2011/01/01 by Kimberly Young, Kimberly S. Young · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Child Development and Digital Technology #Digital Marketing and Social Media #Impact of Technology on Adolescents
paper · doi:10.1891/0889-8391.25.4.304
crossref issued 2011/01/01 · crossref published 2011/01/01 · crossref published-online 2011/01/01 · crossref published-print 2011/01/01 · openalex publication_date 2011/01/01 · crossref created 2011/11/14 · crossref deposited 2019/09/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/05
Research has identified Internet addiction as a new clinical disorder that causes relational, occupational, and social problems. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been suggested as the treatment of choice for Internet addiction, and addiction recovery in general has used CBT as part of treatment planning. This article outlines cognitive behavioral therapy–Internet addiction (CBT-IA), a uniquely designed model for treating Internet addiction applying CBT with harm reduction therapy (HRT). CBT-IA uses a three-phase approach. In the first phase, behavior modification is used to gradually decrease the amount of time the addict spends online. In the second phase, cognitive therapy is used to address denial that is often present among Internet addicts and to combat the rationalizations that justify excessive online use. The third phase applies HRT to identify and treat coexisting issues involved in the development of compulsive Internet use. As the first model of its kind, it can be used both on an outpatient and inpatient basis to deal with this emergent client population.