Computer Addiction

Introduction

We are now facing the modern era of technology and this is the computer age. One of the greatest inventions of man for all time is the computer. Many of us cannot deny that they are relying or depends on computer. It is inevitable that others may become addicted to computer because of its amazing features and satisfy their gratification because it makes everything easy and possible.
We all enjoy the benefits of the computer, and for many of us it is also an indispensable tool for work, education, and communication. While time spent on the Internet can be hugely productive, for some people compulsive Internet use can interfere with daily life, work and relationships.
When you feel more comfortable with your online friends than your real ones, or you can’t stop yourself from playing games, gambling, or compulsively surfing, even when it has negative consequences in your life, then you may be using the Internet too much. Learn about the signs and symptoms of Internet addiction and how you can get balance back in your online life. The benefits are easier research, better gaming, it's easier to communicate with, it makes business better, it makes it easier to shop, etc.
The researchers conduct this research to know how college Cecilian’s depends on computer. How the computers do contributes to their daily life and how it affects their physical, emotional, intellectual, and social aspects.

Statement of Problem This research aims to determine the percentage of college students in Sta. Cecilia College on how they are dependent in computer.
Related Studies
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem.
The computer is also a computing machine; it offers all benefits of a good well calibrated machine. A computer can repetitively compute without making mistakes (accuracy). A computer is not biased. A computer is quicker in doing assigned tasks since it takes help of Integrated Circuits (speed of electricity?) to process.
The benefits are easier research, better gaming, it's easier to communicate with, it makes business better, it makes it easier to shop, etc.
It is very important that a given problem is expressed in computer terminology first, exhaustively and accurately, to avail benefits of computers.
Some people develop bad habits in their computer use that cause them significant problems in their lives. The types of behavior and negative consequences are similar to those of known addictive disorders; therefore, the term Computer or Internet Addiction has come into use. While anyone who uses a computer could be vulnerable, those people who are lonely, shy, easily bored, or suffering from another addiction or impulse control disorder as especially vulnerable to computer abuse.
Computer abuse can result from people using it repeatedly as their main stress reliever, instead of having a variety of ways to cope with negative events and feelings. Other misuses can include procrastination from undesirable responsibilities, distraction from being upset, and attempts to meet needs for companionship and belonging.
Computer addiction, a loosely used term with Internet Addiction, or Video game addiction, is the excessive or compulsive use of computers to the extent that it interferes with daily life. This disorder may affect the following: social interaction, mood, personality, and work ethic, relationships, thought process. It may also cause social disorders or possibly sleep deprivation. It is important to note that as of now, psychologists are not sure how to label this disorder. Many refer to it as Internet Addiction Disorder; however, computer addiction originated long before internet use is as common as it is today. In addition, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has yet to recognize this exact disorder, and are more likely to include a more specific term of addiction, such as Internet Addiction, or Video game addiction.
A disorder in which the individual turns to the Internet or plays computer games in an attempt to change moods, overcome anxiety, deal with depression, reduce isolation or loneliness, or distract themselves from overwhelming problems. The elderly, as well as children and adolescents, are particularly vulnerable because they may not realize the extent of their dependency. In many instances, individuals with computer addiction may seek help for another condition, such as depression, phobias or other addictions.
At Home: * A mother has difficulty getting her child to do chores when computer games occupy all after school time.
A husband finds his wife increasingly neglects family duties, is irritable at family gatherings, and the phone bill has risen astronomically to an on-line service number.
Someone connects to the Internet at 9:00 PM and suddenly discovers it is dawn and he has not left the computer.
At School: * A child's grades fall and the teacher notes that he/she is falling asleep in class.
A college freshman gets a mid-term warning because he is not keeping up with course work. Instead, he is spending every evening on the Internet communicating with all his family and former high school classmates, and rarely joins in social activities on campus.
At Work: * An employee starts to fall behind at work and a rising number of sick days raises questions about usefulness to his/her employer.
A corporate department head stays late each night to meet deadlines. In-house monitoring of computer use reveals he frequently accesses inappropriate sites, including gambling and pornography.
An office supervisor suddenly resigns from her job. A lot of work is unfinished and the company asks her family to encourage her to return. They find her at home, hunched over a computer and out cold completely oblivious to her surroundings.
These are all examples of a condition called Computer Addiction, Internet Addictive Disorder or Cyber addiction. It is a problem very similar to Pathological Gambling or Compulsive Shopping. Like other addictions, it affects other people -- family, friends, and co-workers. Spouses complain that their loved ones neglect them. Couples separate when one of the partners finds someone else on the Internet and leaves home. Like gamblers they compulsively keep investing time and money. They fantasize that the next connection they make will solve all their problems.

THE SYMPTOMS OF COMPUTER ADDICTION are quite specific:
Psychological Symptoms
Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer
Inability to stop the activity
Craving more and more time at the computer
Neglect of family and friends
Feeling empty, depressed, irritable when not at the computer
Lying to employers and family about activities
Problems with school or job
Physical Symptoms
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Dry eyes
Migraine headaches
Back aches
Eating irregularities, such as skipping meals
Failure to attend to personal hygiene
Sleep disturbances, change in sleep pattern
Computer addiction has been identified by many professionals and the media. Family therapists hear about it frequently. Clinical Psychiatric News reports increasing complaints related to computer use. At many colleges and universities, counselors and Deans of Students report increases in inappropriate and excessive computer use associated with rule infractions, student failures and academic drop-outs. Lawyers find that compulsive computer use can be a major factor in divorce.
Like any addiction this one can be treated. Dr. Orzack believes that one of the most effective methods to deal with all these types of problems is Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which teaches the patient to identify the problem, to solve the problem and to learn coping skills to prevent relapse. Often the treatment is helped by medication. In addition she recommends support groups for the other affected persons.
For fifteen years Dr. Orzack, a licensed clinical psychologist, has treated addictive behaviors at McLean Hospital, where she is founder and coordinator of the Computer Addiction Service and a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty. She is also a faculty member of the Cognitive Therapy Program, and in private practice in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. In addition she has studied recreational drug use and thinks that inappropriate computer use is similar. Her sense is that we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Our society is becoming more and more computer dependent not only for information, but for fun and entertainment. This trend is a potential problem affecting all ages, starting with computer games for kids to chats for the unwary or vulnerable adult.
Computer addiction is a relatively new term used to describe a dependency on one's computer. Computer addiction is not limited to personal computers (PCs). It covers video games and the Internet and has already been given a label by psychologists, namely Internet addiction disorder (IAD).

Symptoms
Here are the lists of symptoms one may encounter while suffering from computer addiction: 1. 1 Lack of social interaction. * Using the computer for pleasure, gratification, or relief from stress. * Feeling irritable and out of control or depressed when not using it. * Spending increasing amounts of time and money on hardware, software, magazines, and computer-related activities. * Neglecting work, school, or family obligations. * Lying about the amount of time spent on computer activities. * Risking loss of career goals, educational objectives, and personal relationships. * Failing at repeated efforts to control computer use.
People can grow addicted to a variety of substances, and there is usually a substantial amount of help available to treat them. Alcohol, drugs and sex have all been known to bring out the addictive personality trait in some people, but other forms of addictive behavior, such as exercise, watching television or spending too much time on a computer, have only recently been recognized. Computer addiction, like any addiction, can creep up on a person without one being aware of it. Talk shows are full of people whose relationships have been torn apart by one partner's computer addiction. Spending hours chatting online, surfing the web or playing computer games can cause relationships to deteriorate as other parts of a person's life are neglected.
Computer Games as a Part of Children's Culture The cultural and pedagogical relevance of electronic games
Interactive video and computer games belong to the new multimedia culture that is based on the digital computer technology. These games have become increasingly popular in the past 20 to 25 years, especially among young people. In the beginning they were mainly played by youth and young adults who were enthusiastic about computers. During the early nineties, however, video and computer games became a matter-of-course in the everyday life of young people, including children. There is not one single explanation for this development. Probably a number of different reasons can be alleged. From an economic perspective one might argue that children and youth have become important target groups for many industries, e.g. media, fashion, music. Young people are believed to act as "driving forces" in and for new markets and products, and their purchasing power is noteworthy. The computer game industry obviously has been quite successful in attracting these young customers. From a technical perspective one could point out that starting and playing electronic games has become easier in the past two decades. You don't need specific computer knowledge to use a Game Boy or a television-linked console - it is just plug and play. In addition, the introduction of Microsoft Windows has made personal computers (PCs) - to some degree - more users friendly to operate. But in order to explain the broad success of video and computer games it is not sufficient to take into account what happened on the part of the media. It is crucial to see what happened on the part of the players, too. What made and makes video and computer games fascinating for them? How do they use and value different games? To what extent are the changing media environments of children connected to more general social developments? Questions like these are characteristic for scientific approaches which are interested in the social and cultural relevance of media uses. They go beyond media-centered approaches and try to understand how computer games are integrated into the lives of the children and young people (Livingstone, d'Haenens & Hasebrink, 2001).
This cultural and social significance of electronic games, I propose, also is pedagogically relevant, because any educational or teaching effort which aims at mediating so-called "media competency," computer literacy, or ICT skills is preceded by informal and non-formal learning processes of children within their "computer gaming culture." About 20 years ago Patricia M. Greenfield discussed possible effects of new media (Greenfield, 1984). She was skeptical about common fears that new media were bad educators, because they "taught" children and young people things like violent behavior. As far as I see Greenfield was one of the first scientists who drew attention to the possible positive effects of watching television or playing video games. She addressed new media as cultural artifacts which demand complex cognitive skills from the people who use them, and these skills and the related knowledge that come from using them are not obtained in instructional contexts like schools, but are acquired informally (Greenfield, 1984). Since 1984 the situation obviously has changed in one respect: schools have begun to use computers and teach pupils computer skills. But at the same time informal experiences with computer technology have become more common for children and young people. Most pupils, therefore, have learned about computers before teachers or other educators begin instruction; sometimes the pupils' skills even surpass those of the teachers.
A better knowledge about informal learning processes and their background seems to be necessary in order to avoid a "clash of media cultures." This metaphoric notion implies the following: teachers, parents, and others engaged in education and tuition are members of a generation which - during its primary socialization - has grown up in a different media culture and has different media experiences than the young generation of today. These (informal) experiences do not only influence their private values and attitudes towards new media, but they also have an impact on their educational concepts and actions. However, this coherence is usually not being reflected. In other words, parents and educators tend to address the media cultures of children and youth from their own generational perspectives which they represent as an implicit norm in educational - and political - discourses (Schäeffer, 1998; Wittpoth, 1999; Fromme, 2000; Fromme, 2001). This implies that "new media" - that is media which someone did not grow up with - are often looked at with distrust and skepticism. In addition, members of the older generation on the whole still seem to represent what Max Weber called a "protestant ethic" (1985) which implies a rationalized lifestyle and a specific form of self control. Parents and teachers, for example, usually want children to use a computer for more than playing computer games and if they accept the computer, it is mostly because they want and expect it to lead to more serious types of PC-related activities like writing texts or using educational or learning software (Leu, 1993).
If we look at empirical data we have to state that for children and youth computer games "are the most frequently used interactive media" (Beentjes et al., 2001, 95). Without going into too many details, I want to refer to three studies which support this statement. In a European comparative study carried out in 1997 and 1998 the number of minutes per day spent on various media were considered. Three different interactive media were included here: the internet, the PC (not for games) and electronic games. "Electronic games" was used as a collective notion for computer games (PC games) and video games (television-linked consoles and portable video game systems). On average children and young people between 6 and 16 in Europe spent 32 minutes per day playing electronic games, 17 minutes per day using PC applications (not games) and 5 minutes per day using the internet. To give a comparison: 136 minutes per day were devoted to watching television). The figures varied between the different countries (see fig. 1), but in all countries (with one exception) more time was spent on video and computer games than on the more 'serious' types of computer use.

Figure 1
Note. Data from Beentjes et al., 2001: 96 We have similar findings in other studies which concentrated on the use of the PC only (and did not consider consoles or portable video game systems). A recent German study on the media use of children (Feierabend & Klingler, 2001) for example shows that playing computer games is the most prominent PC-related activity of children between 6 and 13. In this study 60 percent of the children said that they used a computer at least "rarely" or "sometimes" in their leisure time. These children were defined as PC users (n=740). Figure 2 shows the computer activities of these PC users. It tells us how many children (in percent) reported they practiced the named different activities at least once a week. On average "playing computer games alone" is the most popular activity. The figures vary, but this statement applies for boys as well as for girls, and it applies for all age groups of this sample (6 to 7 years, 8 to 9 years, 10 to 11 years and 12 to 13 years). In addition, it is quite customary to play computer games together with others, especially for the boys (see Figure 2). This gives a first indication to relevant gender differences with regard to the way computer games are used and integrated into the children's social and cultural activities.

Figure 2
Note. Data from Feierabend & Klingler, 2001: 352 The third study I want to refer to was carried out by the same research association in Germany, but it addressed a different age group: 12 to 19 year olds. Again young adults were asked to report which of the named PC activities they practiced regularly. The results (see Figure 3) indicate another gender difference: In this age group playing computer games is the most popular activity for boys, but not for girls. The same difference does not exist in the 6 to 13 age group where playing computer games (alone) is the most popular kind of PC use for both boys and girls (Figure 2). This might lead to the following hypotheses: Girls lose some interest in computer games when they get older and turn towards the more "serious" types of PC use. Boys, on the other hand, mainly use the PC as a "game machine" throughout their childhood and teenage years. But as the findings come from two different samples and not from a longitudinal study we cannot take these as granted statements, yet.

Figure 3
Note. Data from Feierabend & Klingler, 2000: 26 Research on the "computer gaming cultures" of children
Research on the media use of children is still rare. Most studies can be characterized as youth studies. To some degree this statement applies to the social sciences in general: When research work is done to investigate the social and cultural lives of young people it mostly concentrates on youth and not on children. A common argument for this focus on youth and adolescence is a methodological one. To include children would raise questions like: Do children have sufficient reading abilities to fill in a written questionnaire? Are their cognitive abilities sufficient to understand the questions of an interviewer? Are their linguistic (verbal) abilities adequate to express what they want to say? On the whole it seems doubtful that results from empirical studies with children could correspond to scientific standards like objectivity, reliability and validity. At first glance these methodological questions appear to be plausible. However, some of the underlying assumptions have become subject to criticism, the core of which being the construction of childhood in terms of deficiency (Prout & James, 1990; Shantz & Hartup, 1992; Zinnecker, 1996; Honig, Leu & Nissen, 1996). The critics claimed that a paradigmatic shift was necessary: childhood should no longer be defined as a developmental stage but as something in and of itself. This implies that children cannot be reduced to "not yet grown-ups" but they have to be seen and respected as subjects in their own right who develop their own and unique cultural milieus. In the 1990s considerations like that have been prominent especially in discussions of sociologists and other social scientists. One effect was the founding of a new section called "Sociology of Childhood" in the American Sociological Association (ASA) in 1993. Another effect was a new interest in research on childhood matters.
How does this different view on children and childhood apply to the above-mentioned methodological questions? First of all, research on children and childhood has been reshaped in an attempt to approach and understand a different culture. Therefore the main question is not whether the children are or are not able to correspond to scientific (or other) standards of adult researchers, but whether or not methods (i.e. forms of communication) can be developed which secure a mutual understanding. Children live in a cultural milieu which adult researchers have to accept and take seriously. In this milieu the children are the experts, not the scientists.
This was one of the theoretical and methodological starting points of a research project which was carried out by a research team at the University of Bielefeld between 1995 and 1998 (Fromme, Meder & Vollmer, 2000). We were inspired by the discussions to establish a new sociology of childhood although its mainstream was somehow anti-pedagogical. I cannot go into the details here (Fromme & Vollmer 1999; Zinnecker 1996), but in our view an educational (or pedagogical) science does not necessarily have to reduce childhood to an arrangement of protection, preparation and development for "not-yet-grown-ups." A pedagogue may well acknowledge the children's cultural world as something of its own right - in the same way as he can and will acknowledge the cultural world of any other (adult) group. However, we do not believe that this is the whole story. Some of the protagonists of the new sociology of childhood (e.g. Helga Zeiher in Germany or Glen Elder in the US) have assessed their approach in explicit opposition to the research concept of socialization. They are exclusively interested in social interactions taking place among children and would describe and analyze them as expressions of a cultural microworld. In our view this again is a reductionist concept of childhood, because it presupposes a degree of autonomy which is unrealistic - and not only with regard to children. In other words: We may accept that children develop their own cultural patterns and milieus without having to deny a concept like socialization (Zinnecker, 1996). This, of course, requires a revised concept of socialization. The child may no longer be seen as mere putty to be worked on by external forces but as someone who actively participates in the ongoing construction and deconstruction of his social and cultural world.
The scientific "discovery" of children as subjects of their own lives may well be put into the broader context of a changing society. Debates concerning the transformation of childhood in late modernity (e.g. Chisholm et al., 1990; Chisholm et al., 1995; Zentrum für Kindheits- und Jugendforschung, 1993) have referred to complex changes which may be characterized by notions like individualization and pluralization. Individualization, in short, "refers to the shift away from traditionally important sociostructural determinants of identity and behaviour towards more diversified notions of lifestyle" (Livingstone, d'Haenens & Hasebrink, 2001, 9). The individual has to construct his or her self more or less independently of traditional structures and backgrounds like religion, socio-economic status, family or age. In an "individualized" society already children are more or less forced to make their own decisions and manage their own life-courses. This is an ambivalent task, because it may well overcharge (young) people. Pluralization mainly refers to the diversification of options in all spheres of society. In addition, the notion draws attention to the phenomenon of cultural diversity (Welsch, 1988). Pluralization is closely connected to individualization, because the latter gives space and freedom for more diversity in lifestyles, beliefs or attitudes. One of the paradoxical aspects of postmodern societies is the permeation of cultural and economic developments. The plurality of options and cultures is partly a result of economic impacts on cultural developments, as it goes along with an expansion of commercialized forms of leisure and media culture.
These considerations were part of the theoretical framework of our study. Changing media cultures are a part and also an expression of more complex changes in society. On this background we tried to provide a comprehensive account of children's use of electronic games in their everyday life and of their attitudes towards these interactive media. We focused on the "computer gaming cultures" of 7 to 14 year old children. The aim was to get a better understanding of how the children used video and computer games, how they integrated these new media into their leisure activities and peer groups, and how they valued different aspects of the games. We interviewed the children themselves as experts of their media culture, and we assumed that the children were capable of providing relevant and valid information. The approach can be characterized as descriptive and analytical. We did not want to teach the children anything, but we wanted to learn more about the children's views and ideas. Therefore, we tried to avoid any normative message or statement when we addressed the children.
Our project design was as follows: 1,111 children filled in a self-completion questionnaire at school. Younger children got assistance from members of the research team. The main areas covered by the questionnaire were use of computer games, social context of use, parental mediation, preferred games and importance of leisure activities. In addition, the children were asked to judge several features and qualities of computer games which referred to four different dimensions: general acceptance, visual and acoustic presentation, dramatic involvement and required competency. Some of the socio-economic data we raised were family and household data (e.g. brothers and sisters, parental situation), occupation of father and mother, residence, age, gender, attended school type and nationality. About a year after this main study had been finished (with regard to the collection of data) 21 qualitative interviews focusing more closely on individual preferences and socio-economic backgrounds were conducted in order to perhaps identify different styles of computer game usage. In the following I will concentrate on the first study and present selected findings. They do not pretend to give a complete picture of the children's gaming culture, but may highlight some basic features.
The use of video and computer games
The main distinction we wanted to draw here was between regular gamers, casual gamers and non-gamers. In a pre-test we tried to develop items which came close to how the children would describe how often they play computer games. We finally decided to use the following items:
I play video or computer games regularly
- several times a day
- every day
- at least once a week
I play video or computer games casually
- mostly on weekends
- quite seldom, maybe once or twice a month
- once in a while, but then maybe for several hours
- in another way
I don't play video or computer games
- never tried it
- only tried it, but didn't continue
- used to play, but don't play anymore.
More than half of the boys (55.7 percent) and about 29 percent of the girls reported they played regularly, about 40 percent of the boys and 51 percent of the girls said they played casually, and about 6 percent of the boys and 20 percent of the girls said they did not play computer games (Figure 4 shows the detailed figures). Only 2.2 percent of our sample never played any video or computer game. The questionnaire included several questions for those who did not play. The children's answers informed us that they had decided not to do so, mostly because they were engaged in other activities (Fromme, Meder & Vollmer, 2000: 167-175). Lacking access to a computer or a console does not seem to be of any relevance here. On the whole video and computer games seem to be a matter-of-course for most of the children. But there are significant gender differences here - and in most other areas of the study. Boys play more often and more regularly than girls do. This indicates different media use styles, and to some extent different leisure preferences of boys and girls.

Figure 4 A second question referred to the favorite games of the children. In order to reduce the complexity of the questionnaire we decided to ask the children to name their current favorite video or computer game (open question). It remained the task of the researchers to decide how they fit into our typology of computer games (Fromme, Meder & Vollmer, 2000: 35). Altogether 915 children responded, and most of them were able to tell the name of their favorite game. The others wrote down a short description or explained it to the interviewers (e.g. car racing, a game where you have to arrange cards).
Boys and girls reported different preferences (Figure 5). The favorite games of the boys were action and fighting games (33 percent), sport games (21 percent) and platform games (17 percent). The favorite games of the girls, on the other hand, were platform games (48 percent) and think or puzzle games (20 percent). As the different types of games represent different contents these findings probably reflect well-known gender differences with regard to relevant interests. We can assume that these gender differences also are connected to the fact that most of the games neither present active female characters (Fromme & Gecius, 1997) nor deal with topics that girls usually show interest in - such as beauty or social relations (Schorb, 1993; Jungwirth, 1993; Kafai, 1996).

Figure 5 When do children address themselves to computer games?
Public discourses on computer games and children suggest that these interactive media have gained a dominant position in the leisure time of children and have begun to substitute more appreciated leisure activities like reading or sports. Sometimes they are believed to contribute to a general shift towards more indoor-oriented and individualized leisure activities. A look at the reported frequency of playing computer games and at the economic success of gaming hardware and software seems to back suppositions like that. However, some of our findings have put these suppositions into question mark. We asked, for example, in which situations the children decided to play at the PC or a console. The idea here was not to analyze the fascinating and motivating forces of computer games, but to have a look at possible situations in which children would tend to play computer games. The following options were offered:
- When there is nothing else to do (boring situation)
- When I don't want to do my homework
- In any possible situation (as often as possible)
- When nobody is there to do something else with
- When friends are there who play (computer games) with me
- When the weather is bad and I cannot go outside.
The three possible answers which were most broadly accepted were (Figure 6): when there is nothing else to do (about 83 percent of the children agreed), when the weather is bad and I cannot go outside (81 percent of the boys and about 65 percent of the girls agreed) and when nobody is there to do something else with (76 percent of the boys and 66 percent of the girls agreed). This may indicate that video and computer games are important media to pass the time between other activities and to fill somehow empty parts of the day. It seems that children choose this option especially when other attractive options are not accessible. Our results thus support what Jürgen Fritz et al. have found in their research: video and computer games tend to be "second choice media" for most of the children (Fritz et al., 1995).

Figure 6 The answers suggest that computer games not only are relevant in situations where the children are alone, but also when friends are present. The possibility to play computer games with someone else appeals to boys more than to girls (74 percent of the boys and 59 percent of the girls agreed). The children, especially the boys, are interested in integrating the games into their peer activities. In these contexts the children are able to compare and compete with others, to demonstrate their progress in a game, to get help or advise on difficult parts of a game or to discuss the games.
About one-third of the children reported they played computer games when they did not want to do their homework for school. For them the games may be a way of avoiding or postponing a more or less unpleasant duty. About one-quarter played in any possible situation (boys 30 percent and girls 18 percent). This indicates a use of computer games which is largely independent of specific situations. On the other hand we have to be cautious not to jump to conclusions. "As often as possible" may correspond to frequent playing, but the answer may well suit children who, for some reason, are not able to play very frequently and would perhaps like to play more often. We had a closer look at the children who reported they played as often as possible: About half of them (53 percent) said they in fact played every day. This figure is significantly above the average of the whole sample (about 30 percent, see Figure 4), but it still leaves us with 47 percent who play "as often as possible" and do not play every day. Computer games and other leisure activities
The question of whether computer games have begun to substitute other leisure time activities has already been raised (see above). The children's reports about situations where computer or video games were played did not back a substitution-hypothesis. But in that part of the questionnaire the focus was not clearly put on leisure situations or activities. In another part of the questionnaire, however, this was case. We could not raise detailed information about the children’s leisure activities and confined ourselves to two questions. On the one hand we offered a selection of activities and asked the children to tell us whether they performed each of them "often," "sometimes" or "never." The following activities were included:
- listening to music
- playing alone inside (not computer games)
- playing outside together with others
- reading
- watching television or video films
- listening to audio cassettes (tales and stories, not music)
- playing computer or video games
- playing with parent(s) (not computer games)
- playing with brother or sister (not computer games)
- going for sports
- Other activities (open question)
On the other hand we asked the children to name their favorite leisure activity. With regard to the first question we get a picture which, on the whole, can be regarded as relatively unspectacular. Compared to more traditional activities computer games seem to be of less importance. The data presented in Figure 7 show how many percent of the boys and girls reported performing the named activities "often."

Figure 7 In the "top three" we find the same three activities for boys and for girls: playing outside with others, listening to music and playing sports. The ranking, however, is different. Listening to music seems to be of more importance for the girls, going outside for play or sport activities are more often reported by the boys. When the top list is expanded to four items a significant gender difference shows up: 43 percent of the girls report that they often read in their spare time while the boys rank playing computer games fourth in their list of leisure activities (Table 1).
Table 1: "High scores" of reported leisure activities | Boys | Girls | 1 | playing outside with others | 71% | listening to music | 71% | 2 | going for sports / sport activities | 67% | playing outside with others | 63% | 3 | listening to music | 52% | playing sports / sport activities | 50% | 4 | playing video/computer games | 38% | Reading | 43% | A noteworthy finding is that the children on the whole do not regard "watching television or video films" as something they do "often." Only about one-third of our sample said they did. But "watching television or video films" and "playing computer games" were the two items which collected the most "sometimes" answers (more than 60 percent). Studies that have measured time spent watching television tell us that the number of minutes per day spent watching television clearly tops that of audio media. For example, the average figures in a European comparative study were 136 minutes (television) compared to 90 minutes (audio media); the corresponding German figures in the study were 133 minutes and 52 minutes (Beentjes et al. 2001, 96). We assume that television and electronic games - from the children's perspective - are a matter-of-course, but are not predominant media and do not represent the core of their leisure activities and interests.
We also carried out a correspondence analysis which related the children's reports on their leisure activities to their reported frequency of playing computer games (Figure 4). The findings can be summarized as follows: * Boys who report playing electronic games "daily" more often "play alone inside" (29 percent compared to an average of 22 percent). * Girls who report playing electronic games "daily" more often "watch television or video films" (45 percent compared to an average of 30 percent). There is no evidence that the use of interactive media replaces the use of traditional screen media. * Girls who report they "never" engage in "sport activities" also report that they "never" play computer games (18 percent compared to an average of 9 percent, p<0.001). There is no evidence that boys or girls who often play electronic games are less engaged in sport activities. On the contrary, there is a (statistically non-significant) tendency that suggests that daily use of computer games goes along with sport activities (62 percent to 59 percent). * There is also no evidence that computer games replace reading. At first glance there seems to be such a statistical correspondence, but in-depth analysis reveals that this is due to gender: Girls read more often than boys, but are less engaged with the new interactive media. Within both gender groups there is no correspondence between the frequency of playing computer games and reading.
We may conclude that computer games, on the whole, do not replace other leisure activities like sports or reading. Instead there seem to be different patterns of combining media activities with other (non-media) activities in children's leisure time. Computer games do play an important role in situations when children are bored, have to wait or have the impression there is nothing else to do. The relevance of computer games (and maybe also television) in the everyday life of children may therefore be seen as a measure for the relevance of individualized "gaps" in the late modern (or postmodern) timetables of children. Our hypothesis therefore is that media use replaces traditional times of doing nothing or nothing special (like looking out of the window), rather than any other "activity" (also Hengst, 1988).

Favorite leisure activities
The answers to the question of what activities children perform often, sometimes or never represent the children's (subjective) perception of their leisure time structure. In order to get more information on their leisure preferences and interests we also included an open-ended question into the questionnaire asking for the children's favorite activity (or hobby). Altogether 980 children (from 1,111) named their favorite leisure activity. Most children named different sport activities. The only media-related activity of some importance was reading, which about 5 percent of the girls named as their favorite activity (Figure 8). Not all of the reported sport items are selective. Some children wrote down a specific kind of sport like horse riding, handball or football (soccer). Others referred to sport activities without specifying the kind of sport they participated in. Several children used the term "fun sport" which we believe is refers to sports such as climbing, roller skating or sportive games. Zinnecker et al. (1996) have explained that children nowadays participate more in sport activities than any other (age) group. His concept of childhood in late modernity being a "sportive childhood" gets some support here. The gender differences, again, are apparent (and statistically highly significant) for horse riding, football, reading and handball.

Figure 8 The reported favorite leisure activities also back the above-mentioned hypothesis of playing computer games - from the children's perspective - being a second-choice activity. They may like it, but they won't call it their favorite activity.
Social contexts of playing computer games
We tried to get some information about the social context of the children's computer gaming cultures using questions like "Where do you get the information about a 'good' game?" or "Whom do you play with?" Video and computer games are mainly connected to peer relations, while parents or other adults only participate in the margins. This seems to be true for boys as well as for girls, but boys, on average, play more frequently (alone as well as with others) and show a greater interest in games and related issues.
"Friends" are the most important advisers and mediators in game-related matters (Figure 9). It is friends who know about new games which might be of interest. There are two relevant means of communication which may supplement and permeate each other: One option is that the children are told there is a new game (verbal channel); another, more comprehensive option is that they see and try a new game at a friend's home. Brothers are also of some importance, especially for girls (35 percent compared to 23 percent of the boys). The role of parents seems to be ambivalent. The children apparently do not expect to get helpful information from their parents, especially from their mothers. Most parents, therefore, are not positively involved in the children's gaming cultures - besides the fact that they often pay for the games. But parents obviously try to somehow control the children's gaming activities from the outside, especially with regard to time and with regard to violent games. More than 70 percent of the children reported their parents knew what games they were playing, and about 20 percent had experienced that their parents had forbidden that they play a specific game. So the majority of parents have a skeptical eye on what is going on, but are mainly practicing a negative form of intervention, and do not give any positive advice. The children know about this and therefore sometimes don't tell them what kind of games they are playing (about 25 percent of the children reported this).

Figure 9
Socio-cultural environments do not only consist of (more or less) relevant others, they also consist of different media. With regard to the problem of being informed about 'good' new computer games the children also to some degree rely on what they find in other media. About 25 percent of the children for instance said they were "often" curious about or liked games which had protagonists they knew from films or television (like Asterix or Hercules). This, by the way, was significantly more important for the youngest children of our sample (the 7 to 8 year-olds). Commercials are quite successful in drawing the children's attention to new games, too. More than 18 percent of the children (girls 16.7 percent and boys 21.7 percent) said this was a significant source of information for them. It seems noteworthy that the figures for these two items clearly surpass those for the family related items "mother", "sister" and "father". For the boys "tests in gamers' magazines" represent a third relevant option which refers to other media (22 percent), but the magazines obviously do not appeal to most of the girls (6 percent).
What the children reported about "whom they play video and computer games together with" (Figure 10) leads us to a similar conclusion: The games are more often and more closely connected to peer relations than to family life. Parents are more or less external observers. Only a few seem to participate in their children's gaming culture. This marks an important difference from other media like television or books which are much more integrated into family interaction across generation borders (Lange & Lüscher, 1998). In addition, we learn from this last figure that the children's main reference group is the peer group of the same gender. Boys prefer to play with other boys, and girls most often play together with other girls. There seems to be one exception from the tendency to stay with members of the same gender: brothers or sisters.

Figure 10 What is Internet addiction or computer addiction?
Internet Addiction, otherwise known as computer addiction, online addiction, or internet addiction disorder (IAD), covers a variety of impulse-control problems, including: * Cybersex Addiction – compulsive use of Internet pornography, adult chat rooms, or adult fantasy role-play sites impacting negatively on real-life intimate relationships. * Cyber-Relationship Addiction – addiction to social networking, chat rooms and messaging to the point where virtual, online friends become more important than real-life relationships with family and friends. * Net Compulsions – such as compulsive online gaming, gambling, stock trading, or compulsive use of online auction sites such as eBay, often resulting in financial and job-related problems. * Information Overload – compulsive web surfing or database searching, leading to lower work productivity and less social interaction with family and friends. * Computer Addiction – obsessive playing of off-line computer games, such as Solitaire or Minesweeper, or obsessive computer programming.
The most common of these Internet addictions are cybersex, online gambling, and cyber-relationship addiction.
Healthy vs. unhealthy Internet use
The Internet provides a constant, ever-changing source of information and entertainment. Email, blogs, social networks, and message boards allow for both public and anonymous communication about any topic. But how much is too much Internet usage?
Each person’s Internet use is different. You might need to use the Internet extensively for your work, for example, or you might rely heavily on social networking sites to keep in touch with faraway family and friends. Spending a lot of time online only becomes a problem when it absorbs too much of your time, causing you to neglect your relationships, your work, school, or other important things in your life. If you keep repeating compulsive Internet behavior despite the negative consequences in your offline life, then it’s time to strike a new balance.
How do people become addicted to the Internet?
To relieve unpleasant and overwhelming feelings
Many people turn to the Internet in order to manage unpleasant feelings such as stress, loneliness, depression, and anxiety. When you have a bad day and are looking for a way to escape your problems or to quickly relieve stress or self-soothe, the Internet can be an easily accessible outlet. Losing yourself online can temporarily make feelings such as loneliness, stress; anxiety, depression, and boredom evaporate into thin air. As much comfort as the Internet can provide, though, it’s important to remember that there are healthier (and more effective) ways to keep difficult feelings in check. These may include exercising, meditating, using sensory relaxation strategies, and practicing simple breathing exercises.
For many people, an important aspect of overcoming Internet and computer addiction is to find alternate ways to handle these difficult feelings. Even when your Internet use is back to healthy levels, the painful and unpleasant feelings that may have prompted you to engage in unhealthy Internet use in the past will remain. So, it’s worth spending some time thinking about the different ways you intend to deal with stressful situations and the daily irritations that would normally have you logging on.
Risk factors for Internet addiction and computer addiction
You are at greater risk of Internet addiction if: * You suffer from anxiety. You may use the Internet to distract yourself from your worries and fears. An anxiety disorder like obsessive-compulsive disorder may also contribute to excessive email checking and compulsive Internet use. * You are depressed. The Internet can be an escape from feelings of depression, but too much time online can make things worse. Internet addiction further contributes to stress, isolation and loneliness. * You have any other addictions. Many Internet addicts suffer from other addictions, such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, and sex. * You lack social support. Internet addicts often use social networking sites, instant messaging, or online gaming as a safe way of establishing new relationships and more confidently relating to others. * You’re an unhappy teenager, you might be wondering where you fit in and the Internet might feel more comfortable than real life friends. * You are less mobile or socially active than you are used to. For example, you may be coping with a new disability that limits your ability to drive. Parenting very young children can make it hard to leave the house or connect with old friends. * You are stressed. While some people use the Internet to relieve stress, it can have a counterproductive effect. The longer you spend online, the higher your stress levels will be.
Signs and symptoms of Internet addiction or computer addiction
Signs and symptoms of Internet addiction vary from person to person. For example, there are no set hours per day or number of messages sent that indicate Internet addiction. But here are some general warning signs that your Internet use may have become a problem: * Losing track of time online. Do you frequently find yourself on the Internet longer than you intended? Does a few minutes turn in to a few hours? Do you get irritated or cranky if your online time is interrupted? * Having trouble completing tasks at work or home. Do you find laundry piling up and little food for dinner in the house because you’ve been busy online? Perhaps you find yourself working late more often because you can’t complete your work on time — then staying even longer when everyone else has gone home so you can surf the Web freely. * Isolation from family and friends. Is your social life suffering because of all the time you spend online? Are you neglecting your family and friends? Do you feel like no one in your “real” life — even your spouse — understands you like your online friends? * Feeling guilty or defensive about your Internet use. Are you sick of your spouse nagging you to get off the computer and spend time together? Do you hide your Internet use or lie to your boss and family about the amount of time you spend on the computer and what you do while online? * Feeling a sense of euphoria while involved in Internet activities. Do you use the Internet as an outlet when stressed, sad, or for sexual gratification or excitement? Have you tried to limit your Internet time but failed?
Physical symptoms of Internet addiction
Internet or computer addiction can also cause physical discomfort such as: * Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (pain and numbness in hands and wrists) * Dry eyes or strained vision * Back aches and neck aches; severe headaches * Sleep disturbances * Pronounced weight gain or weight loss
Internet addiction: Cybersex and pornography
While online pornography and cybersex addictions are types of sexual addiction, special challenges on the Internet include its relative anonymity and ease of access. People can spend hours on the net in the privacy of their own home, and engage in fantasies impossible in real life.
Compulsively spending hours on the Internet viewing pornography or engaging in other cybersex activities can adversely affect real-life relationships, career, and emotional health.
What’s the difference between healthy and unhealthy sexuality?
For most adults, healthy sexuality is an integrated life experience. Sex with partners, with self, or as a part of exploring new relationships is usually a pleasurable act of choice. For sexual addicts however, sexual behavior can be most often defined by words such as driven, compulsive and hidden. Unlike healthy sex that is integrated into relationships, sexual addicts use sex as a means to cope, to handle boredom, anxiety and other powerful feelings or as a way to feel important, wanted or powerful.
Internet addiction: Online gambling
While gambling has been a well-documented problem for years, the availability of Internet gambling has made gambling far more accessible. It has also made it harder for recovering addicts to avoid relapse. Online or virtual casinos are open all day, every day for anyone with Internet access. People who don’t live within close proximity of a traditional casino or betting track, for example, or even those who are too young to gain access, now find it much easier to gamble online.

Learn about gambling addiction and treatment: * Help for problem gamblers and their family members. * Recognize the signs of gambling addiction, including online gambling. * How to deal with gambling cravings, and find support and treatment.
Other net compulsions
Net compulsions such as compulsive stock trading or online auction shopping can be just as financially and socially damaging as online gambling. eBay addicts, for example, may wake up at strange hours in order to be online for the last remaining minutes of an online auction. They may purchase things they don’t need and can’t afford in order to experience the excitement of placing the winning bid.
Compulsive online gamers can isolate themselves for many hours at a time participating in virtual reality or online fantasy games, neglecting other aspects of their lives such as work and family.
Internet addiction: Cyber-relationships
When used responsibly, the Internet can be a great place to interact socially, meet new people, and even start romantic relationships. However, online relationships can often be more intense than those in real life. Our fantasies are given free reign and the idea of being with our online love can exceed all realistic expectations. Since few real-life relationships can compete with these wild, fantasy relationships, the Internet addict will prefer to spend more and more time with their online friends.
Another problem is that about 50% of people online lie about their age, weight, job, marital status, or gender. When online friends meet and the real-life person fails to match the online persona, it can create profound emotional disappointment.
Self-help tips for breaking your Internet addiction
The following are tools to get your Internet use under control. While you can put many of these in place yourself, make sure you get some outside support as well. It’s all too easy to slip back into old patterns of usage, especially if you use the Internet heavily for work. * Recognize any underlying problems that may support your Internet addiction. If you are struggling with depression, stress, or anxiety, for example, Internet addiction might be a way to self-soothe rocky moods. Have you had problems with alcohol or drugs in the past? Does anything about your Internet use remind you of how you used to drink or use drugs to numb out? Recognize if you need to address treatment in these areas, such as therapy, or returning to group support meetings. * Build your coping skills. Perhaps blowing off steam on the Internet is your way of coping with stress or angry feelings. Or maybe you have trouble relating to others, or are excessively shy with people in real life. Building skills in these areas will help you weather the stresses and strains of daily life without resorting to compulsive Internet use. * Strengthen your support network. The more relationships you have in real life, the less you will need the Internet for social interaction. Set aside dedicated time each week for friends and family. If you are shy, try finding common interest groups such as a sports team, education class, or book reading club. This allows you to interact with others and let relationships develop naturally.
Modify your Internet use step by step: * To help you see problem areas, keep a log of how much you use the Internet for non-work or non-essential activities. Are there times of day that you use the Internet more? Are there triggers in your day that make you stay online for hours at a time when you planned for just 5 minutes? * Set goals for when you can use the Internet. For example, you might try setting a timer, scheduling use for certain times of day, or making a commitment to turn off the computer at the same time each night. Or you could reward yourself with a certain amount of online time once you’ve completed a homework assignment or finished the laundry, for instance. * Replace your Internet usage with healthy activities. If you are bored and lonely, resisting the urge to get back online can be very difficult. Have a plan for other ways to fill the time, such as going to lunch with a coworker, taking a class, or inviting a friend over.
Tips for dealing with Internet addiction: * Ask yourself, “What am I missing out on when I spend so much time on the “Net?” Write these activities down and decrease your Internet time to do some of these activities. * Set reasonable Internet use goals and stick to them. Take frequent breaks, at least 5 minutes each hour, and do some other activity. * Alter your routine to break your usage patterns. If you spend evenings on the Internet, start limiting your use to mornings. * Seek out friends and acquaintances who “couldn’t care less” about the Internet. Take time to appreciate the fact that all life is not yet online. * Stay connected to the offline world. Visit newsstands, book and music stores, and participate in entertainment such as museums, music, and live theater. Novels and poetry readings are hard to experience online. * Treat the Internet as a tool. Stay focused on the fact that the Internet is a means to an end. Plan your strategy—whether you’re looking for information or entertainment—with the end in mind and you’ll save valuable time.
Internet addiction treatment, counseling, and support
Therapy and counseling for Internet addiction
Therapy can give you a tremendous boost in controlling Internet use. Cognitive-behavioral therapy provides step-by-step ways to stop compulsive Internet behaviors, working with a therapist on changing your thoughts and behaviors surrounding Internet use. Therapy can also help you learn healthier ways of coping with uncomfortable emotions. And if depression or anxiety is contributing to your excessive Internet use, therapy can also address that problem.
If your Internet use is affecting your partner directly, as with excessive cybersex or online affairs, marriage counseling can help you work through these challenging issues. Marriage counseling can also help you reconnect with your partner if you have been using the Internet for most of your social needs.
Group support for Internet addiction
Since Internet addiction is relatively new, it can be hard to find a real life support group dedicated to the issue like Alcoholics Anonymous or Gamblers Anonymous. If that is a simultaneous problem for you, however, attending groups can help you work through your alcohol or gambling problems as well. Sex Addicts anonymous may be another place to try if you are having trouble with cybersex. There may also be groups where you can work on social and coping skills, such as for anxiety or depression.
There are some Internet addiction support groups on the Internet. However, these should be used with caution. Although they may be helpful in orienting you and pointing you in the right direction, you need real life people to best benefit from group support.
Helping a friend or family member with Internet addiction
Tips to helping others with Internet addiction * Be a good role model. Manage the Internet and computer use in your own life well. * Introduce the Internet addict to other people who handle their Internet use sensibly. * Get your friend involved in non-Internet related interests. * Talk to your friend about your concerns with their Internet use. * Support their desire for change if they think they have a problem. * Encourage them to seek professional counseling.
Helping a child or teen with an Internet addiction
It’s a fine line as a parent. If you severely limit a child or teen’s Internet use, they might rebel and go to excess. But you should monitor computer use, supervise computer activity and get your child help if he or she needs it. If your child or teen is showing signs of Internet addiction, there are things that you can do to help: * Encourage other interests and social activities. Get your child out from behind the computer screen. Expose kids to other hobbies and activities, such as team sports, Scouts, and afterschool clubs. * Monitor computer use and set clear limits. Make sure the computer is in a common area of the house where you can keep an eye on your child's online activity, and limit time online. This will be most effective if you as parents follow suit. If you can’t stay offline, chances are your children won’t either. * Talk to your child about underlying issues. Compulsive computer use can be the sign of deeper problems. Is your child having problems fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress? * Get help. Teenagers often rebel against their parents but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen. Try a sports coach, doctor, or respected family friend. Don’t be afraid to seek professional counseling if you are concerned about your child.

Methodology
The researchers provide twenty (20) survey forms for twenty (20) respondents of college students of Sta. Cecilia College from different college departments’, ten (10) boys and ten (10) girls for the equal distribution of forms and equal gather information regards with their sex. This survey aims to determine the percentage of the Colegio de Sta. Cecilia college students’ dependency in computer.
And at the same time the researcher interview some students on how do they use the computer as well as how do they give their own perception about the meaning and importance of computer. To make everything possible and at the same time the researcher gets concise and precise information.

Name: ____________________________________________ Section: _________________________
Instruction: Answer the following questions concise and honestly as possible. Write your corresponding answer to the space provided or check the provided box if necessary. 1. How do you define computer in your own perception?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

2. Answer the following questions about your computer use.
Yes No * Do you have computer at home? * If no, do you use computer at internet café? * Do you use computer for school works?

3. How often do you use computer? seldom or never use computer
5 times or less a month use computer weekly use computer daily (if yes, please answer no.4)

4. Please indicate the time interval you spent in using computer per day. ___________________

5. How do you use computer? (check all that apply) research databases email spreadsheets instant message multi-media works (powerpoint) games other (please specify) word processing papers __________________________ social websites (fb, twitter, etc.)

6. Which of the following do you prefer the most? (choose only one answer per letter)
a. use of books, magazines, atlas, etc. net surfing
b. indoor and outdoor games online games
c. using cellphone social websites (fb, twitter)
d. manual writing computer typing
e. newspapers computer news update
f. radio computer audio music Thank You!
Results
Computer Use

How often do they use computer?
Legend:
Boys Girls
Legend:
Boys Girls

Lower Boundaries Average

The time interval they spent in using computer

Legend: Boys Girls
Legend:
Boys Girls

How do the respondents use computers?

Note:
Some of the respondents use computer for uploading and downloading data, music video, and so forth. Some of the respondents use computer in photo editing like adobe photo shop

Which of the following do you prefer the most?

Interpretation

Among 20 students of Sta. Cecilia College two of the students have no computer on their home, although they have computers on their home they go to computer shop or internet café just to satisfy their selves from using computer in their own reason. Most students of Sta. Cecilia College use computer for their school works and at home. Some of the respondents use computer for uploading and downloading data, music video, and so forth. Some of the respondents use computer in photo editing like adobe photo shop.
It is very alarming that the respondents use computer more than one hour. Some of them spend up to 12 hours in computer regardless how they often use computers. This may become computer addiction even out knowing their selves that they are become addicted.

Conclusion
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem.
We all enjoy the benefits of the computer, and for many of us it is also an indispensable tool for work, education, and communication. While time spent on the Internet can be hugely productive, for some people compulsive Internet use can interfere with daily life, work and relationships.
When you feel more comfortable with your online friends than your real ones, or you can’t stop yourself from playing games, gambling, or compulsively surfing, even when it has negative consequences in your life, then you may be using the Internet too much. Learn about the signs and symptoms of Internet addiction and how you can get balance back in your online life.
The benefits are easier research, better gaming, it's easier to communicate with, it makes business better, it makes it easier to shop, etc.
Some people develop bad habits in their computer use that cause them significant problems in their lives. The types of behavior and negative consequences are similar to those of known addictive disorders; therefore, the term Computer or Internet Addiction has come into use. While anyone who uses a computer could be vulnerable, those people who are lonely, shy, easily bored, or suffering from another addiction or impulse control disorder as especially vulnerable to computer abuse.
Computer abuse can result from people using it repeatedly as their main stress reliever, instead of having a variety of ways to cope with negative events and feelings. Other misuses can include procrastination from undesirable responsibilities, distraction from being upset, and attempts to meet needs for companionship and belonging.

Recommendation

The researcher recommends continuing the latter’s research to get further information about the people’s dependency on computer.
This research might be used by the other researchers who conduct with the same research for them to have relative studies.