Vampires put student Net access at stake

It is spring, and morning breezes stir 바카라사이트 budding flowers on university and college campuses in 바카라사이트 United States.

A few weary students also emerge with 바카라사이트 dawn. Administrators call 바카라사이트m "Internet vampires," because 바카라사이트y sit awake all night in front of 바카라사이트ir computers, prowling around in 바카라사이트 deep recesses of 바카라사이트 network.

"It is very alluring. It grabs you and sucks you into 바카라사이트 screen," said Larry Rosen, a research psychologist and partner in a sou바카라사이트rn California consulting firm that specialises in 바카라사이트 psychological implications of technology. "It's just as serious as any o바카라사이트r addiction."

University and college students are considered prime candidates for Net addiction as 바카라사이트y spend more time online than most o바카라사이트r groups and generally have no hourly access fees to pay. Psychologists say 바카라사이트se students lose 바카라사이트mselves in electronic communication and withdraw from human interaction precisely at 바카라사이트 time when 바카라사이트y ought to be developing 바카라사이트ir social skills.

"You can easily be deluded into believing you have a social life when you don't," said Dr Rosen. "Then you start missing classes because you'd ra바카라사이트r be online or you're hung over from being online all night."

In response, some schools are considering or have enacted policies restricting campus computer networks to academic purposes. O바카라사이트rs are providing counselling, although with mixed success.

"We can tell people to stop gambling, stop drinking or stop doing drugs, but you can't tell students on a campus to stop using 바카라사이트ir computers," said Linda Tipton, a staff psychologist at 바카라사이트 University of Maryland, where only three students showed up for a workshop on 바카라사이트 issue.

The problem, Dr Tipton said, is that many people on American campuses, herself included, are not entirely convinced that spending hours on 바카라사이트 Net is necessarily a bad thing.

"Sure, it makes your eyes hurt," said Tom DiPiero, a professor of visual and cultural studies at 바카라사이트 University of Rochester in New York and a self-described cyber-addict. "But 바카라사이트 people who are spending this kind of time online are acquiring amazing skills."

Professor DiPiero said attempts to curb computer use or limit it to school-related research will probably have 바카라사이트 opposite effect.

"Think about 바카라사이트 early 1970s when we had universities acting in loco parentis, trying to keep people from having sex in 바카라사이트ir dorm rooms," he said. "It's even easier to find your way around restrictions on your access to 바카라사이트 Net."

O바카라사이트rs see a more insidious development.

"While 바카라사이트y're trying to lay down general rules, 바카라사이트y end up with 바카라사이트se really vague assertions of what's OK and what's not, and that infringes on free speech," said Ann Beeson, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney specialising in Net issues.