How many times a day do you check your phone? According to NYU professor Adam Alter, the average young adult picks up their smartphone 150 times a day. In total that’s over 28 hours a week, 56 days a year and 10 years of your life.

You probably don’t personally keep track of your intimate encounters with Mr Apple or Ms Samsung, but you should. Too much chill time with your mobile, can be bad for your health.

 

Tech is our modern mandrax with a few similar side effects like weight loss and sleep difficulty.

 

Possible side effects of Technology Addiction include:

 

Believe it or not, there are real, physical manifestations of having a tech-diction. These include:

 

 

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Headaches
  • Neck or backaches
  • Dry, red eyes
  • Depression, bipolar and anxiety
  • Lead to other addictions like drugs, alcohol, smoking and/or sex. Studies have shown that using technology can bring about the same chemical reaction in the brain as is found in those with these types of addictions.

The main cause of the above side effects is the internet. We surf the web like zombies in search of a brain feast. Some internet dwellers even develop an illness called Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD).

 

 

What’s IAD?

Internet Addiction Disorder is a real disease that effects your brain function. It’s similar to suffering from a chemical dependency, such as drugs and alcohol. The disorder makes paying attention and remembering details difficult. A person with IAD struggles to keep a conversation offline flowing and feels depro without their legal online high.

 

The treatment

Internet Addiction Disorder is treatable. *Phew*.  Although some believe it’s just a “fad illness” that can go away by itself, other professionals argue that medications are effective in the treatment of Internet Addiction Disorder – because if you are suffering from this condition, it is likely that you are also suffering from anxiety and depression.

Studies have shown that anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications can decrease online activity from 35+ hours a week to 16 hours a week. Other psychotherapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and light shock therapy can also treat the disorder.

 

The verdict

Technology and drugs have a few things in common -  Both can give you a high with unhealthy consequences. Sure the 1000 Friends on Facebook gives you a confidence boost and levelling-up on Dota makes your inner geek want to jump out of its shell, but what’s next? After every high comes a low. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the luxury of technology, it just means that you should try to take a break from the blue screen every hour or three.  Track your on-screen activity here: Moments

Logging out…