A new study says half of US students could be internet addicts

I'm not saying there is not a general problem with internet addiction, however:

The sample size is ridiculous. 27 participants is--as far as my understanding goes--not very representative. To make a news article based on this sample claiming that half of US students could be addicted is really a stretch. I understand that the researchers acknowledge this and have followed a qualitative approach (focusing on stories, backgrounds, etc. rather than facts and numbers), yet the title misrepresents that.

To anyone who's interested in what the Compulsive Internet Use Scale contains without having to go through a paywall, here's what I found after some random googling: http://www.aerztinnenbund.de/downloads/1/meerkerk_11.00am.pd... (Slide 7).

> Additionally, participants had to report experiencing at least one health, relationship, or emotional problem because of PIU.

To me that sounds like they pre-screened for probable "internet addicts". Wouldn't that make the actual number way lower than 50%?

We needed a study for this ? ;)