Kimberly Young

2.1. Early Life and Education

Kimberly Sue Young was born on September 9, 1965, in Buffalo, New York. She pursued her undergraduate studies at the University at Buffalo, graduating in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in business administration, with a specific focus on finance and management information systems. She then advanced her academic career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a master's degree in clinical psychology in 1992. Her doctoral studies culminated in a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the same institution in 1994, specializing further in behavioral medicine and neuropsychology.

2.2. Academic Career

Following her doctoral studies, Young began her professional journey as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In 1995, she joined the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford as an assistant professor of psychology, a position she held until 2002. During her tenure there, she made a significant impact by establishing the Center for Internet Addiction. In 2002, Young transitioned to St. Bonaventure University, where she became an associate professor of management. By 2006, she moved to the Jandoli School of Communication within St. Bonaventure University, taking on the directorship of the master's degree program in strategic leadership. She remained a professor of management at St. Bonaventure University until her death in 2019. Young was an active member of prominent professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. Furthermore, she was a founding member of the International Society of Mental Health Online, underscoring her commitment to advancing research and understanding in the nascent field of digital well-being.

3.1. Founding the Center for Internet Addiction

While an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Kimberly Young founded the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995. This institution was among the very first in the United States dedicated to studying Internet addiction. Her initial interest in the subject was sparked in the 1990s as the Internet rapidly expanded, particularly by the experience of a friend's husband who was reportedly spending hundreds of dollars monthly to participate in AOL chat rooms. Young observed that the United States lagged behind other nations in formally recognizing excessive Internet use as a legitimate addiction. Surprised by the limited number of studies examining this emerging phenomenon, she took the initiative to establish the center and become one of its leading researchers. When she moved to St. Bonaventure University in 2002, she continued her work as the clinical director of the Center for Online Addiction, furthering its mission.

3.2. Development of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT)

In 1998, Kimberly Young developed the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), a crucial psychometric tool designed to assess the symptoms of Internet addiction and compulsive behavior among adults. The IAT became a widely recognized and utilized instrument for clinicians and researchers globally, facilitating the identification and measurement of problematic online habits. This test played a significant role in providing a standardized method for evaluating the severity of Internet addiction, contributing to its recognition as a distinct area of concern within psychology.

3.3. Research and Clinical Work

Kimberly Young O'Mara's theoretical and clinical contributions extended beyond the establishment of the Center for Internet Addiction and the IAT. Her extensive research included publishing over 40 articles focused on the impact of online abuse and related topics, widely disseminating her findings within the academic community. Her work gained significant media attention, being featured in prominent outlets such as The New York Times, CBS News, Fox News, and The Times, bringing increased public awareness to the issue of Internet addiction. As a recognized expert, Young served as an expert witness in various capacities, including providing testimony for the Child Protection Online Act Congressional Committee. Her pioneering research contributed to the American Psychological Association's recognition of Internet addiction as a legitimate concern, although it is not currently listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

3.4. Prevention and Treatment Guidelines

Kimberly Young emphasized that measuring digital addiction should not be strictly based on the amount of time spent online, but rather on the degree to which an individual's life becomes disordered due to technology use. She posited that digital addiction shares fundamental similarities with drug addiction and alcoholism, noting that recent research indicates digital devices can impact the brain in ways comparable to substances like cocaine and heroin. From a public health perspective, Young strongly advocated for proactive measures, particularly for children. She believed it was crucial for parents to establish clear household rules regarding Internet use to prevent their children from developing addiction, highlighting that even children as young as three years old could become susceptible. Young proposed the following age-specific guidelines for digital device use:

• Birth - 3 years: Never.
• 3 - 6 years: One hour a day, under supervision.
• 6 - 9 years: Two hours a day.
• 9 - 12 years: Two hours a day, with some independence regarding social media use.
• 12 - 18 years: Greater independence, but with a recommended "digital diet" approach to manage screen time.

4.1. Non-fiction

Young's most widely discussed non-fiction work is arguably her 1998 book, Caught in the Net: How to Recognize Internet Addiction and A Winning Strategy for Recovery, which offered practical solutions for individuals struggling with what she termed "Internet addiction." The book was also published in Japanese under the title インターネット中毒 - まじめな警告です_{Intānetto Chūdoku - Majime na Keikoku desu}^Japanese and translated by 小田嶋由美子_{Odasima Yumiko}^Japanese through Mainichi Shimbun Publishing. In addition to this seminal work, she authored numerous journal articles and book chapters on the impact of online abuse and related topics. Her other significant non-fiction contributions include:

• Evaluation and treatment of Internet Addiction (Chapter, published in Innovations in Clinical Practice: A Source Book, 1999)
• Tangled in the Web: Understanding Cybersex from Fantasy to Addiction (2001)
• Internet Addiction: The consequences of a new clinical phenomena (Chapter, published in Psychology and the New Media, 2004)
• Controlling Internet Abuse in the Workplace: A Framework for Risk Management (Chapter, published in Transformation of the Workplace: The Web and Work in the 21st Century, 2006)
• Breaking Free of the Web: Catholics and Internet Addiction (2007)
• Internet Sex Addiction: Risk Factors, Stage, and Treatment (Chapter, published in American Behavioural Scientist - Psychology and the New Media, 2008)
• Gamers Anonymous: Understanding and Treating Online Gaming Addiction (2009)

4.2. Fiction

Beyond her significant academic and clinical contributions, Kimberly Young O'Mara also authored a novel titled The Eighth Wonder. The book tells a story of romance between an ambitious female college professor and an older man. Notably, Young wrote the entirety of this novel during a period of several months while recovering from retinal surgery. She personally regarded the act of writing the novel as a therapeutic process, highlighting a personal connection to her creative output during a challenging time in her life.