Internet users are consuming I count 12 adds on this page alone, all of which are paying this site, and whose parent company have some uber complex formula showing how all that makes them money.
So called "internet addicts" are excellent multitaskers not ADHD. Being ADHD is the exact opposite of sitting in a computer chair for hours on end. Depressed "addicts" were more then likely depressed before using the web to treat the depression.
Lastly according to Consensus Document: The American Academy of Pain Medicine, The American Pain Society, The American Society of Addiction Medicine, 2001: "In medical terminology, an addiction is a chronic neurobiologic disorder that has genetic, psychosocial, and environmental dimensions and is characterized by one of the following: the continued use of a substance
despite its detrimental effects". By definition the internet can only be addictive if it is detrimental to the user. A person cannot overdose on the internet, it is not a substance to be abused. Yes if you sit at your desk for days without moving you can die, but the same can be said of TV, driving, or playing an instrument that requires sitting.
The truth is by making the web dangerous or a "public heath issue" our government moves just that much closer to justifiably regulating the web. They did it with narcotics (although they are used by every major drug manufacturer see what money buys) alcohol, tobacco,
trans-fatsand thousands of other items. The internet represents a challenge to congress, they can't touch it because of the 1st and 10th amendments. But if the internet were deemed a public health issue well the greater good comes before constitutional rights, see above list if you don't believe me.