1 in 5 Ontario youths may be addicted to their electronics: study
One in five young adults in Ontario report some potentially addictive use of electronic devices, says a new report from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
It is the first time the centre has included electronic devices in its annual survey, given the pervasiveness of the devices in our daily lives.
“More and more of us rely on our electronic devices. They’re at our fingertips 24-7 and it would be difficult for us to give them up,” said Hayley Hamilton, co-author of the report.
“We recognize that most of us use them for positive purposes but we just want to be aware of the extent to which some individuals might be experiencing negative repercussions from their use.
“There are some flags.”
Internet use has been recognized as an issue in other studies, but the research team expanded their survey to look at electronic devices generally, including smart phones, tablet and video games.
They excluded useful work and school purposes, asking solely about recreational use.
What they found is that seven per cent of the 3,000 Ontario adults surveyed reported three or more red flags for problematic use, Hamilton told Yahoo Canada News. Province-wide, that would translate to more than 716,000 people.
Researchers asked six questions, similar those asked to evaluate problem gambling: Have you experienced anxiety that is only relieved by use? Seven per cent said yes.
Have you experienced an irresistible urge or uncontrollable need to use? Ten per cent said yes.
Have you missed school, work or important social activities to use? Two per cent said yes.
Do you think you have a problem? Six per cent said yes.
Does a family member think you have a problem? Fourteen per cent said yes.
Have you tried to cut back on your use? Twenty-four per cent said yes.
Among 18-20 year olds, the proportion was much higher, with one in five reporting symptoms of problematic use.
When it comes to texting and driving, 37 per cent of those surveyed reported that they’d done it at least once in the past year. Eleven per cent reported texting while driving 30 or more times in that period.
Hamilton said there is no reason to believe the proportions in other provinces would be any different.
That’s not to say they have an addiction, she said.
“It’s not a diagnosis,” she said. “It’s just us trying to get a sense of the extent to which some might be experiencing problems.”
Robert Mann, a senior scientist at the centre and co-author of the paper, pointed out in the report that stronger penalties for distracted driving came into effect in Ontario in fall 2015.
“So we don’t yet know the effects of these penalties,” he wrote. “We’ll be watching this closely in future years.”
The results provide a baseline that the centre’s team will continue to monitor.
In this digital age, device users and health-care providers need to be aware of the potential for problems, Hamilton said.
People are starting to seek out treatment for electronics addictions in gambling and behavioural addiction programs, she said.
“If you feel that any aspect of your use of these devices is problematic, it’s important to act,” she said.
“They’re beginning to see it, the early stages. What’s to come, we do not know.”
