인터넷 중독의 예방과 해소를 위한 입법방향에 관한 소고

Internet has played an integral part in every field of people's lives and become indispensable tool for people to live in so-called information society. Internet, however, has had some side effects and one of them is internet addiction. It is a social problem rather than a personal one; social problems associated with internet addiction and abuse are nowadays reaching a serious level nationally as the number of deaths and crimes related to internet has increased. So this matter should be widely discussed at the national level, to measure the problem and enact related law. This study firstly covers the exact state of internet addiction to avoid a vain discussion and help create a practical policy on internet addiction. Secondly, this study considers the current institutional frameworks: Policy making, legislation, current government policies and potential policy issues to prevent and minimize the damage from internet addiction. This study also covers abroad cases of law system and policies on internet addiction, to help compare them with current government policies in the aspect of the comparative method. Finally, this study suggests the legislative directions for protecting and solving the internet addiction problem, after pointing out the limitations of the current law system and promotion of the current policies. The study is expected not only to revitalize the discussion on the internet addiction, but also to perform a role as a preliminary study on more follow-up studies, which should be conducted regularly and constantly in the future.