Technology Addiction Can Take Over Your Life | Technologyme

Technology is strengthening its place in our lives every day. Excessive use of mobile devices, video games, the internet, and computers leads to a kind of impulse control disorder, allowing people to live a technology-dependent life.

Technology Addiction Can Take Over Your Life

Isolating everyday life from internet and technology is not as easy as it used to be. A virtual world has been established as a result of the expansion of the use of the Internet and the accessibility of almost the majority of the world. Although using the internet and using technology does not make us addicted, its excessive use can bring a lot of physical and mental harm. We can list the types of technology addiction as follows;

• Content consumption addiction
• Shopping addiction
• Social media addiction
• Game addiction

Technology Addiction Causes

Technology addiction has many reasons in itself. We can list the reasons for this situation, which is especially seen in children and young people, as follows:

• Expression of Other Addictions: Technology addiction can be triggered as a result of existing addictions changing shape or adapting to the new world. For example, a person who was previously addicted to shopping may become dependent on technology after spending more time on the internet.
• Shyness and Social Anxiety: Shy people who have problems in their social relationships and have communication problems can take shelter on the internet to have a new life. Thanks to the internet and technological devices, they get the chance to communicate by being in an environment where they trust them more, without the need for face-to-face communication. People can express themselves more clearly on these platforms.
• Depression: In some cases, depression can cause a person to move away from normal life and take refuge in the internet and technology called the social world. The diversity in the internet environment, the opportunity to have fun and the comfort help to forget the sadness, even for a short time. Using the internet and technology to avoid problems turns into addiction over time.
• Friend Effect: The majority of people take their friends or people around as role models. People who want to prove themselves on social platforms spend more time with technology to be stronger.

The Harms of Technology Addiction

Technology addiction can affect people both physically and emotionally. These effects can cause great changes in a person’s social life. The emotional damages of technology addiction are as follows;

• Inability to do routine work
• Feeling lonely
• Fear
• Sudden mood changes
• Suspending and delaying responsibilities
• Getting bored while performing tasks such as work and school
• Extreme defensiveness
• Don’t lose the concept of time
• Isolation from the outside world and social life
• Being unable to prioritize
• Anxiety
• A feeling of guilt
• Depression

The physical harms of technology addiction are listed as follows;

• Excessive weight loss or obesity
• Dry eyes and other eye problems
• Neck pains
• Not caring about personal care and hygiene
• Unhealthy eating
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Back pain

How Is Technology Addiction Treated?

Technology addiction is more common in children and young people. The presence of technology addiction in family members leads people to seek answers to the question of what happens if technology addiction is not treated. The following methods are used for the treatment of technology addiction;

• Reality therapy
• Recreation therapy
• Art therapy
• At coated (hypotherapy)
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavior therapy
• Change behavior
• Personal or group therapy

Today 1 in 4 people known to be a technology addict. If technology addiction is not treated, people enter a physically and mentally devastating process. In this process, they try to establish a new order in the internet, which is called the social world, by excluding themselves from social life. In the later stages, it is seen that these people are disconnected from social life, cannot control their behavior and move away from people. If the use of technology affects social life and changes are observed, the psychiatry department of child psychiatry hospitals or hospitals should be consulted.