4% of Teens have Internet Addiction

A new study finds that one out of every 25 teens in the United States is suffering from "problematic Internet use."

A report from Fox News said the study out of Yale University found that 4% of teens have an "irresistible urge" to be on the Internet, have tension when they weren't online, or said they had tried to quit or cut down on Internet time.

The researchers wrote in The Journal of Clinical Psychology:

It may be associated with depression, substance use, and aggressive behaviors. High school boys, though, may have heavier Internet use and may be less self-aware of the related problems.

However study leader Timothy Liu said his team couldn't prove a "cause and effect" link between the Internet habits, depression and drug use.

The study looked at more than 3,500 high school students at ten schools in Connecticut. They asked more than 150 questions about health, risky behaviors, and impulsiveness -- including seven questions on Internet use that were used to judge the "problematic Internet use."

Students who were problematic Internet users tended to be more depressed, and boys in that category had higher rates of smoking and drug use.