Page 7 - Screen Addiction: A Teen Epidemic

versity in England and one of the fi rst psychologists to publish re-
search recognizing screen addiction. Griffi ths defi nes a behavioral
addiction as an activity engaged in so excessively that it damages
personal, family, or professional life. He lists six hallmarks of be-
havioral addiction: 1) salience, when a behavior becomes a most
important part of a person’s life; 2) mood modifi cation, when a
person uses a behavior to alter his or her moods or escape from
problems; 3) tolerance, when a person has to spend more time
engaged in a behavior to produce the same feelings of well-being;
4) withdrawal symptoms, when a person has unpleasant feelings
or physical sensations when not able to engage in a behavior; 5)
confl ict, when a behavior creates relationship problems or dis-
rupts everyday life; and 6) relapse, when a person tries to limit or
end a behavior but reverts to excessive use. Any behavior that
meets these six criteria is an addiction, Griffi ths says.
Some behavioral addictions, including gambling disorder and
shopping addiction, have been formally recognized by the medi-
cal community. However, since the overuse of technological de-
vices is a new phenomenon, its addictive properties are still being
studied. Nevertheless, members of the mental health community
are already applying time-tested addiction treatments to people
whose lives are out of control because of their involvement with
electronic devices.

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