I’m an addict. I just get lost in Facebook” replies a young mother when asked why she does not
see herself able to help her daughter with her homework. Instead of supporting her child, she spends
her time chatting and browsing the social networking site [1]. This case, while extreme, is suggestive
of a potential new mental health problem that emerges as Internet social networks proliferate.
Newspaper stories have also reported similar cases, suggesting that the popular press was early to
discern the potentially addictive qualities of social networking sites (SNS; i.e., [2,3]). Such media
coverage has alleged that women are at greater risk than men for developing addictions to SNSs [4].