RIYADH — While the world is awakening to the social dangers of the Internet — particularly in terms of the increasing addiction to computers — what is Saudi Arabia doing to curb the unhealthy habits?

In an article late last year in Al-Riyadh newspaper, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Qahtani, a health expert, warned of the impact of unsupervised Internet surfing and computer gaming. And Dr. Anwar Abo Khaled, a child psychologist, said recently that he had noticed a correlation between excessive computing activities and aggressive behavior in children he treats.

Studies conducted in recent years have provided evidence for Abo Khaled’s observations. In November, Dr. Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University surveyed 2,500 young people and the computer games they play. The study concluded that the more popular violent computer games use the same teaching methods applied by educators to train users on how to play the game. The study concluded that computer games are very effective teaching tools, but in the case of gaming the lessons have a detrimental effect on children’s mental health: They learn aggressive behavior. Other studies through the years have come to similar conclusions linking aggressive and violent behavior to computer games.

Abo Khaled says that children are more than ever before being given considerable amount of time to stay alone and isolated from others.

“Children now have computers and TVs in their own rooms,” he said. “This enhances the feeling of separation from the surrounding. It also gives the child a false sense of independence in watching what he or she desires or surfing sites without supervision.”

Since 1997, licenses have been issued to Internet cafés through the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. Authorities monitor these establishments to ensure they aren’t engaged in the dissemination of illegal media or communications, such as pornography or extremist websites. Minors under the age of 18 are also not allowed in Internet cafés unless they have adult supervision.

Although people are becoming more aware of the disadvantages of this cyber world to their children, many families trust the government’s conditions and assume they are applied.

Dr. Kimberly Young, an American psychologist, established the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in the US in 1995. She describes Internet addiction as a type of compulsive disorder that can impact individuals, couples and families.

Although the approach to addiction treatment can take many forms, starting with advice, counseling and tests, some clinics are going to the extremes of using electrical shocks.

Some studies have shown that one in five regular computer gamers become emotionally addicted to the activity. In Holland, studies estimate that there are 18,000 Dutch under the age of 18 that are at risk for excessive computer use.

In July 2006, the Smith and Jones Wild Horses Center opened the very first outpatient addiction treatment program for problem gamers in Europe.

All studies exposed addicts’ tendency toward ignoring responsibilities, lagging in studies, becoming introverts and sometimes having serious behavioral disorder. Some gamers drift into substance abuse, especially stimulants — from caffeine to cocaine — that allow them to remain awake for extended periods of time.