Tallahassee - Spending too much time on the Internet has cost a Florida woman custody of her children.
Ms Pam Albridge lost custody of her children, ages 7 and 8, earlier this month after a judge decided she was addicted to the Internet. Judge Jerry Lockett awarded primary custody to Mr Kevin Albridge after he petitioned for them, the Orlando Senti- nel reported. "The wife is, for want of a better term, `addicted' to the Internet and ignores the needs of the children," Mr Albridge (35) said in court records.
Internet Addiction Syndrome was first identified by psychologists about two years ago. Computer users with the syndrome will sneak online in the middle of the night, call in sick or ignore their families to spend time on the computer, said Dr Kimberly Young, a professor of psychology and founder of the Centre for Online Addiction.