Conceptualization

World Wide Web

Philosophy

Addiction

The Internet

Psychiatry

Computer science

Empirical evidence

Internet privacy

Psychology

Epistemology

Artificial intelligence

Perspective (graphical)

Addictive Behaviors

Kimberly Young's initial work on Internet addiction (IA) was pioneering and her early writings on the topic inspired many others to carry out research in the area. Young's (2015) recent paper on the ‘evolution of Internet addiction’ featured very little European research, and did not consider the main international evidence that has contributed to our current knowledge about the conceptualization, epidemiology, etiology, and course of Internet-related disorders. This short commentary paper elaborates on important literature omitted by Young that the present authors believe may be of use to researchers. We also address statements made in Young's (2015) commentary that are incorrect (and therefore misleading) and not systematically substantiated by empirical evidence.

The evolution of Internet addiction: A global perspective