'Internet addiction' - a call for systematic research

Abstract
The popularisation of the Internet is accompanied by warnings regarding the possible addictive effect of Internet. Although this subject is frequently studied, it is still unclear whether or not 'Internet addiction' actually exists and, if so, which and how many Internet users are affected. Due to a lack of consensus regarding the definition of 'Internet addiction' a wide variability in results is observed. Moreover, the interpretation of results is complicated by serious flaws in research designs. To enable future discussion more systematic research is required.