Screen Addiction Evaluation
How can you identify if you or a loved one has a screen addiction? As screen use has increasingly become a requirement for work, school, and social interactions, we are all more vulnerable to move from frequent to chronic and even obsessive screen use. Most of us check our phone every 15 minutes whether or not we receive an alert (1)! On average we tend to use our screens a little over 7 hours daily in the US (2). Length of use does not indicate addiction in and of itself. But rather, the combination of frequent and extensive use along with a cluster of symptoms and impairment in functioning over time can add up to addictive screen use. For a self-evaluation answer the following questions:
Does your screen use negatively impact any area of your life?
Example: Is a family member or authority figure frequently upset with your screen use?
Do you sometimes use your screen longer than you intended?
Do you ever feel irritable or anxious when you are unable to access your screen?
Have you ever unsuccessfully attempted to limit or stop using your screen?
Do you ever miss out on other important activities because you are onscreen?
Example: Do you ever spend too much time in digital entertainment when you should be working, paying attention in school, or participating in family activities/conversations?
Do you ever continue to use your screen despite the negative effect it has on you?
Example: Do you stay onscreen late into the night even when you are exhausted, irritable and sleep deprived?
Do you ever feel like you cannot stop wondering what’s happening online when you are offline?
The severity of an addiction is determined by the number of symptoms you experience and the length of time you have been experiencing them.
Steps to breaking addiction involve:
Acknowledging problematic use;
Sharing that confession with a trusted peer; and
Actively working to reduce screen use back to a manageable level.
Please share your reaction to the self-evaluation in the comments below and share the article with a family member or friend.
References
Tzu Tsun Luk, Man Ping Wang, Chen Shen, Alice Wan, Pui Hing Chau, John Oliffe, Kasisomayajula Viswanath, Sophia Siu-Chee Chan, Tai Hing Lam. Short version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale in Chinese adults: Psychometric properties, sociodemographic, and health behavioral correlates. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, Budapest, Hungary. 7(4), 1157–1165. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.105.
Kemp, S. Digital 2023 April Global Statshot. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-april-global-statshot
