Do we need animal models to better understand the molecular basis of internet use disorders?

Studying the molecular basis of Internet Use Disorders is still in its beginnings. Animal research relying on an operant light self-administration paradigm proposed by Tam et al. (2025) might provide much needed insights helping to elucidate the molecular basis underlying excessive online behavior. Despite the potential of this approach, also ethical aspects of such research need to be considered. Finally, it is not clear to what extent observations using operant light self-administration paradigms in animals can be really transferred to humans.