Do tech firms make technology to be addictive for children? (Main points)

Here is a detailed answer to the question Do tech firms make technology to be addictive for children? We examine the role that technology corporations play in addiction as personal technology and social media platforms expand in our personal and professional lives. The word “technology addiction” is a generalization that refers to frequent and compulsive use of the internet, smartphones, games, and social media.

In contrast to substance addiction, the technology addiction is sometimes viewed as a lesser evil with just behavioural signs and no physical ones. Recent studies, however, indicate that excessive technology use has a detrimental effect on mental health and development, particularly in children and teenagers.

Despite growing interest in the subject, there is no clear empirical evidence available, and doctors disagree on how to diagnose internet addiction.

For the sake of this article, we focus on the role played by technology corporations and their response to obsessive use of their products and services, even while we appreciate the advantages of technology and think that users’ responsibility is crucial.

Do tech firms make technology to be addictive for children?

Yes! The use of technology can lead to addiction and mental health problems like depression and anxiety. Additionally, it can reduce self-confidence, life happiness, and self-confidence. Social media and game addiction in kids often result in tension, difficulty calming, and insomnia.

How are tech companies addressing the issue?

In an open note to the company’s board of directors, two large investors, Jana Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, requested support from Apple for initiatives to address children’s phone addiction earlier this year.

This is probably what prompted Apple to act. Apple responded by releasing features in its new iOS 12 operating system designed to educate and empower people to manage their smartphone usage better.

These tools also include parental controls that enable parents to better monitor and regulate their children’s phone use.

A complete breakdown of how much time users spend with each app, how frequently they pick up their phone, and how many alerts they have gotten from each app is provided via the activity dashboard called Screen Time. You can set daily limitations, and when you hit them, the app will lock.

Although the lock is simple to get through, it serves more as a warning that you have surpassed your limit than as a practical obstacle. However, parents can impose strict restrictions on their children’s phones, preventing them from accessing any apps or categories once time has passed.

Consumers, and parents, in particular, are up against teams of engineers and psychologists designing technology that is designed to keep us continuously engaged, according to Christine Elgersma, senior editor of parent education at Common Sense Media.

Because of the design of daily use gadgets like smartphones and apps, we might continue to experience the same want to check Twitter even if tools show that we do so 100 times daily.

Similar tools are part of Google’s impending “Digital Wellbeing” update to Android Pie, which is now in beta testing. Although the tools provided by Apple and Google are virtually identical, Google offers a few more features than Apple.

For instance, once users reach their limit, the app icon is greyed out, and to delete the app, users must actively open the dashboard rather than just hitting the ignore pop-up on iOS 12.

Are kids addicted to technology?

Although it may be tempting to draw a connection between using substances and using electronics, both stimulating the brain’s reward centers, scientists point out important distinctions. According to neuropsychologist Matthew Cruger, Ph.D., who also serves as the center’s director for learning and development at the Child Mind Institute, “addiction doesn’t truly reflect the behavior we’re seeing.

With addiction, a chemical alters our responses and makes us dependent on it for our level of functioning. This is not what is taking place. We don’t increase our tolerance thresholds. We don’t require increasing amounts of screen time to function.

Technically speaking, internet or phone addiction does not exist. To identify problematic game-playing habits, some in the psychiatric field have proposed a brand-new illness termed internet gaming disorder. Dr. Anderson points out that for a behavior to qualify as a condition, it must be extremely excessive and seriously detrimental to a child’s life.

Read: Applications of electronics in communication

That would entail screen time beyond what parents find acceptable and displace other age-appropriate pursuits like socializing, playing sports, schoolwork, even maintaining personal hygiene and getting enough sleep. Dr. Anderson explains that in this scenario, “we would be looking at adolescents who are driving everything else out of their lives.” “They may be struggling academically since they don’t have friends or participate in social activities, at least not online.”

Dr. Anderson says that some parents may notice addictive behavior in children when they become irate if they are told to stop, demand ever-increasing amounts of screen time, and spend a lot of offline time planning how and when they will go back online.

However, these actions don’t qualify as an addiction because they might be motivated by various enjoyable activities. “I frequently observe parents concerned about their adolescent’s screen-related behavior use the word addiction when it doesn’t suit,” says the author.

He said, “We have a tendency right now within the culture to pathologize typical adolescent behavior, which is one reason to be cautious about using the phrase.” Additionally, Google has a “Wind Down” setting that, when activated before bed, automatically puts the phone into Do Not Disturb mode and converts the entire display to grayscale. Your phone won’t receive any notifications, and the lack of color on the screen is a motivator to put it away.

What are kids doing online?

To gauge whether kids are unhealthily engaged, the average amount of time they spend on phones and other devices might be deceiving. This is because a large portion of what youngsters do on such devices is age-appropriate stuff that was previously done offline, such as hanging out with friends, discovering new interests, shopping, listening to music, doing homework, and watching movies or TV.

Teenagers now use crucial channels to interact with others and feel validated, such as texting and social media use. Children can communicate through role-playing games with not only the friends but also with people all across the world.

According to Common Sense Media research from 2016, what appears to be excessive use and distraction reflects new approaches to fostering relationships among peers and participating in relevant communities.

Conclusion:

As a result do tech firms make technology to be addictive for children? New and powerful persuasive tools are being introduced daily to exploit the fundamental limitations of kids and teenagers. In this new era, the psychology profession must insist that its techniques be applied to enhance rather than compromise children’s health and wellbeing.

The APA and the psychology profession may assist in providing the conscience we need to lead us in this era of dangerously potent digital devices by strongly condemning the exploitative use of persuasive design.

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