Jacob Sullum

Internet addiction is not a major threat to public health, argues Jacob Sullum in the following viewpoint. Although Internet use, like many pleasurable activities, can for some lead to unhealthy patterns of behavior, claiming that this abuse is an objectively identifiable medical disorder is misleading, Sullum claims. Trying to equate Internet and drug addiction, he asserts, leads people to the conclusion that the problem of Internet addiction is greater than it really is. Jacob Sullum is a senior editor of Reason, a magazine that supports individual freedom and opposes big government.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Sullum, why is psychologist David Greenfield’s survey skewed?
2. According to the Detroit News, what will happen if Internet addiction is defined as a disorder?
3. In Sullum’s opinion, what has Greenfield lost...