Health & wellness
BY GRANT CRAWFORD
As excessive technology use has gained more public recognition, organizations such as Omega Recovery in Austin are offering programs to help people gain control over their digital habits. Nick Hoenes, Omega’s executive clinical director, said youth in their late teens or young adults in their early 20s are more likely to visit for help. However, he also said the center sees people “across generations” who have experienced family discord, job loss or have dropped out of school. “What we’re talking about is compulsive technology use that is interfering with some function of life,” Hoenes said. Rising tech use prompts digital detoxing efforts
The impact
Tips and tricks
Daily time spent on social networking by users worldwide
As part of the programs offered at Omega Recovery, the center works with recovery home partners that provide clients with a technology-free environment. Clients might stay with the home partner and participate in activities outside of the digital world, such hiking, going to Zilker Park and enjoying community meals. Hoenes also recommends that even those without a technology addiction practice moderation and said there are avenues for people to do this on their own. For instance, he said more people are swapping out their smartphones for “dumb phones,” or devices with limited capabilities and no access to the internet. “People can leave video game consoles, laptops and things like that with a trusted friend, or put them somewhere you’re not going to access them, and go about that for 30 days and see what the difference is after that time,” he said. Other steps people can take to curb their tech usage is limit their screen time to 20 minutes after they get home from work, and avoid “doom scrolling.” If people are curious about how technology is impacting their life, Hoenes recommends they journal how they felt before and after they get onto social media, scroll through websites or play a game on their phone. Those looking for support can also attend free Internet & Technology Addicts Anonymous meetings at 10 a.m. every Friday at the Omega Recovery campus, which is located at 1710 Evergreen Ave., Ste. B Austin.
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151
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141
120
90
90
60
0
SOURCE: STATISTA/COMMUNITY IMPACT
With digital technology now integrated into much of everyday life, studies have shown that the use of smartphones, social media and online gaming take up hours of Americans’ daily routine. According to the Center for Internet & Tech- nology Addiction, 85% of Americans go online daily and 31% of adults say they’re online “almost constantly.” Today, the World Health Organization recognizes a type of addiction known as “gaming disorder” on its official disease classification list. With online gaming, Hoenes said skilled players often receive positive feedback or social validation, making it more difficult to put the controller down. Furthermore, the WHO has signaled that prob- lematic use of social media has been associated with less sleep, potentially impacting adolescents’ overall health and academic performance.
Daily screen time Percent distribution of teenagers, ages 12-17, by hours of daily screen time
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Less than 1 hour
1 hour 2 hours
3 hours
4 hours or more
NOTE: TOTAL DOES NOT ADD UP TO 100 DUE TO ROUNDING SOURCE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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