research about gadget addiction

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Gadget Addiction

by Ananth Indrakanti, Milan Chutake, Stephen Prouty, Venkat Sundaranatha, Vinod Koverkathu

Introduction

Technology and gadgets are now indispensable in our daily lives. In the past few years carrying a miniature computer (a smart phone) in a pocket has become commonplace. Technology helps advance the human race forward and makes doing mundane things more efficient and repeatable. Technology has helped create the information revolution.

With technological advances, devices have evolved to be so powerful and smart that it feels like having a super-computer on one’s hands. Humans now have an insatiable appetite for information at their fingertips. When technology makes this happen, the natural tendency is for this to become an expectation. When was the last time you printed a map or wrote a snail mail letter? If you did, then you belong to the elite endangered cadre of humans who are vanishing rapidly. Welcome to the information age! Before we frame our problem, we would like to ponder briefly over how our lives have changed with gadgets, compared to pre-digital era.

Life Without Gadgets

People born before the 1980’s would very well relate to life before the information age, when people had no access to internet or personal gadgets. Let's briefly walk down the memory lane to relive those moments — a life without gadgets.

Children played together outdoor — they had a lot of physical activity.
People talked to each other more often, and verbal communication face-face was at its peak.
Chat jargon did not exist and people knew their spellings well, as they read more books.
People enjoyed spending more time outdoors with family and friends.
It was commonplace to get the news from newspaper or radio.
Entertainment came from playing board games, playing sports, going to the movies, watching VHS tapes, etc.
Writers often used either a type-writer or a word processor on their computer.
Computers were expensive and bulky.
Doing research was hard; frequent visits to the library or scouring through plethora of papers, books, etc. were necessary.
Communication was slow.

Life With Gadgets

Gadgets equipped with internet have transformed our lives in several ways and brought about a paradigm shift in our dependence on technology to perform key tasks in our everyday routine. To highlight a few:

Use Google Maps to get directions, watch YouTube videos to learn to cook, sing, draw, learn science, etc.
Health monitoring apps on the cell phone that would remind people to walk, run, bike, check BP periodically, etc.
Capability to share daily life or special events instantly with thousands of people and see reaction in a matter of minutes, if not seconds
Expedited research with access to information galore
Ability to watch videos on demand from anywhere (Netflix, Amazon, etc.)
Ability to read e-books online on demand — no more visits to library needed
Use of mobile phones, tablets as pacifiers for kids
Improved speed of communication by orders of magnitude leading to faster decision-making
Existence of mobile apps for entertainment, social interaction through digital media, paying bills, accessing bank accounts, etc. (virtually for any purpose)

While there have been advantages to this information age and gadget revolution, it has created an insatiable appetite for information. It's now an expectation that information be readily available on demand from anywhere. This is the age of instant gratification. While technology has fostered the human race, does our current consumption pattern adversely impact our analytical and creative abilities, lead to loss of focus in communication and make us just indexers of data rather than bearers of knowledge? Are we addicted to our gadgets? Let's find out.

You’ve temporarily misplaced your cell phone and anxiously retrace your steps to try to find it. Or perhaps you never let go of your phone — it's always in your hand, your pocket, or your bag, ready to be answered or consulted at a moment’s notice.

Dr. Veronika Konok and her collaborators [1] cite evidence that supports the idea that “healthy, well-functioning adults also report significant emotional attachment to special objects.”

A quick survey showed that most people panicked when they had misplaced their smartphones (Fig. 1).

How do you feel when you misplaced your phone? Panicked, Desperate, Sick or Relived

Figure 1 : Survey results from “Lookout”

Mobile Consumption Growth Trend

In the last decade, digital consumption on mobile devices has overtaken that on desktop devices. Between 2011 and 2016, about 300% growth [2] (Fig. 2) was seen with data consumption on mobile devices, while that on desktop devices and other connected devices stayed relatively flat. The growth in combined number of smartphone/tablet users is expected to grow from current 2.5 billion to about 3.13 billion by 2020 (about 23%).

Social networking, listening to music, watching videos and playing games represent the bulk of what people do with their smartphones and tablets. Essentially it’s about communication and entertainment, two things that help people to cope with the level of stress in today’s world.

Figure 2: Time spent per adult user/day with digital media

Americans tend to spend more than 11 hours/day on a screen (mobile phone/desktop/tablet, etc.), be it for personal use or work-related activity. About half of the screen time is spent on a mobile device. Statistics [3] show that 8% of the time spent on a mobile is on a browser while the majority (92%) of the time is spent on social networking/media, music and entertainment apps. (Fig. 3)

A pie chart of Ratio of time spent on mobile by app category

Figure 3: Ratio of time spent on mobile by app category

Mobile App Usage Statistics

It will have been a decade since the establishment of the mobile app ecosystem by the summer of 2018. The total number of mobile app downloads touched 197 billion in 2017 [3] . The two biggest app stores, i.e., Apple’s iOS App store and Google’s Play store, have served as effective app distribution channels for the millions of app developers in the ecosystem.

Not surprisingly, Facebook app demonstrated the highest level of penetration among 18+ years age group with a whopping 81% in 2017, while YouTube came second with 71% penetration and Facebook Messenger was not too far behind with 68% penetration. It is interesting to note that the chart is completely dominated by Facebook-owned (Facebook, FB messenger and Instagram) and Google-owned (Google search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Play) apps, with Snapchat and Pandora being the only exceptions. It is also intriguing that social networking and entertainment are valued the most by app users worldwide.

A bar chart of Top 10 Mobile apps by penetration of app audience.

Figure 4: Mobile apps penetration chart

The Invisible Problem

The business model of social networking and entertainment sites/apps like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, etc. revolves around [4] :

Sophisticated methods to seek attention of the maximum number of users and maximize the users’ time spent on these apps, i.e., make users interact and share their experiences, actions with the online community frequently and crave for virtual rewards (likes, comments)
Enablement and empowerment of advertisers to target these users continually while scrolling through feeds in Facebook or browsing through videos on YouTube
Learning from user interests (vacation preferences, activities etc.) and developing products that targets these users with AI driven personalized content, feeds and advertisements 24x7, where they start maneuvering the user behavior to their advantage.

While there is no denying that the business model is tuned to maximize users’ attention and time spent on these apps leading to gadget addiction and increased screen time, the other major problem that needs to be highlighted is that these platforms have no way to validate content being fed to users, i.e., fake news, articles generated to manipulate minds can be easily spread with these apps with no regulations or checks in place.

Let’s elaborate the point on how users that get initiated into these platforms develop the tendency to repeatedly visit them and ultimately get addicted, without any external force. How does this really work?

The Science of Addiction

Nir Eyal ’s Hooked model explains the four stages we run through as we use the platform [5] :

Graphic of the hooked model, with elements trigger, reward, investment, and action

Boredom acts as an internal trigger, and external notifications add to that.
The action is dead simple: open the app or page in the browser.
A great variability of rewards is bestowed upon us: photos, comments, likes, gossip, news, emotions, laughter. The wheel of fortune never disappoints.
We invest more and more time and attention into interacting on the platform, which keeps us coming back.

Taken together, these elements are what have caused so many of us to spiral into addiction. The worst part is we do it to ourselves.

Effects of Gadget Addiction

While the business model of the top few app companies hinges on people spending more time with their gadgets every day, we need to recognize that the most important fallout of this induced behavior would be the rising epidemic of gadget addiction. A sense of urge to use the phone or any other gadget when bored or idle equates to addiction. Gadget addiction doesn't discriminate who is affected, it affects all age groups and people of all races. The effects range from mental, physical, emotional to even threatening our democracy.

Mental and Emotional Health

Dopamine is a neurochemical that largely controls the pleasure and reward centers of the brain. High levels of dopamine are usually associated with motivation and excitement to fulfil goals that would lead to recognized rewards and thus reinforcement of a sense of pleasure while achieving those goals. Procrastination, lack of enthusiasm and self-confidence, and boredom are linked to low levels of dopamine.

Research has shown that the brain gets “rewired” as excessive amounts of dopamine get released in the body on frequent interaction with a rewarding stimulus, i.e., using a smartphone app like Facebook [6] . Boredom triggers an interaction with the rewarding stimulus (Facebook app), which in turn results in wide variety of rewards in the form of likes, messages, photos, etc. causing high releases of dopamine in the body. Frequent cycles such as these cause the brain’s receptors to become more insensitive to dopamine, causing the body to experience less pleasure than before for the same natural reward. This leads the person down a spiral, where one has increased craving for the same reward to achieve normal levels of pleasure. If the increased craving cannot be satisfied, it would lead to anxiety, lack of motivation and depression. Gadget addiction is likened to addiction to alcohol or drugs since it results in similar negative consequences.

Studies [7] have shown that children's cognitive and emotional development can be adversely impacted by internet/gadget addiction. More screen time means more virtual interactions and rewards through social media (shares, likes) and less face time. Less face-to-face interaction with other people results in lack of empathy for fellow human beings. As social media glorify picture-perfect lives and well-toned physiques, children’s self-esteem and self-confidence are eroded. Lack of focus and more distraction during conversations is another expected negative impact. A study on China high school students [8] demonstrated that children with moderate to severe risk of internet addiction are more than twice as likely to develop depressive symptoms than addiction-free counterparts.

Downward sloping line graph of dopamine levels releases w.r.t time

Figure 5: Dopamine level releases w.r.t time

Physical Health

Today’s children are immersed in technology right from a very young age. With more than half the schools in the US using smart devices as teaching tools in class, coupled with at-home smart device usage, the total screen exposure time of students in the age group 8-18 has exceeded ten hours a day [9] . There are obvious benefits to being exposed to technology right from a very young age, i.e., development of skills needed to be successful in technology-related areas in a future career. However, on the downside, there could be lack of development of social behavioral skills and high risk of obesity due to limited physical activity.

As one would also expect, one of the biggest health risks of excessive smart device usage is vision-related. The National Eye Institute [10] has found that the frequency of myopia (near-sightedness) has increased exponentially in Americans over the last few decades. The other effect on eyes was reduced blink rate leading to higher incidence of dry eye symptoms. Based on these findings, the American Academy of Pediatrics [11] has revised recommendations for limiting screen time for kids at different ages.

Graphic of recommended screen time for kids from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Figure 6: Recommended screen time for kids (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Listening to loud music through earbuds has detrimental effects on hearing ability The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders [12] reports that about 15% of Americans between the ages of 20-69 have a reduced capability to hear high frequency sounds due to exposure to loud sounds. Other negative effects on physical health from excessive gadget usage include lack of sleep and increased weight on the spine [13] as the head tilt increases to view the screen.

Graphic of the burden of staring at a smartphone and the weight on the spine as forward tilt from looking at smartphone increases

Figure 7: The burden of starting at a smartphone

Human Behavior

Figure 8: Cognitive-behavioral therapy [14]

Cognitive-behavioral therapy depicts how emotions, thoughts and behaviors influence each other. This model has been very useful in treatment of substance abuse, addictions, gambling addiction, smoking cessation etc.With advent of social networks, our emotional dependence is on instant likes, brief instant text messages creating a virtual set of friends who may never be physically present. Opinions and judgements are made without actual human connection and in-depth in person discussions. The virtual instant digitized friend circle gives a sense of belonging and feeling of having many friends who care about us. The HOOK business model leverages this human emotional dependence feeling and transforms those feelings into behavior where one feels like constantly engaging with these social networking platforms seeking for instant gratifications. When one does not get the instant emotional support in the forms of likes, instant messages then one starts feeling anxious, lonely and moody. Lot of the younger generation seem to start losing self-esteem and self-confidence if their friends fail to like their picture or respond to their posts instantly. In a nutshell the human behavior is being digitized.

Our political discourse is shrinking to fit to our smartphone screens. The most classic example is when President Obama used Instagram to push forward his climate change agenda.

The HOOK business model has got us addicted to our gadgets to watch the next post or news on social media. Well, this hunger for information can have both positive and negative impacts on our society and democracy. Social media may not create our bad habits, but it feeds them, and for one reason alone: money. In 1920’s it was the radio that reduced people to their voices, then in 1960’s television gave people their bodies back. Today with public looking to smartphones for news and media we seem to be in the third wave of election engineering. A recent survey found that 37% of people trust the news that get from social media — that's half the share from print and magazine media.

Let's consider the positive impacts. Few years ago, touch was used to connect with people especially if you're not the outgoing type. These platforms allow us to tailor the message to the audience, do fundraising, and get feedback. The momentum for the movements to topple regimes in Libya and Tunisia [15] was powered by these platforms. The more visceral the message, the more quickly it goes viral and the longer it holds the darting public eye. Around the world, these platforms like social media are making it easier for people to have a voice in the government, to discuss issues, organize around causes, and hold leaders accountable.

The argument is not complete without the negative impacts. For example, bots are often used to amplify political messages. The financial crisis of 2007-2008 stoked public anger [16] when the wealthy left everyone behind. These culture wars have split voters by their identity rather than class. It is claimed that more than 146 million people could have potentially seen fake news in their feed during the 2016 election year. These companies have moral responsibility to let users know that content might not be real. [17]

Don’t ask about the intentions, aspirations or responsibilities of social media companies. Just follow the money, that’s the basis of the HOOK business model.

How is society responding?

As we see the rise of ill effects of long term gadget use, rising health concerns amidst this drive to seek mindshare, finite attention of the same consumers there are groups of individuals who are now speaking up and taking a stand. These groups are investors, ex-employees of these companies and consumer groups. Starting 2018 these voices have amplified and there is a call for action and change is imminent.

Apple Investor's Open Letter

A pair of investors who hold about $2 billion in Apple stock are pushing the company to do more to protect its youngest users from the effects of digital technology [18] . In an open letter to Apple, the investors, the activist hedge fund Jana Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, voiced concerns that such technology might be hurting children and said Apple could help ease the damage even as it generates business.

Addressing the issue now could help Apple avoid an impending reckoning as unease grows over the role technology and social media play in our daily lives, the shareholders wrote. “There is a developing consensus around the world including Silicon Valley that the potential long-term consequences of new technologies need to be factored in at the outset, and no company can outsource that responsibility,” the investors wrote. The solution, they argued, is not to banish such devices from children’s hands, but to help parents help them understand how to use technology with care. The open letter highlights growing concern that Silicon Valley is damaging youth and urges new parental controls, child protection committee and release of data.

The Center for Humane Technology

A group of Silicon Valley technologists who were early employees at Facebook and Google [19] , concerned over the ill effects of social networks and smartphones, are getting together to challenge the very companies they helped build. They have come together to a union of concerned experts called the Center for Humane Technology [20] . It plans an anti-tech addiction lobbying effort and an ad campaign at 55,000 public schools in the United States. The campaign, titled The Truth About Tech, will be funded with $7 million from Common Sense and capital raised by the Center for Humane Technology.

One of the co-founders of Center for Humane Technology — Harris, a former design ethicist at Google — mentions [21] it is not enough to simply turn your phone to gray or to stop using these tools entirely. Always-on technology is now baked into the social fabric. The teen who quits Snapchat risks missing out on the primary way his peers communicate. The employee who declines to answer her boss's after-hours email risks losing career opportunities. Which is why Harris is calling on the companies themselves to redesign their products with ethics, not purely profits, in mind, and calling on Congress to write basic consumer protections into law.

How is the industry responding?

With the clamour for change, companies who have a larger part to play in this ecosystem have realised that they need to acknowledge and recognize that there is an issue and at least have controls in place to alleviate the impact and negative PR around these issues.

Based on our understanding of this ecosystem and bucketing the responses we expect the changes to come from the following groups:

Device Makers

Popular apps, standalone apps, regulations, self-awareness.

Device makers have a very large influence on this ecosystem. Availability of platform level features could make a big difference to the user experience, privacy and parental controls across apps and device interaction itself. Ever since these issues have got increased media attention has forced device makers to think of alternatives or at least options in place for concerned groups. Some of the options available natively on device are the following:

Grayscale option
Parental controls - purchases, time limitations, app usage limitations
Night light - predominant on reading devices and reading apps

Shades of Gray

Tristan Harris from Center for Humane Tech proposed [22] using shades of gray is to make the glittering screen a little less stimulating. Based on a popular report, “We’re simple animals, excited by bright colors, it turns out.” Silicon Valley companies know this, and they have increasingly been turning to the field of applied neuroscience to see how exactly brains respond to color in the apps, what brings pleasure and what keeps the eye. New research shows how important color is to our understanding of priorities and emotion. Grayscale can make the display more readable for those who are color blind. Second, if your battery is running low and you know that it will be a while before you'll have the opportunity to charge it, grayscale can extend battery life. Third, some experts say that using grayscale on your iPhone might be the answer to the question of how to break phone addiction. Not so popular but turns out iOS and Android devices have controls to switch to grayscale mode. On the iPhone grayscale mode can be turned on from Accessibility controls. On Android it’s a slightly more difficult workflow to enable grayscale. First up, you'll need to enable the hidden "Developer Options" menu. Under the Hardware accelerated rendering section, choose "Monochromacy" on the popup, then your screen will immediately enter grayscale mode.

Apple: In January 2018, Apple said it would introduce new features to help parents control their children’s use of the company’s products [23] . The move came after two Apple shareholders posted an open letter pushing Apple to address what is seen as a “growing public health crisis” of smartphone addiction in young people. Now, Apple has a new page on its site that collects information about the company’s family features and parental controls in one place [24] .

The page showcases features including an Ask To Buy tool that lets parents approve or decline app purchases from their device; an app management feature that lets users automatically block in-app purchases automatically; and the option to limit adult content on kids’ devices and restrict browsing to only pre-approved websites. Apple’s Find My Friends can also help track locations and issue alerts when children leave or arrive somewhere.

Google: Google announced the launch of Family Link in March 2017 [25] , an application for parents that lets them establish a child’s first Google account, as well as utilize a series of parental controls to manage and track screen time, daily limits, device “bedtimes,” and which apps kids can use.

While all the major mobile device providers – Apple, Google, and Amazon included – offer parental controls on their devices, Family Link is different because it’s a two-party system. Instead, it works more like the third-party parental control and monitoring software already on the market, where an app installed on a parent’s device is used to configure settings and keep an eye on kids’ digital behavior.

Parental Control devices: This is the other class of devices that can help you create a safe online environment for your kids over your home wireless network. The advantage is that any parental control settings you apply to a network will apply to all devices connected to the Wi-Fi. You don’t have to install software on each individual device, and you can filter content right at the source. The disadvantage, however, is that the parental control options are generally less flexible and only apply when the devices are used at home. Here are some of the popular parental control devices available in the market today:

Circle with Disney [26]
UnGlue [27]
KoalaSafe [28]

Some of the popular apps have also taken steps to attempt to solve the “device addiction” problems. Here are some of the notable initiatives.

Facebook: In January 2018 Mark Zuckerberg announced [30] a major overhaul of Facebook’s News Feed algorithm that would prioritize “meaningful social interactions” over “relevant content” on Thursday, one week after he pledged to spend 2018 “making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent”. The social media platform will de-prioritize videos, photos, and posts shared by businesses and media outlets, which Zuckerberg dubbed “public content,” in favor of content produced by a user’s friends and family [31] .

Youtube: Google launched a service called YouTube Kids in February 2015 [32] , a new version of the internet’s leading destination for video aimed squarely at children. YouTube Kids limits the world of content on the service to curated, family-friendly videos, channels, and educational clips. It also includes features like timer settings to limit screen time and a search function. The search gives users access to YouTube’s main database of videos, but that YouTube Kids’ results are automatically filtered for safe content. The service also gives adults a range of parental controls, including the ability to disable search completely, limit screen time and cap the volume. Google has disabled comments on the service, but it does show some kid-friendly ads.

There are multiple independent, third party apps of varying quality. These are mostly from smaller startups with limited revenue. Some of these could be effective, but involves searching for the right app and downloading it on all devices. The illustration covers some of the apps in this space.

Figure 9: Illustration of apps for limiting gadget usage

From our research on these topic regulations seems to have limited impact in helping reduce gadget addiction and usage. There have been multiple regulations, bans and reversals for usage of gadgets in schools.

A girls’ school is banning wearable activity trackers and smartwatches because of concerns that pupils are skipping lunch if they fail to meet their calorie and exercise targets [33] . This article also suggests that “Social media addiction is thought to affect around 5% of young people, with social media being described as more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol” - which ties in with the HOOK model.

The French government in Dec 2017 decided to ban students from using mobile phones in the country’s primary, junior and middle schools [34] . Children will be allowed to bring their phones to school, but not allowed to get them out at any time until they leave, even during breaks.

Although students have been using cell phones consistently in their daily lives for almost a decade, many public schools continue to resist allowing the devices into the classroom. Schools generally grapple with new technologies, but cell phones’ reputation as a nuisance and a distraction has been hard to dislodge. Recently, however, the acceptance of these devices has been growing. Beginning in March, New York City, the largest school district in the country with 1.1 million students, will reverse its long standing ban on cell phones in schools [35] .

Centre for Humane Tech suggests humane design and applying political pressure as two of the ways to move forward for making gadgets less addictive [36] . Regulation alone will not help drive change, regulation can help support the change.

Self-awareness is key to reducing gadget addiction. Consumer demand for change becomes a forcing function for companies — device makers and popular app makers to recognize this problem and work towards having better designed — “humane designed” technology that aids use.

Consumers do not want to use technology/products that they know are harmful, especially when it harms their kids. We should increase awareness, spread the message such that consumers recognize the difference between technology designed to extract the most attention from us, and technology whose goals are aligned with our own. Consumers need to take control of their digital lives with better tools, habits and demand to make this change.

Having a more aware set of consumers and users will force policy makers and also help push regulations and policies in the right direction. Being self-aware enables us to be mindful and enjoy life moments without being glued to our screens and spend quality time with our loved ones.

Recommendations — which of these will have more impact?

We compared gadget addiction with other addiction paradigms to see what has worked in that context so that we can use the learnings.

Other Addiction Paradigms

Obesity: This has been a raging problem in the US, especially impacting the younger generation. Research has shown that shame campaigns like “fat = bad” has not worked. But the campaigns around positive reinforcement of healthy habits have seen resounding success.

Tobacco Addiction: In the US alone, we spend close to 240 billion dollars in treating tobacco addiction. This a growing problem. There have been several successful programs and some not so successful. The government regulation exists for tobacco manufacturers to have the Surgeon General's Warning on the ill-effects of using tobacco. While every smoker reads it they still continue to smoke, it has become an issue of passionate defiance, addiction - an emotional dependence as smokers feel it helps them cope with stress, anxiety etc. Smokers still act against their best interest. [37]

CDC has said that the campaigns against smoking is working, but need to be rolled out nationally and continuously. Their initial efforts have shown that up to 100,000 smokers quit from these campaigns — a good sign. The most common problem smokers cite is that everyone around them smoked. Moving away from these groups has also shown positive effects in quitting smoking.

Drug/Alcohol Addiction: This has become part and parcel of our typical public health landscape. We see campaigns like “Don’t drink and drive,” the fines and punishment for DUI, etc. There have been some successful campaigns that permeate our society which are commonly known as “Don’t let your friend drink and drive” and the “designated driver program.” Some of these have become the terminology that we adopted in our daily lives. Some of these campaigns do work effectively.

Based on other addiction paradigms, campaigns can work if they focus on the right habits and not focus on shaming. Governing bodies might bring in regulations for companies to address this area either through self-awareness campaigns or by regulating detection of device abuse. With that said, device makers will have the bulk share of the responsibility to integrate them into the devices. While the regulations will have an impact but the device and self-awareness campaigns will have a more pronounced effect as seen in other addiction paradigms.

Where can we expect change from?

Device makers have best reach/effectiveness. We feel device makers will enable capabilities for users to turn on device abuse and notifications. But this can only be useful if users are self-aware that they have a problem with addiction to a gadget. These two – device makers and self-awareness — are the biggest change drivers.

We expect policy and regulations to have reasonable impact, but they need to work along with users and device makers to work out a good balance. Standalone apps to reduce screen time, etc. need users to be aware to download these apps. Popular app makers have less incentive to change their freemium or advertising revenue by reducing screen time and so unless there is a strong awareness from the user base which is pushing for change, popular app makers have little incentive to change.

Pie chart of sources of change and impact

Figure 10: Sources of change and impact

How do we see this playing out in the future?

As we have more and more gadgets entering our daily life, we will accept, adapt and evolve to lead device interrupted life as the new norm. Right now we are seeing a big increase in the number of digital assistants. Interaction will move from keyboard to more spoken forms and gestures. Voice and gestures will be the primary interface in the future. Augmented Reality (AR) is technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user's view of the real world, thus providing a composite view. AR will provide contextual information just in time as we go through our daily routines.

Technology and gadgets would have become an integral part of human lifestyle, and will only continue to increase with years to come. The form factors of gadgets and how humans interact with them may change. However, fundamentally as a human society we should continue to be aware and make sure we do live a fulfilling life by not becoming addicted to machines and continue to emphasize and cherish the human connection in our lives.

Works Cited

[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201609/is-why-we-cant-put-down-our-phones

[2] https://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/

[3] http://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-statistics/#3

[4] http://humanetech.com/problem/

[5] https://www.nirandfar.com/2012/03/how-to-manufacture-desire.html

[6] https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingNews/Pages/feeding-the-addiction.aspx

[7] https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/csm_2016_technology_addiction_research_brief_0.pdf

[8] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/383813

[9] https://blog.chocchildrens.org/effects-of-screen-time-on-childrens-vision/

[10] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/screen-time-digital-eye-strain/

[11] https://blog.chocchildrens.org/effects-of-screen-time-on-childrens-vision/

[12] http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/technology-and-hearing-loss

[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5440123/

[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy

[15] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/25/twitter-facebook-uprisings-arab-libya

[16] https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21730871-facebook-google-and-twitter-were-supposed-save-politics-good-information-drove-out

[17] https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21730871-facebook-google-and-twitter-were-supposed-save-politics-good-information-drove-out

[18] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/08/apple-investors-iphone-addiction-children

[19] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/04/technology/early-facebook-google-employees-fight-tech.html

[20] http://humanetech.com/

[21] https://www.wired.com/story/center-for-humane-technology-tech-addiction/

[22] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/technology/grayscale-phone.html

[23] https://9to5mac.com/2018/01/08/improved-parental-controls-ios/

[24] https://9to5mac.com/2018/03/14/apple-parental-controls-features/

[25] https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/15/google-introduces-family-link-its-own-parental-control-software-for-android/

[26] https://meetcircle.com/

[27] https://www.unglue.com/

[28] https://koalasafe.com/

[29] https://www.asecurelife.com/best-parental-controls-for-wireless-networks/#torch

[30] https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10104413015393571

[31] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/11/facebook-news-feed-algorithm-overhaul-mark-zuckerberg

[32] https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/23/hands-on-with-youtube-kids-googles-newly-launched-child-friendly-youtube-app/

[33] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jul/12/gloucestershire-school-clamps-down-smartphones-activity-trackers-pupils

[34] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/11/france-to-ban-mobile-phones-in-schools-from-september

[35] https://www.wsj.com/articles/cellphone-ban-in-nyc-schools-to-end-1420602754

[36] http://humanetech.com/problem#the-way-forward

[37] https://www.cnn.com/2014/01/11/health/still-smoking/index.html

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Smartphone addiction in students: A qualitative examination of the components model of addiction using face-to-face interviews

Affiliations.

1 Faculty of Behavioral Sciences,SGT University, Gurugram,India.
2 Department of Psychology,Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi,India.
3 Psychology Department,Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham,UK.
PMID: 31619046
PMCID: PMC7044586
DOI: 10.1556/2006.8.2019.57

Background and aims: Smartphone use has increased markedly over the past decade and recent research has demonstrated that a small minority of users experience problematic consequences, which in extreme cases have been contextualized as an addiction. To date, most research have been quantitative and survey-based. This study qualitatively examined the components model of addiction for both "addicted" and "non-addicted" users.

Methods: A screening tool comprising 10 dichotomous items was administered to 40 college students. Of these, six addicted and six non-addicted participants were identified on the basis of their score on the screening tool and were asked to participate in a semi-structured interview. The interview questions were based on the components model of addiction comprising six domains (i.e., salience, withdrawal, conflict, relapse and reinstatement, tolerance, and mood modification). Directed content analysis was used to analyze the transcribed data and subthemes as well as emerging themes for the study as a whole were established.

Results: There was some evidence of demarcation between smartphone addicts on the dimensions of salience, tolerance, withdrawal, and conflict. Mood modification was not much different in either group, and no participant reported relapse.

Conclusions: The non-addicted group had much greater control over their smartphone usage than the addicted group on four (of six) aforementioned dimensions of behavioral addiction. Consequently, the main findings of this study provided good support for the components model of behavioral addiction.

Keywords: behavioral addiction; component model; contextual factors; directed content analysis; smartphone addiction; social factors.

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Addiction to Electronic Devices

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Jennifer Katzenstein, Ph.D.

Symptoms of Cell Phone Addiction

We all look to our electronic devices, especially our cell phones, for information, connection and to get information quickly. On this week’s On Call for All Kids , Jennifer Katzenstein, Ph.D. , director of psychology and neuropsychology at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital , explains that we are so used to having them by our side now, many of us get very anxious if we don’t have our cell phone with us, even though many of us never even had one growing up!

We have become increasingly dependent on our devices, and now, more than ever, we are using our devices to communicate, get information and remain in contact 24/7. This lends itself to feeling anxious or stressed when we don’t have that source close by at all times.

What is cell phone "addiction"?

For most of us, we like to have our cell phone or other device close to us, but if we forget it or leave it behind, it isn’t too big of a deal, other than some mild anxiety. There is debate about whether or not you can have an addiction to a cell phone. But, it seems that there can be an addiction, as many compare devices to mini gambling devices.

What causes an individual to be addicted to social media and/or their phone (is it a compulsion, a fear of missing out, etc.)?

There are many things. Behaviorally, this can include the reinforcement of staying connected at all times and being engaged on social media. Also, the reinforcement of “likes” and activity on one’s account. This reinforcement is variable, which is the most reinforcing kind. You never know when you may or may not have your “needs” met by the phone. We get instant gratification. Data suggests that children and adolescents who spend more time on electronics do have increased rates of anxiety and depression; however, they can be protected against this with more time outside and activities that don’t involve screens.

There is also some data to suggest that use of devices reinforces dopamine pathways, a neurotransmitter that is a “feel good” chemical involved in our reward-seeking behaviors. When this pathway isn’t reinforced, we actually experience chemical withdrawal in our brains.

What are the signs someone is "addicted”?

Signs include loss of control over behavior related to the cell phone, changes in mood related to use, tolerance of the device, and inability to regulate the use of the cell phone/device. This can also result in symptoms of withdrawal when the cell phone isn’t there, including anger or irritability, difficulty concentrating, repeated focus on not having the device, restlessness, sleep problems and craving of the device, such that it interferes with ability to complete things like schoolwork, job-related activities, and daily living activities such as showering.

Can cell phone "addiction" negatively impact a person's relationships? And, if so, how?

Cell phones, with or without addiction, can sabotage relationships! When we are talking to someone and look to our watch or our phone, we are telling them that something has come to our attention that is more important than they are, and you are essentially rejecting them. If we let our cell phones distract us during meals and quality time together, we aren’t able to truly engage and be present in the quality time, which then conveys to those involved that there is something happening that is more important than them. It is incredibly important to stay present and if you do have to check your phone/device, make sure you are letting the other person know why, and creating and agreeing about expectations about checking the phone, if that is needed.

How do I break the cycle?

Put limits on your use, and make sure you follow them. Make sure to put yourself on a “digital diet” and reduce the apps you use, remove them from your phone even! Cut back on time you spend on your phone, and put it away at certain times of the day so you aren’t tempted to use it. Setting up a very clear schedule for yourself, and your child, can help too. There are great schedules available on the American Academy of Pediatrics website .

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Mowshomi Mannan Liza 1 , 2 ,
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9073-5451 Mohammad Azmain Iktidar 1 , 2 ,
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7124-5043 Simanta Roy 1 , 2 ,
Musa Jallow 3 ,
Sreshtha Chowdhury 1 , 2 ,
Mustari Nailah Tabassum 2 , 4 ,
Tarannum Mahmud 2 , 4
1 Department of Public Health , North South University , Dhaka , Bangladesh
2 Department of Public Health , School of Research , Chattogram , Bangladesh
3 Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia , London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , Banjul , Gambia
4 Department of Medicine , Chittagong Medical College , Chittagong , Bangladesh
Correspondence to Dr Mohammad Azmain Iktidar; sazmain{at}gmail.com

Background People are becoming more dependent on technology than ever before. Today’s children and adults are heavily plugged into electronics, which raises concerns for their physical and cognitive development. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the relationship between media usage and cognitive function among school-going children.

Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 11 schools in 3 of Bangladesh’s most populous metropolitan areas: Dhaka, Chattogram and Cumilla. A semistructured questionnaire with three sections was used to obtain data from the respondents: (1) background information, (2) PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale and (3) Problematic Media Use Measure Short Form. Stata (V.16) was used for statistical analysis. Mean and SD were used to summarise quantitative variables. Qualitative variables were summarised using frequency and percentage. The χ 2 test was used to explore bivariate association between categorical variables, and a binary logistic regression model was fit to investigate the factors associated with the cognitive function of the study participants after adjusting for confounders.

Results The mean age of total of 769 participants was 12.0±1.8 years, and the majority (67.31%) were females. The prevalence of high gadget addiction and poor cognitive function was 46.9% and 46.5%, respectively, among the participants. After adjusting the factors, this study found a statistically significant relationship (adjusted OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.7) between gadget addiction and cognitive function. In addition, the duration of breast feeding was a predictor of cognitive function as well.

Conclusion This study found digital media addiction as a predictor of decreased cognitive performance in children who use digital gadgets regularly. Although the cross-sectional design of the study precludes causal relationships from being determined, the study finding deserves further examination via longitudinal research.

Child Psychiatry
Epidemiology

Data availability statement

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ .

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2022-001759

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WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC

School age is a time of rapid physical and mental growth for children.

Both children and adults are excessively immersed in electronic gadgets in today’s times.

Digital addiction has a detrimental effect on ’students' performance in the classroom.

Boys have a higher score of addiction to gadgets (66.3%).

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

This study found a significant proportion of school-going children are addicted to digital gadgets. Gadget addiction has a statistically significant relationship with the cognitive function of school-going children.

HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY

This study recommends regular screening of gadget addictions among school-going children and future interventions and policies on daily recommended time limits of digital media device usage in children.

Introduction

Around the world, people are increasing their reliance on technology devices at a rate that has never been seen before. 1 Not only adults but also children are excessively immersed in electronic gadgets in today’s times, which generates issues and worries regarding the effects these devices have on children in terms of their physical and cognitive development. 2 3 Regarding the situation in Asia, a prior study that was carried out in six Asian nations concluded that children aged from 12 to 18 years held ownership of smartphones at a rate of 62% overall. 3

Numerous developments have taken place in the public sphere of the modern period, leading to an explosion of new forms of data transmission, social interaction and leisure time activities. As technology continues to grow on a global scale, it is nearly impossible to live without any digital screen. 4 Technological progress brings about inevitable lifestyle changes, particularly in children. These changes include the habit of playing with gadgets, eating habits, physical activity levels and the impacts of these changes. 5 There are identified benefits of digital device use, such as helping children acquire new vocabulary, languages and stay engaged in the classroom. 6 However, the possible negative impact of digital device use and its problematic usage is also common. A study has shown that digital addiction has a detrimental effect on students’ performance in the classroom. 7 Children who spend an excessive amount of time in front of screens may have decreased levels of productivity. 3 Above-mentioned studies indicate that there are a variety of advantages as well as drawbacks associated with the use of the various forms of the digital screen.

A cognitive function is any psychological process that is involved in the process of acquiring knowledge, the manipulation of information or the logical derivation of conclusions. 8 The capabilities of perceiving, remembering, learning, paying attention, deliberating and communicating are all included in the cognitive processes. 8 People who use digital screens for prolonged periods have been reported to have impaired cognitive regulation and cognitive inflexibility. 9 According to the findings of another study, digital addiction is connected with an increased number of reported cognitive failures. 10

School age is a time of rapid physical and mental growth for children. 11 There are increasing concerns about the effects of children’s excessive screen usage on their growth and development. 12 According to the results of a survey, around two-thirds of students use the digital screen while they should be paying attention in class, studying or completing assignments. 7 The distraction that is resulted from this multitasking is one of the factors that has been proven to have a negative impact on students’ academic performance. 7 There are limited evidences of digital addiction among children and its correlates in this geographic area. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the extent of media use, and its association with cognitive function among school-going children in the study region.

Study design, setting and sample

This cross-sectional study was carried out among children aged 8–14 enrolled in grades 4–7 at five private schools, five public schools and one madrasah (a specially adapted institution for Islamic education and culture) in Bangladesh. The study locations were chosen using convenient sampling. A printed questionnaire with instructions was used to obtain information from the parent, while trained volunteers performed face-to-face interviews with the participant.

Participants in the selected schools were sent informational pamphlets, parental consent forms and questionnaires. In addition, the pamphlets included a contact number for any more inquiries. Cognitive function assessment interviews were conducted with (n=769) children who provided written parental consent and completed the questionnaire within 1 week.

A semistructured questionnaire with three sections was used for data collection. Section 1 included questions on sociodemographic factors (age, gender, residence, family type, family income and parental education status), birth order (the order in which the child is born in comparison to other sibling), method of delivery (how the child was given birth: normal vaginal delivery or caesarean section), Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) vaccination status (If the child received all vaccination according to the EPI schedule), duration of breast feeding (for how long the child was breastfed) and deworming status (The interval at which the child received deworming medication: never, occasionally or regularly). Sections 2 and 3 included two validated questionnaires (PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale and Problematic Media Use Measure Short Form (PMUM-–SF)) for measuring cognitive function and gadget addiction, respectively. The parents received sections 1 and 3 with precise instructions for completion. The remainder of the questionnaire (section 2: PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale) was completed by a trained volunteer after the participant’s face-to-face interview.

PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale

The PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale consists of six questions (‘It is hard for me to keep my attention on things;’ ‘It is hard for me to remember what people tell me;’ ‘It is hard for me to remember what I just heard;’ ‘It is hard for me to think quickly;’ ‘I have trouble remembering what I was just thinking;’ ‘I have trouble remembering more than one thing at a time.’). This scale was developed through focus group discussions, cognitive interviews, pretesting and field-testing measurement development techniques. 13 A five-point Likert scale was used to assess this scale, with 0 denoting never, 1 denoting nearly never, 2 denoting sometimes, 3 denoting often and 4 denoting almost always. All responses were reverse-scored and then linearly translated to a 0–100 scale (0=100, 1=75, 2=50, 3=25, 4=0), in accordance with established scoring protocols. Any score below the mean was considered as poor cognitive functioning and higher scores indicated higher functioning.

Problematic Media Use Measure Short Form

The PMUM–SF was used to determine the level of screen addiction among all of the children in our study cohort. It includes nine components. Each answer was based on a five-point Likert scale: (1) never, (2) seldom, (3) sometimes, (4) often and (5) always. Children who scored 3 or higher on at least five questions were deemed to have a high level of device addiction.

A pretesting was done on 20 participants from government and private schools to check the feasibility and reliability of the study. Necessary modifications were made to simplify the data collection without affecting the data quality. The inclusion of a helpline number in leaflets was considered on the suggestions of the pilot participants.

Statistical analysis

All analyses were performed using Stata (V.16). Descriptive statistics were calculated as mean and SD for quantitative variables or frequency and relative frequency for categorical variables. The bivariate association of two categorical variables was explored using the χ 2 test. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to assess the association between cognitive function and gadget addiction. Variables with a p≤0.2 in the bivariate analysis entered in the multivariate model in a forward stepwise selection method. A two-tailed p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Public involvement

Members of the public were involved in several stages of the study including design and conduct. We received input from children and their parents and implemented them in our study design. We intend to disseminate the main results to study participants and will seek public involvement in the development of an appropriate method of dissemination.

Of the 836 questionnaires and consent forms provided to the participants, 67 were ineligible (30 did not meet inclusion criteria and 37 did not consent), resulting in 769 potential responders. A total of 769 responses out of 836 amounted to a response rate of 91.9%.

Background information of the study participants is presented in table 1 . Among the 769 participants, 67.3% were female and hailed from urban areas. About 78% of the participants were from nuclear families, and most of the participants’ birth orders were second or more. Most of the participants’ family income was in between BDT10 000 and BDT20 000 (42.4%). Regarding parental education, 40.9% of parents had 8–12 years of schooling. In terms of birth, 26.3% of participants’ modes of delivery were by caesarean section, and 67.8% were normal vaginal delivery. Most of the participants (90.6%) were EPI vaccinated. 10.8% of participants’ duration of breast feeding was less than 6 months, whereas 47.8% of participants were more than 24 months. About 3% of participants were never dewormed, whereas 49.08% were occasionally and 48.1% were regularly. The prevalence of high gadget addiction and poor cognitive function were 46.9% and 46.5%, respectively, among the participants ( figure 1 ).

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Background information of study participants (n=769)

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Prevalence of gadget addiction and cognitive function among school-going children (n=769)

Table 2 includes all the potential variables and demonstrates the adjusted result. After adjusting for age, gender, residence, family type, birth order, family income, parental education, mode of delivery, EPI vaccination status, duration of breast feeding and deworming status, participants with high gadget addiction had 56% less chance of good cognitive function than those with low gadget addiction. Also, participants whose duration of breast feeding was 6–12 months (adjusted OR, AOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 5.4, p=0.02), 12–24 months (AOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.2, p=0.05) and more than 24 months (AOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.7, p=0.01) had a higher chance of having good cognitive function than those who were breastfed for less than 6 months. Responses regarding the PMUM questionnaire are presented in table 3 .

Cognitive function of the study participants and associated factors (n=769)

Problematic media use measure questionnaire and responses of the participant

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of gadget addiction and its association with cognitive functions among school-going children in Bangladesh. Using a semistructured questionnaire, data were collected on background information, and data estimating cognitive functions and gadget addictions via the PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale and PMUM-SF, respectively. In this study, a high gadget addiction score (46.9%) was found in the participants; this result is similar to other studies reporting the growing prevalence of gadget addiction in different parts of the world. Similarly, previous research consisting of two systematic reviews and meta-analysis 2 14 confirm the increasing prevalence trend of gadget addiction over time in children and children. An Indian study among school-going children, where 57.55% were female, found that 10.69% of technology users were addicted, with 8.91% addicted solely to their phones. 15

The PMUM-SF scale is a validated and reliable tool used to estimate screen media addiction in children by measuring child screen time and psychosocial functioning. 16–18 The high gadget addiction score estimated by PMUM was found to be across all age groups, and of the total participants in this study, the median age was 12.0 years with females being the majority (67%). This is in contrast to a study conducted in India, which reported boys as having a higher gadget addiction score (66.3%) because they had longer screen time than girls. 19 Other studies suggest that the prevalence of problematic media use or gadget addiction among children and young adults often varies (ranging from 5% to 50%). 16 20

Although the significance could not be established, it was observed that majority of the participants were from urban areas, belonged to nuclear families, had family income ≥BDT15 000/month, and had parents with some level of education. These elements could potentially be indicative of higher socioeconomic status and, therefore, children born from such families are more at risk of excessive screen exposure and gadget addiction. A few studies have demonstrated the link between high family income and screen or internet addiction, thus confirming our theory. 21 22

Using the PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale which is a reliable and valid measure of cognitive functioning in children, 13 23 we estimated the cognitive function of all participants in the study and determine their association with children with gadget addiction. Overall, it was found that 53.5% of the children had a good cognitive function score, and children identified to have high gadget addiction scores had 57% less chance (AOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.6, p<0.001) of having a good cognitive function compared with those with low gadget addiction. The adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that as gadget addiction increases the level of poor cognitive function increases as well. A previous study conducted on children under 12 years of age in India, found that gadget media addiction has a close association with decreased cognitive function. 19 The study findings indicated that increased screen time and gadget addiction were significantly associated with parental concerns in some cognitive elements such as problem-solving, communication and personal-social development. 19 Previous research further supports this, reporting the significant association between increased screen time and delays in cognition, language and developmental motor milestones. 24 Similarly, there is evidence to show that parents who frequently use digital media devices to calm upset children lead to increase concerns in socialemotional development in toddlers. 25 A few studies observed increased ADHD problems in children with excessive televison (TV) use, 26 27 while the cognitive development of children was found to improve when screen time was reduced to less than 2 hours per day. 28 It was reported that the use of electronic media in preschool-age children was associated with behavioural difficulties over time. 29 Hyperactivity or inattention problems were associated with baseline use of mobile phones, while emotional and conduct problems were associated with internet or computer usage. 29

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine gadget addiction and its association with cognitive function in children in Bangladesh, using the PMUM-SF and PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scales. The measurement of cognitive function may not be accurate considering the absence of clinical test. Still, the questionnaire used in this study was developed from validated scales, thus, enhancing the strength of our research. Another strength of this study is the large sample size used, which allows for greater precision and generalisability of the findings. One of the limitations of this study is that we could only present the association between gadget addiction and cognitive function, rather than causality due to our research methodology. Due to convenience sampling methods employed in this study, there may be sampling bias, however, we attempted to minimise this by sampling 769 children from 11 schools in three of Bangladesh’s most populous metropolitan areas of Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chattogram and Cumilla). Recall and social desirability bias are likely to have occurred since part of the data was drawn from parental reports. Future research is needed to establish cause and effect on this topic and, therefore, draw definitive conclusions.

We conclude that there is a positive association between gadget addiction and poor cognitive function among children who use digital devices frequently. Therefore, interventions and education programmes should be developed to increase public awareness of harmful gadget addictions in children. However, additional longitudinal research is required to obtain a clearer data.

Ethics statements

Patient consent for publication.

Consent obtained from parent(s)/guardian(s).

Ethics approval

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board, North South University (Approval no-2022/0R-NSU/IRB/1005). All the participants were explained in detail about the aims and process of this study and informed consent was taken before data collection.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Azaz bin sharif (North South University), and Dr. Sanjana Zaman (North South University) for their assistance and time with this article.

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Contributors MML conceived the need for the survey, participated in its design, contributed to the interpretation of the results and is responsible for the overall content as guarantor. SR and SC participated in the design. MML, MAI and SR participated in data analysis of the study. MJ, SC, MAI, TM and MNT collaborated in data collection and writing up the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Competing interests None.

Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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Title & authors

Mabaroh, Barotun, and Lilik Sugianti. "Gadget Addiction and the Students' Achievement." International Journal of Social Learning , vol. 1, no. 3, 4 Aug. 2021, pp. 321-332, doi: 10.47134/ijsl.v1i3.59 .

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$Gadget Addiction and the Students\u0027 Achievement Image$

Using gadgets cannot be avoided in daily life. It becomes more primary for students in higher education since they change to learn online during the covid−19 pandemic period. They should use gadgets focusing on education, but unfortunately, studies had reported that students are addicted to using gadgets to access some entertaining applications. Therefore, it was essential to investigate how the students manage using gadgets and their effects on their achievement. This survey research required the student's responses to a Gadget Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) Addict item. The researchers collected data using a survey questionnaire on Google Form to determine how using gadgets affects the students' achievement. This research was done from August to December 2020. The results showed that both male and female students were identified as high-risk addicted. Moreover, the gadget addiction had terrible effects on the student's physical and psychological even though it did not significantly impact their academic achievement. However, based on the results, it was hoped that there should be the best management for using gadgets to improve the students' achievement and prevent the long-term risk of gadget addiction.

$Henry Mintzberg\u0027s Business Management Strategy Post\u002DPandemic Covid\u002D19 (Social Learning Approach on Ali Murah Shop Madinah) Image$

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Gadget Addiction and the Students’ Achievement

International Journal of Social Learning (IJSL)

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Chinaza Mose

In the 21st century, technology has been known to play an important role in stimulating teaching and learning exercises. Conversely, technology is seen as a tool which tends to distract learners and hamper their academic performances. Thus, this study investigates strategies that can be adapted for the control of online gadgets in order to enhance learners' academic performances in the 21st century. Quantitative method was adopted for the study. Rural and urban based secondary schools were purposively selected, while 144 educators were randomly selected across the schools. The selected schools comprised 10 rural and 10 urban secondary schools in King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Data were collected through the use of questionnaires which were administered to the 144 randomly selected educators. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS. The findings of the study showed amongst others that there is need for the use of online technological gadgets in...

margilyn milan

International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology

yuli marlina

Technological advances in the millennial era it's like two blades, one side provides benefits in information and knowledge, and on the other hand it has a negative impact that cannot be denied within the limits of the emergency. The balance between the positive and minimize the negative side becomes a necessity nowadays. The effect of the device is feared will continue to evolve into "opium" so that not only can lead to moral degradation but can cause social degradation of Indonesia's young generation in communications distortion. This study aims to: 1) determine the effect of the use of devices in academic procrastination, 2) determine the impact of procrastination on the achievements of junior high school students at Bekasi City, Indonesia in 2019. The form of analysis used is mix method analysis, where researchers was conducted quantitative and descriptive analysis that has occurred through interviews and data collection that occurs in the field. The advantages of this method are put on research carried out by a new understanding of complex, detail and comprehensive. The analysis are; (1) Discriminant Analysis, and (2) Structural Analysis of Equation Modeling (SEM) This research was conducted at Bekasi City. Bekasi City is a transit city geographically bordered by Bogor Regency and DKI Jakarta Province. When the research was conducted from July 15, 2019 until September 27, 2019. The target population in this study were 8 schools at Bekasi City which were divided into 3 areas of Bekasi City, 3 of these areas were taken 4 Public Schools and 4 Private Schools with a margin of error is 5%. The sampling technique was done purposively, and the research results obtained included: 1) The use of devices has a significant effect on academic procrastination, there is a significant correlation in the Y1 variable, namely; the use of devices, videos, and YouTube with a number of R 0.8482 the existence of correlation coefficients or can be said to have a strong or significant influence on the use of technology such as devices, videos, YouTube. 2) Variable Z2 where the use of devices, video and YouTube provide procrastination impact on students and student learning outcomes, where R = 0.4057 (correlation coefficient) provide considerable influence or significant enough to impact continuous use, which means the use of an impact device negatively on the students' achievement of junior high school at Bekasi in 2019.

Sukkur IBA Journal of Computing and Mathematical Sciences

Muhammad asif chuadhry

This research aimed to evaluate the usage of gadgets in demographic variations regarding gender among secondary school students form urban and rural areas of Islamabad. The detail review of the literature was taken on the uses of electronic gadgets. The positive and negative uses of the electronics were discussed in the society. To explore the effects of electronic gadgets on academic performance of secondary school students, structured questionnaire was designed to collect the data. All questionnaire consisted on the Likert scale. The students’ responses were tabulated, analyzed and interpreted by using percentage and mean score. Linear Regression was used for calculating the impact level of variables using SPSS package. Independent sample t test was opted to validate the findings of this study. The data was further segregated to analyze the difference of academic performance in female and male students. The findings of the study revealed that the use of gadgets has positive effe...

International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction

Zeynep Dere

Digitalization is an unavoidable benefits of modern life Digital transformation and change continue to be experienced in every field. Adolescents have accessed many apps, including those related to their academic life, online in the past year. It is vital for the health of adolescents that researchers identify their Internet addictions and come up with solutions to remedy this. This study is a survey conducted to examine the Technology Addiction Levels of Students at Ege University. The data for the study were collected with the "Personal Information Form" and the "Technology Addiction Scale" developed by Aydın (2017). The sample consisted of 2.170 undergraduate students studying at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Humanities and Letters,

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Cybersex Addiction Among Adolescents: A Quantitative Analysis of Psychological and Physical Impacts in Peninsular Malaysia

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Wan Saidatul Nasuha Wan Maizon 11 ,
Siti Nur Fathanah Abd Hamid 12 &
Yarina Ahmad 11 , 13

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 1081))

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International Conference on Business and Technology

This research paper investigates the psychological and physical impacts of cybersex addiction among children in Peninsular Malaysia. Utilising a quantitative approach, data was collected from 750 respondents aged 13 to 17, equally distributed across Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnicities. This study aims to explore the factors contributing to cybersex addiction and its effects on children's well-being. The findings reveal that individual factors, peer influence, and technological advancements significantly influence psychological damage. Children's propensity for cybersex addiction is attributed to factors such as loneliness, curiosity, and an inability to resist desires. Moreover, prolonged screen time and exposure to objectionable content exacerbate psychological distress. Parental neglect of monitoring digital activities further exacerbates these issues. Similarly, physical damage is evident, with cybersex addiction leading to behavioral changes, academic decline, and social isolation. Aggressive behaviour and school refusal are common manifestations, exacerbated by excessive digital device usage. Peer influence also plays a significant role, with children emulating the negative behaviors of peers addicted to cybersex. This study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive interventions to address cybersex addiction among children. Efforts should focus on enhancing parental supervision, promoting responsible technology use, and fostering positive peer relationships. By addressing these factors, policymakers, educators, and parents can mitigate the detrimental impacts of cybersex addiction and promote the well-being of children in Peninsular Malaysia.

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Acknowledgment

I wish to acknowledge the Pembiayaan Yuran Prosiding Berindeks (PYPB), Research Management Centre, Universiti Teknologi MARA for the financial support it provid-ed to publish this paper.

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Maizon, W.S.N.W., Hamid, S.N.F.A., Ahmad, Y. (2024). Cybersex Addiction Among Adolescents: A Quantitative Analysis of Psychological and Physical Impacts in Peninsular Malaysia. In: Alareeni, B., Hamdan, A. (eds) Navigating the Technological Tide: The Evolution and Challenges of Business Model Innovation. ICBT 2024. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 1081. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67437-2_41

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Digital games on vaping devices could lure more youth to nicotine addiction

Like other smart devices, smart vapes have high-definition animated displays

In an “Industry Watch” research paper in the journal Tobacco Control, two scientists at the University of California, Riverside, raise the alarm on new electronic cigarette products equipped with touch screens, animated displays, and built-in games. Because the products are user friendly and attractive to youth, they may couple nicotine addiction with gaming disorder, the researchers caution.

Of particular concern to the researchers is that coupling nicotine to existing youth behaviors, such as video gaming and screen time use, could broaden the smart electronic cigarette market to include youth with no prior interest in nicotine products, while also reinforcing nicotine addiction among current users.

“Our lab is constantly monitoring the electronic cigarette market for new devices, especially ones that target youth and young adults,” said Man Wong , first author of the paper and an assistant in the lab of Prue Talbot , a professor of the graduate division. “One of these devices, Craftbox V-Play, can run Pac-Man, Tetris, and F22 — classic arcade games. Other devices that we found alarming were vapes that had digital games that encourage users to vape, vapes with animations that change as users puff, vapes that have built-in bluetooth and can be customized with personal photos, and vapes with celebrity endorsements that offer promotional trading cards.”

Talbot stressed that it is critical to pay attention to shifting trends in vape designs, especially disposable vapes that are user friendly and popular among youth.

“Disposable vapes were relatively simple two years ago, and functioned as nicotine delivery devices,” she said. “Now they are designed to resemble and include features of smart phones and handheld gaming devices. These features make vapes more attractive to youth.”

Talbot and Wong believe the new devices need to be closely monitored and regulated. They report that unlike prior versions of electronic cigarettes, smart vapes prey on three potential addictions: nicotine dependence, gaming disorder, and screen time obsession. Talbot and Wong hope their research will encourage the Food and Drug Administration and other government agencies to regulate the sales of these devices.

“In the long-term, increasing awareness of how vapes can evolve in short periods of time can increase surveillance and monitoring to ensure products that are targeting youth are swiftly removed from the market,” Talbot said. “More strict regulation can be put into place to restrict some features of vapes, and it may even be appropriate to push for a disposable vape ban altogether, as some countries have.”

The researchers were surprised to learn that some smart vapes had games requiring the user to vape to progress in the games, potentially accelerating nicotine addiction. For example, they found the “URSA Pocket,” a refillable pod-system, has three built-in games.

“One game contains a virtual pet, which you feed with coins that you acquire by vaping; another game counts your puffs and has leaderboards, which you can submit your rankings to social media for a chance to win prizes,” Wong said. “CB15K is a vape endorsed by a celebrity and offers trading cards when you purchase the device. The trading cards have a scannable QR code and the message ‘scan for a chance to win.’ The vape also has a display that has animations when the user puffs the device and is built in with wireless charging. These features can entice youth to purchase and use vapes.”

The researchers are concerned that many of the devices are affordable, around $15-20 each, which could entice youth to purchase them.

“This is roughly the same price as, or cheaper than, the price of PUFF BARs or ELFBARs when they dominated the market,” Wong said. “These new products, however, offer much more puffs, higher power, and smart features for a lower price. A majority of the new disposable vapes come with many advanced functions. Regulation has not kept up with vapes at the rate they are evolving, and youth are vulnerable to these devices. In addition, disposable vapes create a lot of waste as they are one-time-use products, and adding screens, bluetooth, and digital storage to these devices exacerbates the waste generated by vapes.”

The research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Center for Tobacco Products.

The research paper is titled “Pac-Man on a vape: electronic cigarettes that target youth as handheld multimedia and gaming devices.”

Header image credit: Victor Perry , UC Riverside.

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The Relationship between the Duration of Playing Gadget and Mental Emotional State of Elementary School Students

Arlinda sari wahyuni.

1 Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Padang Bulan, Medan Baru, Medan, Sumatera Utara 20155, Indonesia

Ferdinan Benito Siahaan

Ivana alona, nerdy nerdy.

2 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Padang Bulan, Medan Baru, Medan, Sumatera Utara 20155, Indonesia

3 Department of Pharmacy, Academy of Pharmacy Yayasan Tenaga Pembangunan Arjuna, Pintubosi, Laguboti, Toba Samosir, Sumatera Utara 22381, Indonesia

BACKGROUND:

Technology has provided a type of facility in the world that currently makes the world like a virtual globe. One of the technologies currently used by humans is gadgets. Generally, children and adolescents nowadays often use gadget excessively. They use it excessively which may affect their social and emotional functions.

This study aims to determine the relationship between the duration of playing gadget and mental-emotional state of elementary school students.

This study uses Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) which contains 25 questions that can be used for children aged 8 to 16 years. This research was conducted in August 2018 with fourth-grade students of Public Elementary School and Private Elementary School Medan as respondents. This study uses a cross-sectional study method with the chi-square test as a statistical hypothesis test. The number of respondents in this study was 103 students consist of 73 students of Public Elementary School and 30 students of Private Elementary School Medan.

The results of this study found a relationship between the duration of playing gadgets on mental-emotional at elementary school students with a probability value of 0.0001 (p < 0.05) and the relationship between the frequency of using gadgets and mental-emotional with a probability value of 0.001 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:

There is a significant relationship between mental emotional and the duration of playing gadgets and the frequency of using gadgets elementary school students.

Introduction

Information and communication technology systems have provided a kind of facility in the world that currently makes the world like a small globe globally [ 1 ]. One of the current technologies used by humans is gadgets. A gadget is an object or item created specifically in this advanced era with the aim of helping everything become easier and more practical compared to previous technologies [ 2 ]. Generally, children and adolescents nowadays often use intense gadgets. They use it excessively which can affect their social and emotional function. The majority of children and adolescents have smartphones, laptops, game consoles, tablets, iPod [ 3 ]. The use of electronic gadgets has greatly increased in the contemporary world, particularly among children, as a result of addiction [ 4 ].

Very early recognition gadget for children can have positive and negative impacts. These are influenced by several factors such as the frequency, duration, and supervision of parents. Using gadgets as a basic material for learning in children will have positive impacts such as increasing children’s creativity and thinking. It can appear with parents and children, as well firm in providing time limits for children in playing gadget. Likewise the opposite, if the supervision of parents is lacking and there is no firm effort in providing time limits of playing gadget in children, can cause negative effects. The children may develop to negative characters such as shy, lacking confident, lonely and stubborn [ 2 ].

The frequency or intensity of the children in using gadgets will affects their mental and emotional development. From a study conducted by the University of Western Australia, through a survey of 2,600 school students about the length of looking at the gadget screen, it was found that 45% of 8-year-old children and 80% of 16-year-old students spent more than two hours of playing gadget in a day [ 5 ].

There is no data about the correlation between mental and emotional condition with the duration and frequency of using gadgets among elementary school students in Medan, Indonesia which has been published yet. Thus, this study is seeking information whether mental and emotional condition is affected by the duration and frequency of using gadgets among elementary school students

This study is an analytical study using a cross-sectional approach. This study uses a questionnaire Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) which contains questions that can be used for children aged 8-16 years. SDQ has 25 items on psychological attributes, divided into 5 scales: emotional symptoms, behavioural problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relations problems, and prosocial behaviours that are answered based on 3 choices: never, rarely, and often [ 6 ].

The study was conducted in August 2018 with students of Public Elementary Schools and Private Elementary School Medan grade 4 as respondents. The population that the researchers set in this study were fourth-grade elementary students.

We carried out a simple random sampling technique by using computer draw the samples. Our respondents were elementary school students from Public Elementary Schools and Private Elementary School in Medan who were included in the criteria. The collected data were analysed using computer statistical software by using the chi-square test (χ 2 ). The statistical level was determined as significant if the p-value is < 0.05.

In our study, we included 103 respondents consisting of 73 students (70.9%) from Public Elementary Schools and 30 students (29.1%) from Private Elementary Schools in Medan. Among the respondents 49.5% were boys, and 50.5 % were girls and the age distribution was majorly at the age of 8-9 years (52%). Based on the most used gadget type by the respondents are smartphones (52.4%) and followed by tablets (33%) and laptops (9.7%) The frequency of using gadgets was mostly 1-3 days (51.5%), 6-7 days (30.1%), and 4-5 days (18.4%), respectively. Based on the duration of gadget usage in a week, 43% of respondents used gadgets < 5 hours a week, 34% of respondents 6-10 hours a week, and 21% of respondents > 10 hours a week. Based on mental-emotional categories, we obtained 35.9% was normal and borderline categories and 28.2% were abnormal.

Characteristics distribution of respondents, Characteristic Gadget, and mental-emotional category

Characteristics of Respondents		n	%
Gender	Male	51	49.5

	Female	52	50.5

Age	8-9 years old	54	52

	10-11 years old	49	48

School	Public Elementary Schools	73	70.9

	Private Elementary Schools	30	29.1

		54	52.4

	Tablet	34	33.0

	Laptop	10	9.7

	Etc	5	4.9

Number of Gadget Usage days in a week	1-3 day	53	51.5

	4-5 day	19	18.4

	6-7 day	31	30.1

Play Gadget Duration in a week	< 5 hour	45	43

	6-10 hour	36	34

	> 10 hour	22	21

Mental Emotional	Normal	37	35.9

	Borderline	37	35.9

	Abnormal	29	28.2

Based on SDQ criteria*.

Based on the research, it was found that the emotional mental results of the normal category based on female sex were 59.5% and men 40.5%. Borderline categories based on female sex were 43.2%, and men were 56.8%. The abnormal category based on female sex is 51.7%, and males are 48.3%. The normal emotional and mental category was 48.6% and 51.3% at the age of 8-9 years and 10-11 years, respectively. The borderline category among children ages of 8-9 year was56.7% and 10-11 years was 43.2%. The abnormal category in 8-9 years old was 51.7% and 10-11 years old was 48.2%.

Mental Emotional Distribution of Respondents

Respondents based on Gender	Mental Emotional

	Normal n (%)	Bordeline n (%)	Abnormal n (%)
Male	15 (40.5%)	21 (56.8%)	15 (51.7%)
Female	22 (59.5%)	16 (43.2%)	14 (48.3%)
Respondents based on Age	Normal n (%)	Borderline n (%)	Abnormal n (%)
8-9 years old	18 (48.6%)	21 (56.7%)	15 (51.7%)
10-11 years old	19 (51.3%)	16 (43.2%)	14 (48.2%)
Respondents based on School	Normal n (%)	Borderline n (%)	Abnormal n (%)
Public Elementary Schools	29 (78,4%)	22 (59.5%)	22 (75.9%)
Private Elementary Schools	8 (21.6%)	15 (40.5%)	7 (24.1%)

Based on elementary school type, it was found that most mental and emotional category of the public elementary school students was at the normal category (78.4%). Whereas in the private elementary school students, the mental and emotional category was mostly in borderline range (40.5%)

Based on the research, the results of the normal mental, emotional category based on the frequency of gadget usage in the week were 1-3 days a week at 60%. Mental-emotional with borderline categories based on the frequency of gadget usage in the most weeks is 4-5 days a week as much as 42.1%. The emotional mentality is not normal category based on the frequency of use of gadgets in a week which is the most is 6-7 days as much as 51.5% with P value = 0.001, indicating that there is a significant relationship between mental, emotional and frequency of playing gadget. Emotional mentality in the normal category based on the number of hours of gadget usage in the most week is < 5 hours a week at 70.3%, the most borderline category is 6-10 hours a week 51.4%, the abnormal category based on the most hours of gadget usage in the week is > 10 hours a week of 55.2% (p-value = 0.0001).

Mental Emotional Relationships with the Frequency of Using Gadgets and Number of Hours in a Week

Number of Usage Gadgets days (/ week)	Mental Emotional

	Normal n (%)	Borderline n (%)	Abnormal n (%)
1-3 days	27 (60)	6 (31.6)	4 (13)
4-5 days	18 (34)	8 (42.1)	11 (35.5)
6-7 days	8 (16)	5 (26.3)	16 (51.5)
Chi-Square			P = 0.001
Number of Gadget Usage Hours (/ week)	Normal n (%)	Borderline n (%)	Abormal n (%)
< 5 hours	26 (70.3)	15 (40.5)	4 (13.8)
6-10 hours	8 (21.6)	19 (51.4)	9 (31)
> 10 hours	3 (8.1)	3 (8.1)	16 (55.2)
Chi-Square			P = 0.0001

SDQ has 25 items on psychological attributes, divided into 5 scales: emotional symptoms, behavioural problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relations problems, and prosocial behaviours that are answered based on 3 choices: never, rarely, and often [ 6 ].

Number of frequent answers by respondents

SDQ Scale	Number of frequent answers by respondents
Emotional symptoms	140
Behavioural Problems	89
Hyperactivity/lack of attention	160
Peer relationship problems	185
Prosocial behaviour	291

From the results of the study it was found that the most “frequent” answers on the prosocial behaviour scale were 291 answers from which of the 5 questions on the prosocial behaviour scale, problem number 1 had the most “frequent” answers.

Based on the results of the study, the majority of the respondents were children of 8-9 years old. As many as 51.7% of respondents aged 8-9 years are considered an abnormal mental, emotional category. According to Mildayani (2017), children aged 6-17 years are playing gadgets in the specified time, when the time is up they will ask for extra time. This is one sign of the effects of addiction. Children with their strength will hit, become aggressive, or cry [ 7 ]. Research conducted by Wiguna et al ., in 161 children and adolescents showed that 54.81% had problems with relationships with peers and 42.2% had emotional problems [ 8 ].

The study showed that most of the respondents were female. However, as many as 51.7% of male respondents were categorised as abnormal. According to Jarot (2015), the influence of the gadget on the level of violence is mostly males, because it is more aggressive and the level of emotion has not been controlled. So that fellow men often quarrel [ 9 ].

Based on the research obtained based on the type of gadget that has the most is a smartphone. According to research by Okky Rachman (2015), elementary school children who have the most types of gadgets are mobile phones, the second most choice is laptops because they are larger so they are more likely to be satisfied to play games [ 10 ].

Based on the results of the study, the highest distribution of respondents for the number of days of use of gadgets in a week is 1-3 days a week. However, in this study mental, emotional abnormalities obtained the highest frequency is 6-7 days of use in a week, whereas, the most duration of gadget usage is < 5 hours a week. However, in this study, the abnormally emotional category obtained the highest number in duration more than 10 hours.

According to Sari and Mitsalia (2016), the use of gadgets is categorised as high intensity when using a gadget with a duration of more than 120 minutes/day and in one use is > 75 minutes. Also, a day can be many times (more than 3 times usage) the use of gadgets with a duration of 30-75 minutes will cause addiction in the use of gadgets. Furthermore, the use of medium intensity gadgets if using a gadget with a duration of more than 40-60 minutes/day and intensity of use in one use 2-3 times/day for each use [ 11 ].

Based on the research, it was found that the emotional mentality of respondents with an abnormal category was 28.2%. According to Sundus M (2015) about the effect of using gadgets on children that using too many gadgets causes depression in children at certain ages. This also causes mental health problems in children in childhood and adolescence. They may act depressed, or we can see the worst of these symptoms of depression within a few days [ 12 ].

Other studies conducted by Mingli et al ., (2015) say that children who use gadgets for more than 2 hours per day have an increased risk of depression, and that risk increases with increasing screen time [ 13 ]. Ferguson (2017) found a small positive relationship but significant use of the duration of playing gadget with feelings of depression and delinquency in children when playing gadgets for more than 6 hours per day [ 14 ].

Another major concern regarding excessive use of gadgets in the age of children is a negative action. A study in Malaysia conducted in 2011 found that children became very dependent on gadgets, they would have negative sentiments if they lost their gadgets, the majority will say that they will be angry, sad, and insecure [ 4 ]. The use of gadgets for too long duration can affect aggressive levels in children. Also, the child becomes insensitive to the environment around him. Children who are too cool with their gadgets result in forgetting to interact or communicate with people around and their families, and that will have a negative impact on children’s social development [ 2 ]. Many studies have explored the relationship between gadget use and mental emotionality in children, and the results are clear, when using gadgets increase, so too the risk of mental-mental problems including depression, anxiety, ADHD, mood disorders, and suicide [ 15 ].

In conclusion, based on the results of the study, the conclusions obtained are there is a significant relationship between the duration of playing gadgets on mental-emotional elementary school students. Mental-emotional elementary school students also have a significant relationship to the frequency of gadget usage in a week. There is a significant relationship between the respondent’s mental emotionality on the number of hours of gadget usage in a week.

The advice given to parents and teachers is to limit the use of gadgets to children where the duration of playing gadgets should be less than 40 minutes/day and frequency < 3 times/day and 1-3 days/week. For health workers and schools can make counselling efforts on excessive use of gadgets and conduct early detection using the SDQ questionnaire.

Funding: This research did not receive any financial support

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist

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Celebrate Sobriety Milestones in Addiction Recovery

Getting sober is a huge accomplishment and sobriety milestones serve as significant markers in your path to overcoming addiction. They can be based on the time you have remained sober or reflect personal achievements like attending a social event sober or rebuilding a relationship damaged by addiction.

Celebrating these wins is important because it shows you how far you’ve come and can give you the strength to keep moving forward.

In this article, we’ll talk about how you can celebrate your wins in addiction recovery. We’ll also help you learn about different wins and why they matter.

What are Common Sobriety Milestones?

You must celebrate your wins during addiction recovery. Let’s examine various sobriety milestones that indicate these wins.

Early Sobriety Milestones

Early milestones are important in the initial stages of recovery as they give immediate goals and a sense of achievement. These include:

One Day Sober: The first 24 hours of sobriety are often the most challenging and significant. This milestone is typically marked with a white or silver chip in support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
One Week Sober: Completing the first week of sobriety is another critical early milestone, providing a foundation for longer-term goals.
One Month Sober: Achieving 30 days of sobriety is a significant accomplishment and is often marked with a red chip in AA meetings.

Monthly Sobriety Milestones

As you progress in your recovery, you must celebrate monthly milestones to maintain motivation and track progress:

Three Months (90 Days) Sober: Marked with a green chip, this milestone signifies sustained commitment and is a major achievement in early recovery.
Six Months Sober: Represented by a dark blue chip, reaching six months of sobriety demonstrates significant progress and stability in recovery.
Nine Months Sober: This milestone, marked with a purple chip, indicates continued dedication and is often a time for reflection on the journey so far.

Yearly Sobriety Milestones

Yearly milestones are major achievements that reflect long-term commitment and resilience:

One Year Sober: Marked with a bronze chip, celebrating one year of sobriety is a profound accomplishment often involving significant personal growth and lifestyle changes.
Two Years and Beyond: Subsequent yearly milestones are celebrated, often with less frequent but equally significant recognition. These anniversaries are powerful reminders of the progress made and the ongoing commitment to sobriety.

Specific Sobriety Milestones

While the above milestones are common across various types of addiction, some specific milestones may be particularly relevant depending on the substance or behavior:

Breaking physical dependency: For people recovering from substances with strong physical dependencies, such as opioids or alcohol, the point at which they are no longer physically dependent is a significant milestone worth celebrating.
First sober social event: Attending a social event without using substances can be a major personal milestone, particularly for those whose addiction was closely tied to social settings.
Rebuilding relationships: Mending relationships that were damaged by addiction is another significant milestone, reflecting personal growth and the rebuilding of trust.

Why is Celebrating Sobriety Milestones Important?

Sobriety milestones are tangible indicators of the hard work and dedication required to be free from addiction. They aid in providing structure for your journey and have measurable goals.

These milestones can help you break down the daunting task of long-term sobriety into manageable steps. Each milestone represents a victory over addiction, reinforcing your commitment to recovery and offering a sense of direction and purpose.

How Can Milestones Motivate and Encourage Recovery?

Sobriety milestones serve as powerful motivators for several reasons:

Boost motivation and self-confidence: Celebrating milestones reinforces positive behavior and achievements, reminding you of your progress and boosting your self-esteem. This positive reinforcement encourages you to continue.
Provide a sense of accomplishment: Each milestone, whether big or small, signifies a significant step forward. Recognizing these achievements provides a sense of accomplishment and pride, which can be incredibly motivating.
Help to stay on track: Milestones highlight the positive changes experienced and the benefits of maintaining a sober lifestyle, which can be particularly helpful in preventing relapse.
Remind you of how far you’ve come: Reflecting on milestones allows you to appreciate your progress and the challenges you have overcome. This reflection fosters gratitude and reinforces the importance of continuing the recovery journey.
Strengthen the support system: Celebrating milestones with loved ones helps build a strong support network. Involving family and friends in these celebrations fosters a sense of community and belonging, reducing feelings of isolation and providing additional motivation to stay sober.

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Ideas for Celebrating Sobriety Milestones

Here are some suggestions for celebrating your sobriety milestones:

1. Set a Personal Goal and Reward

One effective way to celebrate sobriety milestones is by setting personal goals and rewards. This could involve treating yourself to something special you’ve been wanting like getting a new book or gadget, a piece of jewelry or clothing, or a spa day or massage.

Setting goals gives you something to look forward to and rewards your hard work and dedication to staying sober.

2. Engage in Self-Care Activities

Self-care is vital in the recovery journey. Celebrating milestones by engaging in self-care activities can help reinforce the positive changes you’ve made.

Consider taking a relaxing bath, practicing yoga or meditation, or spending a day at the beach or in nature. These activities not only celebrate your progress but also contribute to your overall well-being.

3. Spend Time with Loved Ones

Celebrating with loved ones can strengthen your support system and provide emotional reinforcement. Some ideas include hosting a celebratory dinner or BBQ, visiting a favorite restaurant, or planning a fun outing like bowling or a movie night.

Involving friends and family in your celebrations can create lasting memories and deepen bonds.

4. Volunteer or Give Back to Your Community

Giving back to the community can be a fulfilling way to celebrate your milestones. It provides a sense of purpose and helps others on a similar journey.

Some activities to consider are volunteering at a local shelter or food bank, participating in community clean-up events, or mentoring someone who is new to recovery.

Volunteering not only celebrates your progress but also reinforces the positive impact of your sobriety.

5. Write in a Gratitude Journal

A gratitude journal can be a powerful tool in maintaining a positive outlook on your recovery journey. Celebrate your milestones by reflecting on your achievements and writing them down, documenting the support you’ve received from others, and noting the positive changes in your life since becoming sober.

6. Sharing Your Progress with Your Support Group or Sponsor

Sharing your achievements with your support group or sponsor can provide additional encouragement and motivation. You can:

Announce your milestone at a meeting
Share your story and progress with the group
Thank your sponsor and peers for their support

This not only celebrates your success but also inspires others in the group who are on their own recovery journeys.

What's Next?

What Is Rehab Like?
Why Call an Addiction Hotline?
How to Sober Up
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Get matched with an affordable mental health counselor

The Connection Between Addiction and Infidelity

Medically Reviewed by: Annamarie Coy

Essential Steps to Take After Drug Rehab

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How Does Palliative Care Work for Substance Abuse?

Relapse prevention: practical strategies for long-term addiction recovery, john mulaney’s rehab journey.

Medically Reviewed by: Elena

How Can Families Help? A Guide to Support for Loved Ones

“ Why Celebrating Addiction Recovery Milestones is Important? ” Bold Health, 2024.
“ Should We Celebrate Recovery Milestones? ” All Points North.
Keeley, L. “ Sobriety Milestones: Why Positive Reinforcement Is So Important? ” Ria Health, 2023.
“ Rebuilding Your Life and Finding Purpose After Addiction. ” Recovery Centers of America, 2023.
“ Why You Should Be Celebrating Sobriety Milestones? ” Tranformations Treatment Center, 2020.
“ How to Celebrate Sobriety Milestones? ” 7 Summit Pathways, 2022.
“ How to Celebrate a Loved One’s Sobriety Anniversary? ” FHE Health, 2021.
Baker, N. “ 5 Recovery Milestones You Should Definitely Celebrate. ” Sober, 2023.

The Connection Between Addiction and Infidelity How Can Addiction Lead to Infidelity? Addiction can severely strain...
Essential Steps to Take After Drug Rehab Going back to your day-to-day after a formal rehabilitation program...
How Does Palliative Care Work for Substance Abuse? When someone living with addiction has a life-threatening illness, their...
Relapse Prevention: Practical Strategies for Long-Term Addiction Recovery Getting over an addiction is difficult, but it can also...
John Mulaney’s Rehab Journey John Mulaney is a comedian and former host of Saturday...
How Can Families Help? A Guide to Support for Loved Ones It’s important to understand that addiction is a complex disease...

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109 Technology Addiction Statistics: 2020/2021 Data, Facts & Insights
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Essay On Addiction To Gadgets
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COMMENTS

Addictive use of digital devices in young children: Associations with
One area of research, which seeks to explore overall addiction to digital devices, encompassing various media (e.g. smartphones, tablets and laptops/PCs) and activities (e.g. gaming, social media), seems promising but is still in its infancy . Unlike the aforementioned strands of literature, research on overall digital addiction takes into ...
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Effects of Gadget Addiction. ... Figure 9: Illustration of apps for limiting gadget usage. Regulations. From our research on these topic regulations seems to have limited impact in helping reduce gadget addiction and usage. There have been multiple regulations, bans and reversals for usage of gadgets in schools. ...
Original research: Gadget addiction among school-going children and its
Similarly, previous research consisting of two systematic reviews and meta-analysis 2 14 confirm the increasing prevalence trend of gadget addiction over time in children and children. An Indian study among school-going children, where 57.55% were female, found that 10.69% of technology users were addicted, with 8.91% addicted solely to their ...
The effects of smartphone addiction on learning: A meta-analysis
Overall, Table 2 shows that smartphone addiction was associated with statistically significant effect sizes. Under the fixed-effect model, there was a statistically significant difference between the weighted mean correlation of the dissertation (r = −0.26) and journal (r = −0.06).The between-levels difference was statistically significant, Q B (1) = 27.65, p < .001, and findings showed ...
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Abstract. Background: Smartphones play a critical role in increasing human-machine interactions, with many advantages. However, the growing popularity of smartphone use has led to smartphone overuse and addiction. This review aims to systematically investigate the impact of smartphone addiction on health outcomes.
Smartphone Addictions: A Review of Themes, Theories and Future Research
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]. Abstract. This research work presents a literature review on. "Smartphone Add iction" (SA). Th e papers used for this. review were ...
Gadget addiction among school-going children and its ...
4 Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia. 5 Department of Medicine, Chittagong Medical College, ... 95% CI 0.3 to 0.7) between gadget addiction and cognitive function. In addition, the duration of breast feeding was a predictor of cognitive function as well. Conclusion: ...
Smartphone addiction in students: A qualitative examination of the
Background and aims: Smartphone use has increased markedly over the past decade and recent research has demonstrated that a small minority of users experience problematic consequences, which in extreme cases have been contextualized as an addiction. To date, most research have been quantitative and survey-based. This study qualitatively examined the components model of addiction for both ...
Prevalence and impact of the use of electronic gadgets on the health of
The ethical approval for this research was taken from the Ethical Review Committee of Chittagong Medical College (Memo no.-CMC/PG/2020/122). ... (eg, gaming, online classes, social media) have a formidable effect on becoming partial to the gadgets use or the internet addiction and showing apathetic behavior towards outdoor activities. 36.
Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time
Trevor Haynes is a research technician in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. For more information: Tips for building a healthier relationship with your phone; A list of stories from NPR about smartphone addiction; A high-level primer on dopamine and how it affects your brain, body, and mood
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Request an Appointment. 410-955-5000 Maryland. 727-767-8477 Florida. +1-410-502-7683 International. Find a Doctor. Jennifer Katzenstein, Ph.D., talks about why it's important to put limits on how often both you and your children use electronic devices.
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gadgets is posing a threat to the social infrastructure i n. the future. 1. Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently. abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished ...
(PDF) An Educational Study on Gadget Addiction and ...
10.4236/ce.2021.127112 Jul. 8, 20 21 1469 Creative Education. An Educational Study on Gadget Addiction. and Mental Health among Gen Z. Shahlan Surat 1*, Yamuna Devi Govindaraj, Shalinawati Ramli ...
Gadget addiction among school-going children and its association to
Similarly, previous research consisting of two systematic reviews and meta-analysis2 14 confirm the increasing prevalence trend of gadget addiction over time in children and children. An Indian study among school-going children, where 57.55% were female, found that 10.69% of technology users were addicted, with 8.91% addicted solely to their ...
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Get some well deserved rest with these tips for a good night's sleep. 1 of 12. CNN —. Addiction to smartphones will result in poor sleep, according to a new study. The study, published in ...
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Excessive use of smartphone paired with negative attitude and feeling of anxiety and dependency on gadgets may increase the risk of anxiety and depression (Rosen et al., 2013, Thomée ... A descriptive research suggested that internet addiction is similar to drug addiction except behavioral addiction (internet addiction) doesn't involve a ...
PDF The Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Academic Performance of ...
information on the gadget through electronic learning (e-learning), and mobile learning (m- learning) as well as they can learn or get any kind of knowledge on them (Ali et al., 2018). ... have consistent and complete research of whether Smartphone addiction is beneficial for the students or does it influences negatively on their Academic ...
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gadget addiction which may give negative consequences to many aspects, especially the students' achievement (Starcevic, 2019). Beside, this research result would be beneficial for educators to ... The research subject was Universitas PGRI Wiranegara from the English Education Study Program, Indonesian Language and Literature Study Program ...
Gadget Addiction and the Students' Achievement
The researchers collected data using a survey questionnaire on Google Form to determine how using gadgets affects the students' achievement. This research was done from August to December 2020. The results showed that both male and female students were identified as high-risk addicted. Moreover, the gadget addiction had terrible effects on the ...
Gadget Addiction and the Students' Achievement
This research was unique since it would discover gadget addiction and students' academic achievement during the period of pandemic covid 19 when people operate their gadgets in more many hours. Any educators should notice this research result because this could evaluate risks of gadget addiction which may give negative consequences to many ...
Smartphone addiction in students: A qualitative examination of the
First, much of the previous research into smartphone addiction has arguably been a-theoretical. The study utilized Griffiths' components model of behavioral addiction to frame the interview questions (both at initial screening level and for the main study) and thus aimed at testing the validity of this model. Second, the study interviewed ...
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This research paper investigates the psychological and physical impacts of cybersex addiction among children in Peninsular Malaysia. Utilising a quantitative approach, data was collected from 750 respondents aged 13 to 17, equally distributed across Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnicities.
Gadget Addiction and the Students' Achievement
Correlation Of Gadgets Addiction With Sleep Quality In 4th -6th Grade Students At Sdn 01 Srigading Lawang In 2019 Journal Community Medicine Public Health and Research Vol 1, No 2, 1(2), 80-88.
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In an "Industry Watch" research paper in the journal Tobacco Control, two scientists at the University of California, Riverside, raise the alarm on new electronic cigarette products equipped with touch screens, animated displays, and built-in games. Because the products are user friendly and attractive to youth, they may couple nicotine addiction with gaming disorder, the researchers caution.
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As of 2024, there are over 6.8 billion smartphone users in the world and within that population, 6.3% have a phone addiction. Research published by Virgin Mobile discovered that those billions of smartphone users receive 427% more messages and notifications than they did a decade ago. They also send 278% more texts. The rise in phone use seems ...
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We sometimes assume that shopping addiction is a less serious compulsive behavior, but, again, that isn't true. A 2021 study suggests nearly 20% of people living with a shopping-buying disorder ...
The Relationship between the Duration of Playing Gadget and Mental
Also, a day can be many times (more than 3 times usage) the use of gadgets with a duration of 30-75 minutes will cause addiction in the use of gadgets. Furthermore, the use of medium intensity gadgets if using a gadget with a duration of more than 40-60 minutes/day and intensity of use in one use 2-3 times/day for each use .
Celebrate Sobriety Milestones in Addiction Recovery
Getting sober is a huge accomplishment and sobriety milestones serve as significant markers in your path to overcoming addiction. They can be based on the time you have remained sober or reflect personal achievements like attending a social event sober or rebuilding a relationship damaged by addiction. Celebrating these wins is important because it shows […]

Gadget Addiction

Introduction

Life Without Gadgets

Life With Gadgets

Mobile Consumption Growth Trend

Mobile App Usage Statistics

The Invisible Problem

The Science of Addiction

Effects of Gadget Addiction

Mental and Emotional Health

Physical Health

Human Behavior

How is society responding?

Apple Investor's Open Letter

The Center for Humane Technology

How is the industry responding?

Device Makers

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Other Addiction Paradigms

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