Tecnology addiction in Student life

 It's not uncommon for both youth and adults to feel a need to constantly be “plugged in” to social media and the internet, but this often leads to a fear of missing out, and fear of being left out in young people.

Coupled with the neurological changes that take place in the brain while being online, technology addiction can be added to the list of behavioral addictions.

Sandstone Care assesses and treats technology addiction in both its teen and young adult treatment centers. Technology addiction falls into a category of addiction termed behavioral addictions. Behavioral addictions are widely recognized by mental health and addiction professionals and include other behaviors such as gambling and sex.

A behavioral addiction is characterized by a progressive inability to control, regulate, or limit the behavior. Technology addiction also shares similarities with obsessive-compulsive disorders.Our modern world is characterized by increasing connectivity and technology use.

However, some teens and young adults cross from normal use into a realm in which their technology use is having a negative impact on school, work, family, and social life.Technology addiction includes an addiction to video games, social networking, and surfing the web, among other things.

Signs & Symptoms of Technology Addiction

Here are Craig Knippenberg's nine signs a a teen or young adult might be addicted.

1.It is hard for my child to stop using screen media.

2.The amount of time my child wants to use screen media keep increasing.

3.My child sneaks using screen media.

4.My child needs more intense and novel games and apps to reach the same level of satisfaction.

5.When my child has had a bad day, screen media seems to be the only thing that helps him [or] her feel better.

6.My child thinks obsessively about their game or phone when not using it.

7.My child’s screen media use causes problems for the family.

8.My child’s academics, activities or health are suffering because of electronics.

9.My child is becoming more and more isolated.

Prevalence of Technology Addiction: 

It is difficult to determine how many teens and young adults suffer from technology addiction, but a 2012 study found that 4.4% of European adolescents had what researchers termed “pathological internet use” and approximately 14% displayed what they called “maladaptive internet use.”

Other studies have found that approximately 10% of people’s internet use interferes with their work, family or social life.

To complicate things further, the developers of technology like video games and social media are actively trying to create products that tap into our addictive tendencies, talking openly about creating a “compulsion loop.”

How Technology Addiction Impacts the Brain:

 On a neurological level, technology addiction operates similarly to chemical addictions, in that expectation followed by reward leads the brain to release dopamine and other feel-good chemicals.

This reward might be winning a level of a video game, or getting “likes” on a picture.Over time, a person begins to crave this dopamine release and often requires increasing stimulus to get the same effect.