College sophomore Chris Yeager gazed at his screen in disbelief. He raged. He cursed. He almost clawed the walls.
His Internet had gone out.
But Yeager is only one of hundreds of students whose worlds fall apart when the Internet stops working, and cyberpsychologists have even invented a name for their affliction: Internet Addiction Disorder.
The disorder became official in 1995, and a study released last month by the University of Southern California reported that 20 percent of American parents believe their kids are online too much.
And though their parents may not be here to see, Penn students are doing the same thing.
According to a report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project - a group that monitors Internet activity - 88 percent of college-aged students go online at least "occasionally."
But so much time on the Web may be doing more harm than good.
These numbers, experts say, make Internet-savvy students more prone to mental-health issues.
As the number of college students going online increases, so does the number of diagnosed cases of IAD, according to Kimberly Young, director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery.
"In the general population, roughly 5 to 10 percent of the people are classified as Internet addicts," Young said. "Those rates increase to about 18 percent on [college] campuses."
Penn students are no exception.
"I'd have to kill myself without the Internet," College freshman Eric Sternberg said.
According to University Senior Technology Director Deke Kassabian, Penn's technology has become more advanced over the last 11 years. University Web sites have gone from being able to transmit two megabits per second to 1.2 gigabits per second, a 600-fold increase.
"Demand is ever-increasing," he said. Students "use the Internet more hours of the day; . e-mail attachments and Web pages are larger."
And such increased access has taken its toll on many students.
Susan Villari, director of the Office of Health Education, estimates that 15 percent of Penn students identify Internet use as negatively impacting their academic performance.
"I go on Facebook about 20 times a day," College sophomore Whit Smith said. "It's slowly taking over my life; I'm on the Internet for four hours a day."
To help students like Smith, OHE will begin a "Sign Off - Ask Us Why" campaign in February 2007.
Students become "distracted by their [instant-message] conversations and computer games," which leads to wasted time and thus stress and stress-related illnesses, Villari added.
Young said the reasons behind Internet addiction stem from the need to escape, emotional distress and loneliness, among others.
She also suggested that students seek therapy if they are diagnosed with IAD.
But students might not be so interested in such help.
"I've accepted my Internet addiction," Smith said. "It's a way of life."
