The K Scale for Internet Addiction is a checklist created in South Korea to assess potential signs of addiction due to the high rate of internet usage in the country. It is similar to other scales used to measure addictive or compulsive behavior and is used to determine whether children would benefit from mental health treatment. Other countries, such as China, have begun producing similar Internet recovery centers for youth and adults.
The K Scale for Internet Addiction is a checklist created by psychologists and social scientists in South Korea. K stands specifically for Korea. The reason the K scale for internet addiction is known is the high rate of internet usage in Korea, where an estimated 30% of children under the age of 18 are at risk of becoming internet addicted or compulsive by Internet users.
Internet addiction is still a hotly debated topic, but social scientists are increasingly inclined to define excessive Internet use as addictive behavior, because it has very similar symptoms to other behaviors considered addictive. There is some expectation that Internet addiction will be included in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due to the increasing prevalence of certain behaviors among some Internet users. To define Internet addiction from a scientific point of view, verifiable checklists such as the K-scale for Internet Addiction have been developed.
There are now several checklists and online tests you can do to determine if you have an Internet addiction. The K-scale for Internet Addiction is one such, most often performed by mental health professionals in Korea, to assess potential signs of addiction. Ratings include how many people use the internet on a daily basis, how often they stay on the internet longer than expected or at the expense of school or work work, whether they fantasize about being on the internet when they are not connected, whether they have tried to be on the internet less and have failed, what their moods are like when off-network, and whether being forced off-network causes depression or anger, typical withdrawal symptoms. In many ways, the K Scale for Internet Addiction is similar to other scales used to measure addictive or compulsive behavior, such as alcoholism or compulsive shopping.
South Korea uses the K-scale for Internet Addiction to determine whether children would benefit from mental health treatment. A number of boot camp-style treatment facilities have been designed for teenagers, and the government pays for admission. While there are over 100 of these treatment plants, an estimated 400-500 more are needed. The New York Times called Korea “the most wired nation on earth” and this is indeed verifiable.
Some believe that building these treatment facilities is Korea’s way, along with the development of the K-scale for Internet addiction, in dealing with the fallout of behavior specifically encouraged by the country. South Korea has spent a lot of time developing Internet services and publicizing their benefits. Almost everyone in the country has access to the internet, which would definitely increase the risk of some people becoming addicted.
Other countries are adopting forms of the K scale, and China has begun producing similar Internet recovery centers for youth and adults. Along the way, South Koreans are also developing a profile of the type of person most likely to become addicted to the Internet and the personal and societal consequences of Internet addiction. For example, adolescents and young adult males are the largest population group to suffer from the disease, and Korean social scientists found that people were becoming burnt out and skipping work or school to spend up to 20 hours on the Internet at the day.
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