The Internet has been hailed by some people as the informational and educational tool of the future, but a new study suggests that some 200,000 people may be addicted to one of the Internet’s darker sides — pornography.

The study, published in the March edition of the journal Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity, was conducted by psychologists at Stanford and Duquense universities.

More than 9,000 people were surveyed via the MSNBC news Web site, and about 1 percent of them were classified as “cybersex compulsives.”

Researchers defined a “cybersex compulsive” as anyone who spent more than 11 hours a week accessing pornographic materials on the Internet and scored high on a questionnaire about relationships and attitudes toward sex.

Ann Henderson Kennedy, counselor at Crossroads Counseling, 113 Colorado Ave., said people can become addicted to porn on the Internet because it is easily accessible.

“In this country, pornography is something we’re not proud of, but we can do it in secret on the Internet and think it’s not hurting anybody,” she said. “They don’t feel it’s a problem, personally.”

Patricia Andersen, staff psychologist at the Student Counseling Service, said many people who have the addiction may not realize it.

“We try to work with people to help them face the issues and find out why this addiction is not helping them,” she said.

Kennedy said an addiction to cyber pornography is often a sign that something is missing from a person’s life.

“Addiction is about need,” Kennedy explained. “We try to talk with people to figure out what needs they have and why.”

Kennedy said an addiction to pornography usually is a product of a person’s relationships with others.

“One of the questions to consider is what the person’s relationships are like,” she said. “What are their attitudes toward sex? What kinds of choices are they making in their sexual relationships?”

The psychologists who conducted the study called the problem “a hidden public health hazard,” but Andersen didn’t completely agree.

“That seems a pretty broad condemnation,” she said, “but it is an issue that I think people need to take care of.”

Andersen said there are other addictions related to computer technology, noting she has seen cases of people who are hooked on computer games.

Kennedy said the study confirms her concerns about the passive nature of computers and the Internet.

“I’m concerned about the time and industry we’re spending on the Internet,” she said. “It doesn’t require any action or reaction.”

Kennedy noted that cybersex compulsives, such as people who are addicted to anything else, may begin to neglect the more important things in their lives.

“They shut out their family and friends,” she said. “Down the road, they could run into some big problems.”