Compulsive Use
There is a basic rule of thumb to help people evaluate whether they are addicted to technology: If it’s creating problems in important areas of your life, you might want to seek help. Areas to examine include close relationships, job or school performance, and financial wellbeing. “If it’s not impacting any of those things, then it’s very unlikely that the issue has progressed to the point that it’s a compulsion or addiction, ” says Dr. David Greenfield, founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School Medicine. So being addicted is a special level of dependency, but even people who aren’t addicted aren’t in the clear either. Greenfield says research he has done has showed that the average person does overuse their smartphone, and that only 20 percent of the time we spend on them is strictly productive.
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