Alert, Psychiatrists Express The Impact Of Gadget Addiction Similar To Drug Effects
JAKARTA - Technological advances have a positive and negative impact on human life. One of them is the negative impact of addiction to the use of gadgets that are not good for the health of the body.
Psychiatrist Dr. Catherine Carney said that the number of people addicted to gadgets and the internet is increasing. Addiction to this has a further impact similar to the effects of drug use.
"In the UK, the increase in the number of people who are addicted to digital or technologically is very dramatic. The dopamine hormones released by the body due to gadgets and the internet have almost the same effect as drugs," he said, quoted from Express, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
A person who is addicted to using a gadget is caused by their activities on the device. Starting from using social media, shopping sites, to dating applications.
Tech addiction can involve a lot of activity, all sourced from excessive device usage. It can be for dating apps, shopping sites, or just checking emails," he added.
Carney said the problem of addiction to technology is experienced by many young people, especially in their teens. The number of those who are addicted has also increased dramatically during the pandemic.
SEE ALSO:
"It is true that the most users are young people, especially teenagers. Research found that 20 to 25 percent of teenagers showed symptoms of problems with internet use or technology addiction, double compared to 2018, and the number had increased dramatically during the pandemic," he explained.
Therefore, Carney appealed to the public to set limits on the time and activity of what to do using gadgets, to avoid addiction. He reminded that the impact of gadget addiction can be like a drug effect because it has almost the same symptoms.
Just like other addictive substances, which make you happy such as alcohol and drugs. Addiction can make the need for the source of the happy maker continue to increase in order to reach a greater level or pleasure," he concluded.