IAD, the New Threat
Albert Einstein once said,“I fear that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of fools.” Among the greatest addictions that humans face nowadays, internet addiction is reaching the top ten among tobacco, gambling, and alcohol. What has become an indispensable need in everyone’s life, has also become the reason for the destruction of many others. Experts now recognize internet addiction, which has also been recorded as a serious diagnosable disorder by doctors, as a serious problem affecting in a wide range the behaviours of people of all ages. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is highly present in today’s teenagers, affecting their ability to concentrate on one task, their academic lives, and most importantly their socializing skills.
When was the last time you have seen a teen doing something without holding a phone in his or her hands? The constant urge to be informed about the digital world or simply investing countless hours just by scrolling through Instagram, already clear signs of the presence of a form of an addiction, have influenced our brain’s capability to be able to concentrate on one single task. This constant multitasking hinders the brain from performing one single task with full concentration.This behavior mostly affects the activity of young people’s brains, influencing also their performances in doing their homework. In fact, countless teens have admitted to using social media or looking at a screen while doing their homework, without even recognizing the harm that they are inflicting on themselves. (Joyce)
This brings us to the second way how the internet is shaping teenager’s lives: their conduct in school. The perpetual sounds and buzzes of notifications that one receives is a main source of distraction. Based on some recent studies, one average teenager living in the United States receives and sends an average of 1500 texts per month. (Lenhart) Most teens, including myself, use their devices even during their bedtime, drastically influencing their productivity the following day at school. (Mazzola) Every teenager should reach a total of ten hours of sleep per day, though because of bedtime texting, those ten hours may become eight, then six, or even five. This brings fatigue and continuous headaches the following days, hence affecting their scholastic lives.
The last and most influential impact that this addiction has on these young people’s lives is their behaviours towards others. Almost every teen in America has access to a device, which could be a computer, game console, smartphone, or tablet. This obviously also facilitates their ways of reaching out to the vast world of the internet. (Mazzola) Instead of living in the present world, many teens find comfort and seek an escape in the virtual one. This is one of the main reasons that initiates the process of developing this type of addiction. Growing up with the presence of such devices has also impacted their lives. Conversations can be done nowadays while facing a screen, and whenever in need of information, all you need to do is type and click. This has brought a greater form of isolation among teenagers and the world outside, together with the lack of knowledge of how to handle certain things, such as feelings, when found in a specific situation. Therefore, internet addiction has developed some behavioural aspects that will accompany that person for his or her entire life.
As with every addiction, teens can recover from and control IAD. We should not see the internet as a frightening thing, because it is one of the greatest advances in human history. However, what one should learn is how to manage it properly and in a smart way in order to fully enjoy this technology.
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