<p>The dynamic development of internet addiction has drawn widespread attention from scholars. A notable characteristic of this dynamic development is the gradual increase in internet usage time, yet the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This paper aimed to interpret this phenomenon from the perspective of inhibitory devaluation and investigate its neural mechanisms using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). Participants were screened using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) combined with clinical interviews based on DSM-5 criteria. Subsequently, they completed an inhibitory devaluation task. Data from 18 individuals with internet addiction and 20 control participants were included in the final analysis. The results found that, compared to the control group, the internet addiction group exhibited lower value evaluation for shapes associated with non-reaction. The findings from the neuroimaging study indicated that individuals with internet addiction had stronger activation in the right orbitofrontal cortex (ROFC) compared to those without the addiction. Additionally, greater functional connectivity was observed between the OFC and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in the addicted group. The study also found a significant positive correlation between the magnitude of the inhibitory devaluation effect and the activation in the ROFC and functional connectivity between the OFC and DLPFC. These results indicate that, compared to the control group, individuals with internet addiction exhibit a stronger inhibitory devaluation effect. The activation of the ROFC and the functional connectivity between the OFC and DLPFC may serve as potential neural mechanisms underlying this effect.</p>