living room

W: Young, today, millions of us are now addicted to chat rooms, e-mail and just plain web surfing.
M: Yes, it’s no secret that we’re into computers. And why not? On the Internet, we can catch up on news, plan vacations, pay bills and make friends. But for some, once they type their way onto the Internet, they just can’t stop.
W: Do you know who’s getting hooked?
M: Internet addiction can happen to anyone who’s lonely. It includes two surprising groups.-college students and homemakers.
W: How does that happen?
M: Away from their families, homesick and overwhelmed, many college students seek connections on the computer. And homemakers are prone to addiction too, if they’re shy. Face-to-face talking can create anxiety. The chat room eliminates all that.
W: But the more on-line connections vulnerable people make, the more they may neglect the connections they hold dear in real life.
M: Yes. Apart from that, Internet also does harm to them. In a recent study, 51 percent of men and 42 percent of women named the Internet as one of the reasons they’re not getting enough sleep! And 68 percent of Internet addicts surveyed said their on-line usage was destroying their relationships. The person will retire to the computer at night instead of the bedroom, and form cyberspace relationships with strangers instead of communicating with a spouse.
W: It does make us worry. Do you have any suggestions for us?
M: Well, there are steps to take to make sure your family doesn’t get hooked, for example, you can put the computer in a common area like a living room where you can’t spend hour after uninterrupted hour on-line. You can use a timer to limit on-line time. But I think the best way is to join a club. Anyone with balance and face-to-face contact with others isn’t likely to get hooked.