Dependence on gadgets

2024: Internet addicts have 'brain chemical'

Young people with internet addiction may experience chemical changes in the brain. This is stated in a study by British scientists from University College London, the results of which were published on June 5, 2024.

Internet addiction is defined as a person's inability to resist the desire to use the World Wide Web. This negatively affects psychological well-being, as well as social relationships and careers. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to analyze the interaction of different brain regions with each other. At the same time, the condition of young people was assessed both during rest and in the process of performing any tasks.

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It turned out that the consequences of Internet addiction are manifested in many neural networks in the brains of adolescents. In particular, increased activity of certain areas during rest was detected. At the same time, there was a general decrease in the functional connectivity of the brain areas involved in active thought activity. This negatively affects memory and decision-making ability. In general, it is argued that internet addiction can provoke changes related to intellectual abilities, physical coordination, mental health and general condition. It can be difficult for teenagers to maintain relationships and social activity. Other negative consequences are irregular eating and poor sleep.

Adolescence is a crucial stage of development, during which people undergo significant changes in their biology and personality. As a result, during this period, the brain is especially vulnerable to changes that can be associated with Internet addiction, says Max Chang, lead author of the study.[1]

2020

In the Japanese city, they are fined for using smartphones when walking

In early July 2020, Yamato became the first Japanese city to prohibit pedestrians from using smartphones on the go in public places. Read more here.

Smartphone addiction physically changes a person's brain

At the end of February 2020, an article was published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the authors of which claim that dependence on smartphones physically changes the human brain. According to this paper, researchers used MRI machines to screen people with smartphone addiction and found physical brain changes similar to those seen in addicts.

The study was conducted with 48 patients, 22 of whom were classified as smartphone dependent. Researchers from the University of Heidelberg claim that these people had a smaller volume of gray matter in the islet and temporal cortex, as well as a decrease in the activity of the dormancy of the anterior cingulate gyrus of the cortex. At the same time, the volume and activity of the anterior cingulate gyrus of the cerebral cortex were associated with the severity of dependence.

The journal Addictive Behaviors published an article, the authors of which argue that dependence on smartphones physically changes the human brain

Given the widespread use and growing popularity of smartphones, the present study questions their harmlessness, at least in people who may be at increased risk of developing smartphone-related addiction.

The term "smartphone addiction" was introduced relatively recently to describe addictive behaviors and related physical and psychosocial disorders. Some users simply cannot do without their phones even within 5 minutes. This study provides the first evidence of a clear correlation between brain structure and function and behavioral dependence in individuals meeting psychometric criteria for this disease.

The findings are reasonably concerning, and many companies, such as Apple and Google, are already implementing features in their phones and operating systems that should reduce their use time.^[2]

2019: WHO officially classifies gambling addiction as diseases

At the end of May 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially classified the dependence on computer games as diseases and introduced it into the updated edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which also includes gambling, alcoholism and drug addiction.

According to the new criteria, a person is considered sick if games negatively and permanently affect his life, but he does nothing about it. For gamers, games are ahead of other life interests, and also cause violations in family, social, educational, professional or other areas of life.

WHO approves new disease - "gaming disorder"

Another negative aspect of gambling, experts called poor control over game time, as well as the priority of games even after negative consequences arise. To make a diagnosis, symptoms must persist for a year, but it can be delivered earlier, depending on their severity.

WHO mental health and substance abuse expert Shehar Saxena told NBC News that gambling addiction is rare and only diagnosed after months of prolonged play.

The new version of the ICD will enter into force only in 2022. The gaming industry has asked the WHO to review the criteria, indicating that the existence of a "gaming disorder" is not supported by enough evidence to contribute it to one of the World Health Organization's most important tools.

In the organization for the protection of mental health , Take This is dissatisfied with the archaic equation of gambling addiction with substance dependence: according to some studies, it is rather like attention deficit disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder, which means that treatment according to addiction schemes is fundamentally wrong and even dangerous.^[3] 

2018: Bill Gates restricts kids from using smartphones

Representatives of the technological elite, USA as a rule, show amazing severity to their children in the use of gadgets, and there are good reasons for this, Business Insider reported in January 2018.

In an interview with the British publication Mirror in April 2017, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he did not allow his two daughters and son to use mobile phones until the children were 14 years old. According to the billionaire, children complained about the restrictions, but no arguments forced him to soften his policy on gadgets. Also in Gates' house, smartphones are banned at the dinner table and at bedtime.^[4]

Gates is far from alone in his approach: in an interview with The New York Times in 2011, the legendary head of Apple, Steve Jobs, admitted that he did not allow his children to use apple products at home.

Bill Gates with daughter Phoebe Adele Gates

What is known to the richest top managers of technology companies about their products, what ordinary consumers do not know? - asked teachers with experience Joe Clement and Matt Miles, who in October 2017 released a book called "Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse is Making Our Kids Dumber." In it, the authors told how the dominance of technology dulls modern schoolchildren.

Digital technology causes dangerous addiction and addiction. More and more data testify to the harm caused to the fledgling children's psyche by excessive fascination with smartphones, computer games and social networks.

In November 2017, in an interview with Axios, Napster and Facebook co-founder Sean Parker acknowledged the detrimental impact of the social network, noting that Facebook affects relationships with society and each other, and also fatally affects productivity.

God alone knows what social networks do with the brains of our children, "Parker said.

In early January 2018, two major Apple investors issued an open letter to the corporation expressing concern about the impact of smartphones on children's health.

2017

WHO officially called gaming addiction a mental disorder

At the end of December 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it was going to include gaming addiction in the International Classification of Diseases. This widely used diagnostic guide was last updated in 1990, and a new version - MKB-11 - will be published in 2018.

The wording of the article on gaming addiction, which will be included in the MKB-11, has not yet been completed, but the draft already lists the criteria that can be used by doctors to determine the cause of the disease.

Dependence on computer games will be officially included in the list of diseases

Gaming dependence is characterized by a constant or regular need for video games that can be played online (that is, via the Internet) or locally. This need is manifested in the following:

• insufficient control over game behavior (e.g., inability to control the frequency and duration of game sessions);
• the game takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities;
• continuation or escalation of participation in games, despite its negative impact on a person's life.

This pattern of behavior has quite serious consequences, since it destroys personal, family, social, educational, professional or other important areas of a person's life. To establish a diagnosis, symptoms must manifest for 12 months or more, however, if all diagnostic criteria and severity of symptoms are met, waiting times can be reduced, the WHO reported.

Allen Frances of Duke University in North Carolina warns that introducing gambling addiction to the list of official disorders can lead to the misdiagnosis of addicted but healthy people. It is worth noting that WHO rejected other violations, such as smartphone and Internet addiction, saying that "there is no evidence of such diseases."^[5]

Brain chemistry imbalance: MRS study

On November 30, 2017, scientific evidence was presented that dependence on smartphones and the Internet could cause an imbalance in brain chemistry.

Test results showed that adolescents with addiction have a much greater predisposition to depression, anxiety disorder, severe insomnia, impulsivity.

A group of scientists from Korea University in Seoul used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to compare the brains of smartphone and Internet-dependent teenagers and a control group of those who do not have similar dependencies. The researchers found that the ratio of gamma-aminobutyric acid neurotransmitter GABA (GABA) to glutamate-glutamine neurotransmitter (Glx) was significantly higher in the anterior cingulate cortex of adolescents with Internet and smartphone addictions than in healthy control subjects. GABA inhibits or slows down brain signals, while Glx causes neurons to become more electrically excitable.

Smartphone addiction causes imbalance in brain chemistry

Elevated GABA levels and a broken balance between GABA and glutamate in the anterior cingulate cortex may contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of addictions, the scientists said.

19 young people participated in the research project (the average age of the participants in the experiment was 15.5 years; 9 participants - men) with diagnosed Internet or smartphone addiction. The control group of non-addicted participants consisted of adolescents of the same age and sex. Of the addicted adolescents, 12 people underwent a 9-week cognitive behavioral therapy, the program of which was modified from a similar cognitive therapy program for gaming addiction.

The severity of addiction was determined using standardized tests for Internet and smartphone addictions, containing questions aimed at finding out to what extent the use of the Internet and smartphone affects everyday and social life, productivity, sleep, feelings.

The researchers then performed magnetic resonance spectroscopy, measuring GABA and Glx levels in the control group and in addicted teenagers before and after they underwent behavioral therapy. According to previous studies, GABA has an effect on vision and motor regulation, and is also involved in the regulation of various brain functions, such as anxiety. Too high levels of GABA can cause side effects such as drowsiness and anxiety disorder.

Compared to a healthy control group, adolescents with Internet and smartphone dependence had a significantly higher ratio of GABA and Glx in the anterior cingulate cortex before undergoing therapy. According to the researchers, the ratios of GABA and creatine, and GABA and glutamate significantly correlate with the clinical scales of Internet and smartphone addiction, depression, anxiety disorder.

Researchers present scientific confirmation that dependence on smartphones and the Internet can cause an imbalance in brain chemistry

More research will be needed to fully understand the clinical implications of the findings, however, according to one University of Seoul scientist, increased GABA may be associated with a functional loss of integration and regulation of processing in the cognitive and emotional neural network. The positive result of the study was that the ratio of GABA and Glx in dependent adolescents significantly decreased or even normalized after cognitive behavioral therapy.^[6]

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