Research shows that children addicted to technology, including smartphones, are at greater risk of psychosis
- Researchers also warned against forcing addicted youth to go ‘cold turkey’
Research shows that children addicted to smartphones, iPads and video games are more likely to suffer from psychotic episodes later in life.
Scientists found that smartphone and social media use during adolescence is linked to paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and “bizarre ideas” by the time a person turns 23.
But researchers said the technology itself may not actually be the cause of the problem and that a child’s addiction to the devices could be a warning sign that they are already vulnerable to mental illness.
The Canadian team behind the study wrote in the journal JAMA Psychiatry: ‘Higher media use and mental health problems appear to share risk factors, such as parental mental health problems, loneliness, bullying and relationship problems between parents and children.’
Researchers advised doctors to consider why a gadget-addicted young person suffering from psychotic experiences became addicted in the first place, before blaming the technology (stock photo)
A child’s addiction to the devices could be a warning sign that they are already vulnerable to mental illness (stock image)
The researchers also warned that forcing addicted youth to go ‘cold turkey’ by abruptly cutting off screen time may not help and could even be more harmful.
The study looked at the media habits and psychotic experiences of 2,120 Canadians born in 1997 and 1998. It found that those who drastically reduced their computer use in adulthood were still more likely to have psychotic experiences, even after other personal experiences were taken into account.
It was also said that internet use is more strongly associated with depression than video games or television viewing. Meanwhile, gaming may support emotional regulation and social skills development more than ‘passive’ forms of technology such as TV.
The researchers advised doctors to consider why a gadget-addicted young person suffering from psychotic experiences became addicted in the first place, before blaming the technology.
Dr. Simona Skripkauskaite, from the University of Oxford, said: ‘High use of digital technology in adolescence may be an early marker, rather than a cause, of later mental health problems.’
He added that experts are “moving away” from seeing digital technology as a “cause of all contemporary problems”: “Pre-existing personal conditions often underlie both increased media use and mental health problems.”
Earlier this year, the Millennium Cohort Study, which followed 18,000 families, found that almost half of British teenagers feel addicted to social media.
And recent research by King’s College London concluded that one in three people meet the criteria for clinical smartphone addiction. Addicts may lose control over how long they spend on their phones, become upset when they lose access to their devices, and neglect other, more meaningful parts of their lives.