lot both personally and professionally but I don’t my use of the internet should be classified as a mental disorder.  As a modern mom who juggles work, family, and tries to have a little bit of a life outside of being a parent, my

 internet usage is just a way of life

Personally, I am more likely to sit down at the kitchen table and open my laptop to read the news online via The Washington Post or CNN’s homepage than turning the pages of the actual paper that is thrown on our front steps each morning.  Rather than picking up the phone to arrange a playdate or to call a babysitter for a night out, I message on Facebook.  I select greeting cards from sites like JacquieLawson.com rather than in the Hallmark aisle, purchase clothes for my kids from a bookmarked list of favorite online retailers, browse iTunes for favorite music, and commonly turn to Google for directions and to answer my questions.

Besides my personal use of the internet, I also rely on it professionally as an on online course instructor, freelance writer, community manager for an online professional community of teachers, and my day job as a Technology Magnet Coordinator doesn’t exactly keep me away from the internet either.   

Obviously I’m hooked.  But what do I do?   The CNN article suggests that I keep a journal of how often I am online for a week. 

Do you think I should create a Google doc so I can update it at home, work, and wherever else I have access to the internet?  If so, I’ll be sure to include how often I access my Google doc in my journal too.

Original DC Metro Moms post

Leticia is always online helping parents find quality technology resources for their kids at Tech Savvy Mama and recommending activities for parents of 2-6 year olds as the City Editor at Being Savvy Washington DC.