Internet addiction can cause physical damage to the brain — just like drugs

Internet addiction disrupts nerve wiring in the brains of teenagers, a study published in PLoS ONE has found â€" causing a level of brain damage normally seen in heavy substance abusers. Similar effects have been seen in the brains of people exposed to alcohol, cocaine and cannabis.
The discovery shows that being hooked on a behaviour can be just as physically damaging as addiction to drugs, scientists believe.