"Internet addition effects the brain in the same way as alcohol, and cocaine addiction, according to a new study. Researchers in China scanned the brains of 17 adolescents diagnosed with "internet addiction disorder" who had been referred to the Shanghai Mental Health Centre, and compared the results with scans from 16 of their mates. The results showed impairment of white matter fibres in the brain connecting regions involved in emotional processing, attention, decision making and cognitive control. Similar changes to the white matter have been seen in other forms of addiction to substances such as alcohol and cocaine.."