Violence and Internet addiction: the link

The long-running question of whether the Internet turns regular people into jerks or if jerks are disproportionately attracted to the Internet in the first place, was revitalized by a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Taiwanese researchers studying 9,405 teenagers claim those with signs of "internet addiction"—preoccupation with online activities, "withdrawal" symptoms like irritability if unable to access the internet, and skipping real-world endeavors—were more likely than their peers to say they’ve hit, shoved, or threatened someone in the past year.

The Register