Digital addiction in children and teens is becoming a significant problem in modern society. Technology is everywhere, and it’s easy to get carried away. Trying to pry a teen away from their smart phone is a lot like trying to give a cat a bath: The claws will come out, there is bound to be a lot of screeching and some blood shed, and things aren’t likely to end well. But how do you know if your youngster has crossed the line between a love of technology and digital addiction? Where does an enjoyable and functional habit end and addictive behavior begin?
Kids today are growing up in a digital world where technology is an intractible aspect of their everyday life, and a lot of the hype over digital addiction is more about the concerns of anxious adults who find these changes discomforting than it is the actual behavior of children. That said, more and more young people are showing all the signs of digital addiction: sleeping with their phones, a high rate of anxiety or even outright rage when separated from technology, and an excessive amount of time spent on digital platforms, to the point that it’s adversely affecting the rest of their life. As Nicholas Kardaras states, “Such teens have a lot in common with compulsive gamblers, including lost sleep because of the activity, problems cutting back and a tendency to lie to cover up the amount of time they spend doing it.” (Kardaras, 2016, p. 67)
Children addicted to social media, video games, and other online platforms
- What Is Digital Addiction?
- Digital Addiction Facts & Statistics
- Signs & Symptoms of Digital Addiction