Research + News | Topic: Addiction

Parents Are Losing Their Kids To Video Games

From the Growing Leaders blog:

“A recent article on the Fortnite epidemic found that alarmed doctors are now treating Fortnite-obsessed kids for mental and physical health problems; including everything from “carpal tunnel to sedentary obesity.” Dr. Kate Roberts, a psychologist from Wenham, Massachusetts found that the most disturbing part of the addictive trend is how it changes young kids’ behavior.”

Read the rest of the blog post here.

I Ditched My Phone, Moved To Nepal, And It Changed My Life

Culture shock can be an instigator of change. Read the blog post here.

Less Tech = Fewer Regrets

“In a tech-ubiquitous world, I fear our reality is becoming more ‘tech’ and less ‘world.'”  But how do you fight that? Read the rest of the article here.

Study Looks At Whether Teens Are Getting High On Social Media

In a groundbreaking study, a University of California San Diego psychiatrist is investigating whether social media affects the adolescent brain in the same way as cannabis. Read the article here.

Scientists Link Selfies To Narcissism, Addiction & Mental Illness

The growing trend of taking smartphone selfies is linked to mental health conditions that focus on a person’s obsession with looks. Read the rest of the article here.

Digital Media Is ‘Like Cocaine’ For Babies’ Developing Brains

Some doctors refer to behaviors resulting from overexposure to digital devices as “virtual autism.” Read the article here.

Teens And Their Smartphones: Too Much Of A Not-Always-Good Thing?

Many teens regard their cohort’s smartphone usage as an ‘addiction.’ Read the rest of the article here.

‘Pocket Slot Machines’: Smartphone Apps Turn Users Into Addicts, Says Google Study

Research from two Google employees found that the “trigger, action, reward” design of popular apps has conditioned mobile phone owners to the extent that they feel “phantom” cues in which they imagine they have received a message even if the phone has not issued an alert. Read the article here.

The Average Child Spends Just 7 Hours A Week Outside, But More Than Twice That Playing Video Games Inside

The survey also found that 40 percent of parents have to force their children to leave the house in order to spend time outdoors. Read the article here.

This Is What Happens When You Take Phones Away From Teenagers

Parents are trying to limit the amount of time their teens spend on their phones, with mixed results. Read the article here.