Problematic Use of the Internet and Self-Regulation: A Review of the Initial Studies

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is considered as an inability to control one's use of the Internet, which eventually involves negative consequences in daily life. Among the various psychological factors potentially involved in the development of PIU, the role of poor self-regulation capacities (e.g., high impulsivity and sensation seeking, low inhibitory control, poor decision-making abilities) has recently received increased attention. Although the number of studies currently available on this topic remains limited, our aim here is to review their findings. After briefly defining PIU and discussing the main instruments which have been developed to assess it, this article describes the studies that have investigated the relations between PIU and self-regulation. Their heterogeneous findings are discussed and avenues for future research are provided.