Technology Addiction During the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many changes to the lives of adults, teens, and children alike. One of the most prominent changes involves how we communicate, socialize one-on-one and in groups, and entertain ourselves when many of the usual activities are forbidden.

Technology addiction rates have skyrocketed due to the pandemic. When screen time provides an escape from the social distancing difficulties, it makes sense that more people are turning to their electronic devices for a distraction than ever before. Of course, some of the increase is due to working at home and distance education practices. The increasing percentages are not only about wasting time behind a glowing screen.

How Much Has Screen Time Increased?

According to Nielsen data gathering and estimation, 2020 and beyond have shown that people use technology around three hours more than they did before the pandemic hit. The numbers show 13.5 hours per day for adults in the United States. An extensive study of more than 6,000 people in China showed an increase of 46.8 percent for Internet usage. Rather than simply reporting the numbers, this study associated screen time with addictive behaviors like smoking and drinking alcohol.

What is Technology Addiction?

Just because you use the Internet more often than before does not mean you have an addiction problem. For example, if the pandemic has forced you to work from home, logging on to your company's platform is not a compulsive behavior. It is just about doing your job. Texting friends more frequently rather than meeting up face-to-face has similar distinctions.

Technology use becomes addictive in the same way that alcohol or drugs affect your life. It requires an obsessive connection that gets in the way of other activities and behaviors. Technology addiction involves an over-dependence from an emotional standpoint and not just a practical one. 

How the Pandemic Contributes to Tech Addiction

A large part of this growing problem has to do with accessibility to other options. When companies shut down and social distancing becomes the norm, people need a way to communicate and entertain themselves. The Internet, video games, and texting communication with friends provide the necessary outlets. They also provide a distraction from the world’s serious problems and a true sense of escapism that keeps the feel-good chemicals in the brain flowing.

A large part of any addiction has to do with compensating for other issues. People feel more alone, anxious, and depressed due to Covid 19 and its effects on the world. It becomes very easy to ignore all that for a while by playing a computer game with friends or scrolling through jokes and memes on social media.

You cannot stop using technology completely to overcome addictive behavior. This is especially true during the pandemic when you may have to work or attend school from home and communicate with friends and families only through texts or phone calls. However, you can limit the risk of tech addiction by fitting other activities into your everyday schedule. Take a walk around the block, play with your dog in the backyard, or engage in a craft activity without any electronics involved.

The pandemic presents many challenges. It is possible to prevent technology addiction from becoming a serious one.