Our lives revolve around technology and the Internet more than ever. From attending classes to staying in touch with the happenings around. But did you know that technology addiction or tech addiction is a real and serious problem, especially in teens?
When I say addiction, what’s the first thing that springs to mind? Drugs, alcohol, caffeine? Well, addiction is more than just substance dependency. Being so consumed in our daily lives, we’ve become addicted to the use of technology and the Internet.
Teens these days, especially in the last two years, have not only been struggling with adjusting to their school schedules but are also struggling with creating the right technology balance. Being online for teens and youths means scrolling through their social media, watching YouTube videos, reading online articles, and more.
Do you Know?
Over 30% of individuals with smartphone addiction also experience symptoms of depression. Additionally, teenagers spending more than four hours daily on their phones are significantly more prone to mental health issues.
As the Internet and technical advancements keep happening, the increase in tech addiction also keeps increasing. Let’s take a look at how technology addiction in teens is increasing and how to help them.
Is Tech Addiction Real? Why is it a Growing Concern?
Yes, technology addiction is real. As a type of behavioral addiction, tech addiction is when one becomes too dependent on technology and, subsequently, the Internet. Tech addiction is becoming more and more common in teens as they transition from offline to online advances.
Some common examples of tech addiction include video game addiction, online gaming addiction, phone addiction, etc.
Even though it is becoming a dangerous behavioral problem, tech addiction or Internet addiction is not yet recognized as an official disorder.
In teens, tech addiction can be triggered by anxiety, stress, and day-to-day mental and emotional distress. Let’s take a brief look at what technology addiction in teens looks like.
In Our Expert Opinion:
Dr. James Sherer, a psychiatrist, emphasizes the importance of parents setting boundaries and monitoring their children’s technology use. He suggests creating a family media plan and locking up devices at night to help manage screen time effectively.
Technology Addiction In Teens: Causes and Risks
Many teens use technology as a coping mechanism. Social media and Internet addiction are slowly becoming a part of teen culture in North America, Europe, and Asia. Tech addiction may be difficult to diagnose in teens so here are some signs to help you understand if your teen (or you) have a tech addiction:
- Hiding how long they are online
- Putting their tech devices (and Internet) before other interests
- Avoiding spending time with friends and engaging in social activities
- Ignoring personal hygiene
- Feeling irritable and unhappy without their devices
- Wanting (and demanding) more time on their devices
While we’ve all become used to and constantly depend on technology for our daily tasks, there are some risks related to tech addiction we can’t ignore. In teens, technology addiction can cause many mental and physical issues such as cyberbullying.
Other risks can include:
- The lack of personal and social relationships
- Getting poor grades or performance at school
- The lack of social skills
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as anger, tension, and depression
- Poor overall health due to lack of physical exercise
Teens don’t know how to deal with loneliness, unhappiness, and boredom. So to avoid those feelings, they spend long hours in front of the screens. These hours spent with their tech devices can also be one of the reasons for the increased lack of impulse control, depression, and anxiety in teens.
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Below, let’s see how mindfulness practices can help reduce technology addiction in teens and increase their ability to stay in the present, increase their self-compassion, and help them deal with unpleasant emotions.
How To Reduce Technology Addiction In Teens?
Using mindfulness as a tool, let’s see how we can help stop or reduce technology addiction in teens:
1. Pay Attention To Thoughts
When you pay attention to your thoughts, you understand the intention behind your addiction. What is going to happen when you continue this behavior? You need to understand that the impulses created are temporary and you don’t have to act on them. You can practice this as a parent or teen by trying a body scan meditation.
Just hold your device in your hands, keep your attention open, and check your impulse to open notifications. Explore what kind of feelings this brings to your body. See what apps hold your attention the most? What’s the intention behind clicking them open?
2. Less Focus On Perfectionism
We want everyone to love us and admire us. To do that, many teens use social media as a tool for external validation. As teens, you need to understand that using technology to gain external validation is pointless. You need to realize that social media just intensifies judgment and perfectionism.
To focus less on perfectionism and external validation (and stop tech addiction), as a parent, you can sit down with your teen and discuss perfectionism and how it affects one’s health, discuss how tech firms may profit from teens’ poor mental health (including body shaming), and you could help your teen practice self-compassion by repeating phrases such as
“It’s OK if I am not perfect. It’s OK if I make mistakes.”
3. Let Nature Nurture
While I agree that technology has made our lives easier, we can’t ignore the fact that technology also seems to take away our relationships with others. What you need to see is the magic of nature and focus on real-life more than screen life. Understand that being present in the moment means accepting the real world.
As parents or teachers, you can get your teens to spend a day in nature and be physically present with others. Teens are missing out on sensory experiences of how relationships in the real world work. To help them get in touch with their real-world, spending time in nature can be a good mindfulness practice.
You May Like This Also: What Is Nature Therapy? | Types and Benefits
4. Trying Experiential Therapy
Another way to help teens with tech addiction is to get them hands-on therapeutic cum mindfulness experience. One of the best ways to incorporate therapy and mindfulness is through experiential therapy. Using guided imagery, animal-assisted therapy, arts and crafts, psychodrama, etc can help them reduce their tech addiction as well.
As parents and teens, you can connect with a professional therapist to help you understand how therapy can help with technology addiction.
Teens with mindfulness traits can fare better than others in maintaining the right balance and can learn how to make thoughtful decisions than going with impulses.
Remember, impulses drive addiction and impulses are impermanent. Once you realize this and once you become more aware of your feelings in the real world instead of turning to your tech and the Internet for coping, you’ll become a more capable and mentally strong person.
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