“Internet addiction disorder” is a broad descriptive term, not a standalone formal diagnosis established in the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5-TR or the World Health Organization’s ICD-11 sources reviewed here. It is often used for internet use that feels hard to control and disrupts important parts of life, but the formal classifications discussed by those authorities concern gaming specifically: DSM-5-TR lists Internet Gaming Disorder as a condition for further study, while ICD-11 recognizes gaming disorder.
What does “internet addiction disorder” mean?
In everyday use, the phrase refers to a perceived pattern of online activity that is difficult to control and causes meaningful distress or disruption. It may be applied to many different activities, such as browsing, social media, gaming, or other online behavior. That broad wording is descriptive, however; it does not establish a universally agreed diagnostic threshold or name a standalone diagnosis in the APA and WHO sources discussed here.
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For clarity, name the behavior at issue rather than treating all heavy internet use as one condition. Gaming has specific classifications; general internet use does not have the same status in the sources below.
How the term differs from gaming diagnoses
| Term | Behavior covered | Status in the cited classification sources |
|---|---|---|
| Internet addiction / problematic internet use | Broadly applied to different internet activities | Descriptive umbrella term; not established as a standalone formal diagnosis in the APA and WHO sources cited here. |
| Internet Gaming Disorder (DSM-5-TR) | Gaming only | Listed by the APA in the DSM-5-TR section for conditions requiring further research. The APA says it does not include general internet use, online gambling, social-media use, or smartphone use. APA: Internet Gaming and APA: Internet Gaming Disorder. |
| Gaming disorder (WHO ICD-11) | Digital or video gaming, online or offline | Recognized by WHO under disorders due to addictive behaviours. WHO: Gaming disorder and WHO: ICD-11 gaming disorder classification information. |
These labels are not interchangeable. A concern about social-media use, for example, should not be called DSM-5-TR Internet Gaming Disorder just because it happens online.
What WHO says about gaming disorder
WHO describes gaming disorder through a pattern involving impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other interests and daily activities, and continuing or escalating gaming despite negative consequences. For diagnosis, the pattern must significantly impair an important area of functioning—such as personal, family, social, educational, or occupational life—and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months. WHO’s definition is about gaming disorder, not all internet use.
“For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, the behaviour pattern must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.”
— World Health Organization, official gaming-disorder Q&A, 22 October 2020.
What DSM-5-TR proposes for Internet Gaming Disorder
The APA describes nine proposed symptoms for this gaming-specific condition:
- Preoccupation with gaming.
- Withdrawal-like sadness, anxiety, or irritability when gaming is unavailable.
- Needing to spend increasing amounts of time gaming (tolerance).
- Repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce or stop gaming.
- Giving up other activities or losing interest in them.
- Continuing to game despite problems.
- Deceiving others about time spent gaming.
- Gaming to relieve negative moods.
- Jeopardizing or losing a job or relationship because of gaming.
The APA’s published summary gives a proposed threshold of five or more symptoms within a year. This is a proposed DSM gaming condition, not a screening test for general internet addiction and not a substitute for professional assessment. See the APA’s Internet Gaming Disorder overview.
When does frequent use become a concern?
Time online by itself does not establish a disorder. WHO notes that video gaming is a healthy hobby for most people who play. The more relevant questions are whether the person can control the behavior, whether it increasingly displaces other activities, whether it continues despite harm, and whether it causes significant impairment in daily functioning. The APA also describes significant impairment or distress as part of its proposed Internet Gaming Disorder condition.
- Is use repeatedly crowding out sleep, responsibilities, relationships, school, work, or other valued activities?
- Have attempts to cut back repeatedly failed?
- Does the activity continue despite clear negative consequences?
- Is there significant distress or disruption, rather than simply enthusiasm or frequent use?
These questions can help describe a concern, but they do not diagnose one. If gaming preoccupation and related problems are worrying, the APA advises contacting a health-care provider or mental-health professional.
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The broad phrase “internet addiction disorder” is not established as a standalone diagnosis in the APA material cited here. DSM-5-TR includes Internet Gaming Disorder as a condition requiring further study, and that proposed condition is limited to gaming rather than general internet use. The APA’s public summaries identify physician reviews dated January 2023 and February 2024.
How common is it?
The APA’s Internet Gaming page reports an older 2017 study estimate that 0.3% to 1.0% of the general population might qualify for a potential Internet Gaming Disorder diagnosis. That figure concerns potential gaming disorder in that study; it is not a current prevalence estimate for broad “internet addiction disorder.” The APA notes that research is mixed and ongoing. WHO says gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital or video gaming, without giving a figure on its Q&A page.
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