Can An Addiction To The Internet Be A Health Threat? (Debate)

While I was browsing Room For Debate for a topic to debate about none of them really caught my eye that much.  So I decided to check the already given topics which lead to me finding this topic.  My stance on this is that I do indeed believe that an addiction to the internet is a health threat.

The official medical definition of 'addiction', provided by the ASAM(American Society of Addiction Medicine), summarized is the inability for someone to abstain from an action, substance, or behavior.  Personally I feel like this definition is able to be applied to those considered to be "addicted" to the internet.  This topic especially is relatable to our age group/demographic since we're the generation that's growing up with easy access to the internet.  

Marc Potenza, one of the debaters on this topic, says that some things that the internet is used for in excess is for "gambling, shopping, viewing pornography and engaging in social networking".  He also points out how among the two genders some of these things apply more to one than the other.  For example, he states that an excess of gaming and pornography is more problematic among males while social networking is more problematic with females.  

As of recently this year the World Health Organization acknowledged gaming as a legitimate addiction.  While reviewing what they had to say that justified their acknowledgement of this, I found similar signs that matched with the previous definition given earlier.  One such sign is the inability to refrain from this action/behavior which in turn hinders said person's daily life.  This is important to my claim since it shows that a medium of entertainment is able to transform into an addiction.

Moving on to something more broad, I believe that if gaming addiction can be a legitimate problem then an obsession to social networking can also be considered enough of a problem to prompt a health threat.  Like gaming and other addictions, being too involved with social networking can also hinder everyday aspects of life.  Some simple examples are having a hard time focusing on a task due to the distraction of social media, worry over the reception one will receive from other people on various platforms of social networks which may lead to one being mentally affected due to this, and the mentality of feeling "lost" or having "nothing to do" when one's means of access to social networks is taken away.  I mean there's a reason that something as simple as taking a phone away is considered a punishment among our age group since the main thing a kid loses is their easy internet access which on average(among teenagers mostly) is used to participate in social networking sites such as Instagram or Snapchat.  Most of the health effects I focus on are the mental effects since I view them as under talked about or not taken seriously enough.

In conclusion, internet addiction is a threat to health since it can affect someone's daily life consistently and it's mental strain can possibly lead to worse things developing in a person's mind over time if it isn't given attention.

What do you guys think?  Am I being overly-dramatic?  Do these problems only account for a minority?  Comment down below any questions or doubts that you might have I would love to see what other people of the same age think about this subject.
-Luis Mondragon