[i_like_black]

(Mental health professionals always seem anti-internet to me.)

Well, I'm a gamer, (sort of if you count RuneScape), and the internet makes for a wonderful distraction for me, because I actually have to concentrate on what I'm doing most of the time in order to have any idea what's going on. There have been times when I've been feeling like I need to SH, then got caught up doing something else, and the urge has completely disappeared - so I would agree with you that the internet is a highly valid distraction technique.

Parents are less likely to understand this. They come from a generation where the internet was not as advanced, and they grew up without it. Furthermore, there was a lot less SH (or a lot less known about it/less people admitting to it) than for us. For them, TV was the thing they used - I know for me, TV simply doesn't keep me grasped a lot of the time and my mind will wander freely, so it's shite as a distraction.

If your internet use is getting in the way of your functioning, or you can't leave the computer to do things like hang out with your family and friends, then you might have an issue. If not, and it's merely recreational, then I don't think you have a problem.

Although, if you're brave and your parents are understanding, explaining the SH situation to them might be beneficial.

On the other hand, you're an adult, and if you get too sick of your parent's rules and expectations, you can always get your own place.