Teens who are addicted to the Internet are more likely than non-addicted adolescents to self-injure, a new study shows. Researchers in China surveyed 1,618 youths between the ages of 13 and 18 on self-injurious behaviours like burning, cutting or hitting themselves, and gave participants a test to indicate if they were addicted to the Internet.

The results showed that 10 percent of the students had a moderate Internet addiction, with about one percent who were severely addicted. The moderately-to-severely Internet-addicted kids were five times more likely than non-addicted students to have self-injured six or more times in the past six months. The teens with severe Internet addiction were 2.4 times more likely to have self-injured one to five times in the past six months, compared to students with normal online habits. 

The researchers, from University of Notre Dame, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, and Australia, called the link between Internet addiction and self-injury “strong and significant.” They noted that the study had accounted for other factors that are usually associated with self-injury, such as depression or stressful events. The findings of the study suggest that Internet addiction is an independent risk factor for self-injurious behaviour.