The dangers of technology and digital addiction

Digital addiction is a problem increasingly common in our modern World. A digital addict is someone who is excessively preoccupied and absorbed in technology and use of the internet. Digital addiction is now treated as a mental disorder; a mental illness is when people behave in strange ways and cannot lead a normal life, but it does not always change the way the brain works.

There are rehabilitation programs to be "cured" from digital addiction in the USA, China, Japan and other countries. These programs usually involve outdoor activities in which participants can "detoxify" (remove themselves from the internet). For example, the reStart Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Washington (USA) works with people who have Internet and gaming addiction problems. It offers group therapy, individual sessions, physical and nutritional education, counselling, family coaching and outdoor activities.

The American Psychiatric Association has not yet listed internet addiction as a legitimate mental disorder, but the 2013 edition of the DSM-V cites digital addiction disorder as a problem that needs to be further researched. Other countries have greater concerns about digital addiction. The South Korean government has opened around 200 treatment centres and China has over 300 treatment centres dedicated to internet addiction.

In a shocking case in 2010, a couple addicted to online gaming let their baby of 3 months die because they forgot to feed her. Kim Jae-beom and his wife Kim Yung-jeong would leave their baby at home and go to the internet café for 10 hour gaming sessions. In South Korea, an estimated 2 million people are addicted to online gaming. There are many documentaries being made that highlight this problem, such as "Web junkie" on PBS which highlights the addiction problem in China and "Love Child", an HBO documentary explaining the story of baby Sarang who died at 3 months old, neglected by her parents addicted to online games such as Prius in South Korea.

There is little research to suggest whether excessive use of technology does rewire the brains of children and the youth creating compulsive bad habits or if it is virtually harmless. What is immediately obvious, is the effect it has on relationships and families, our health and our performance and work and school.

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