When a 15-year-old academically bright and creative teenager started losing interest in studies and developed an erratic sleep pattern, his parents initially did not sense any serious problem.
The boy, who spent 10-12 hours a day playing video games, went to bed at 4 a.m. and slept till 1 p.m. After waking up, he continued playing games. His eating habits were not regular and he did not bathe for days. He experienced problems in starting and completing routine activities in a timely manner. He avoided social interactions and did not reciprocate a social gesture. He got irritated whenever his parents asked him to stop playing games. That was when his parents took him to SHUT (Service for Healthy Use of Technology) clinic in NIMHANS.
This is just one of the several cases pertaining to excessive use of screen time that psychiatrists and neurologists are seeing. It has raised significant concern over children’s physical, psychosocial, biological, and other medical outcomes. An emerging neurological dimension to this growing public health issue is the prevalence of screen-related addictive behaviour, generally being referred to as screen dependency disorder (SDD).
Doctors say associations are emerging between SDD that includes Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) and specific neurogenetic issues, abnormal neural tissue and neural function.
According to a study published in the Journal of the International Child Neurology Association (JICNA) last year, SDDs have become a new challenge for child neurology. The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recent classification of ‘gaming disorder’ as a mental health condition has again brought the issue into focus. Mobile phones, Internet, television, gaming, and social networking sites are the frequently used technology devices and applications.
Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology, SHUT clinic in NIMHANS, says addictive use of Internet and resultant screen dependency has an adverse effect in the form of irregular dietary habits and physical problems. It is also associated with insomnia, sleep apnea, headache, weight gain, weight loss, and related problems. Among adults, it leads one to disregard for crucial daily responsibilities such as work, academic, family or social obligations. Although this addiction affects children and adults, not many adults come forward to seek help, he said.
Study
In a study titled ‘Exploration of Technology Use Pattern Among Teenagers and its Relationship With Psychological Variables’ published in ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Sharma says adolescents use technology for gratification, which includes self-development, wider exposure, user friendliness, relaxation, career opportunities, and global exchange.
According to Sujit Kumar, consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Seshadripuram, it is observed that about 8% to 12% of children and adults have SDD in India and the number is expected to rise in the coming years. “Though the disorder is associated with psychological studies, there are a lot of neurological effects in SDD. There is a definite decrease in the size of both grey matter and white matter of the brain. This means that for a child’s still-developing brain, having SDD can cause long-term effects and even brain damage is a possibility,” he says. “It is vital for young parents to be more aware of how much screen time their children get every day. Constantly depending on smartphones or computers to keep their children occupied can have a negative impact on their growth and development of their brain,” he adds.