ABC Health: Do You Need a Digital Detox?

Radio

Home

Health News

TV

Shop

Living it

News

Features

Sport

A-Z Library

Local

Children

Your Stories

Science

Health Myths

The Pulse Search Health & Wellbeing or try the A-Z Library

Health Topics

Environment

help

Keywords

Audio & Video

Subscribe

more Topics

Quizzes & Tools

(3 comments)

Share

Print

Do you need a digital detox?

by Cassie W hite Figures suggest many of us are using the internet for a good portion of our waking life, but how can you tell if your internet use is a problem?

Diet & Recipes Fitness Mind & Mood Sex & Relationships Workplace Health Natural Health Pregnancy & Birth Drugs & Alcohol Health Consumer

Fact files ADHD Allergies Alzheimer's & Dementia Anxiety Disorders Arthritis Cancer Depression Diabetes Heart Disease Infertility Influenza Menopause Osteoporosis Pregnancy more fact files in the a-z library

Events

More Psychology on Health & Wellbeing Mind over kilos: the psychology of w eight loss More

Elsewhere on ABC Racing minds All In The Mind W hy are mentally-ill children tied up and tormented?

7.30 Report

ISTOCKPHOTO | JAKUBZAK

Your Health Kids' Health Women's Health Men's Health Over 50s Indigenous Health Rural & Regional Health

ABC Search

We Australians love the internet. W hether w e're checking social media feeds on our smart phones, scanning new s on our tablets, or booking holidays on our desk tops – w e spend a lot of time online.

In fact, figures suggest on average w e spend almost one day every w eek online (or 23 hours and 18 minutes to be precise). And our average social media use is higher than that of any other country, at six hours and 52 minutes a month.

Invisible intruders the voices in my head All In The Mind

Related Topics Pregnancy & Childbirth

But some of us love our gadgets w ay more than others do, and are logged on for much longer than the average. These people often retreat into a digital w orld of gaming, chat rooms, social media, or simply surfing the net, to avoid dealing w ith difficulties in their lives. So how do you know if you need a digital detox?

Bad habits Because the internet is so easily accessible, often sitting in our pocket all day, it's not surprising that many of us spend time online purely out of habit.

Clinical psychologist Les Posen recommends doing a self-assessment every few months to put your internet use into perspective.

"Trying asking yourself: 'Is this how I w ant to conduct my life? Am I really just procrastinating on something else?'" he says.

If you habitually check your emails and social media every few minutes, senior lecturer in psychological science at Sw inburne University's Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Dr Ben W illiams suggests having periods w here you keep your phone, tablet or computer in another room.

If that makes you anxious, "it's probably a sign you need to monitor yourself a bit more closely", he says.

Digital detox checklist 1. Can I easily log off w ithout feeling stressed or anxious?

2. Do I feel irritable or stressed w hen I can't log on; do I feel that logging on w ill relieve this?

3. Do I have at least one internet-free evening per w eek?

4. Do I spend a lot of time thinking about being online w hen I'm not logged on?

5. Do I avoid family or social commitments to spend time online?

6. Do family, friends, or co-w orkers nag me about being online; do I lie to them about it?

7. Do I stay up late or w ake up early to log on?

8. Do I frequently skip meals because I'm online?

9. Have I been late for w ork or missed deadlines because of my internet use?

10. Have I tried to cut back on my internet use and failed?

W hile it's normal to do these things every so often, if you regularly do four or five of them, it could be an early w arning sign of problems w ith internet use and you should consider trying to cut back, says W illiams.

"Scoring high on this quiz doesn't necessarily mean you have a problem, but if technology is causing you distress or leading you to neglect w ork and family, you might w ant to seek help from your GP, psychologist or other health-care professional," he says.

How much is too much?

It's hard to determine w hether someone's internet use is a serious problem. One of the issues is that experts aren't clear on how much time online is too much. This is because it's different for everyone, depending on their mindset and life circumstances.

The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) doesn't officially recognise internet addiction, although it classifies "internet-use disorder" as something that needs to be explored further.

But many people w orking in the field say the condition is real.

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

Clinical psychologist Jeroen Decates has no doubt it's possible to become addicted to the internet, especially if you suffer from depression and anxiety, are going through hard times, or struggle in social situations.

"Some people feel more competent as a person online than in the real w orld," he says.

"The difficulty is, if you're living a better life in the digital w orld, that's w hen the addictive element kicks in."

There is also some research suggesting that for some us internet addiction can have health effects.

Small studies have found that it can disrupt the brain's w iring in a similar w ay to drug and alcohol addiction; negatively affect dopamine, w hich relates to the rew ard system in our brain; and that some people may even have a genetic disposition to developing an addiction.

Another US study suggests people w ho are lonely or lack social skills often use the internet as compensation for human connections that are missing from their lives.

The researchers found they often use technology to avoid dealing w ith these issues, w hich then causes more problems, such as further isolation and disconnection from loved ones, as their internet use grow s.

People w ho are believed to have internet addiction commonly tell lies about the amount of time they spend online, lose contact w ith friends and family, and neglect social and w ork responsibilities.

Decates says if you feel your internet use is a problem then you should look at the underlying causes of your internet use.

"Someone w ill need to build up an identity in the real w orld, otherw ise disconnecting is only going to create more emotional and psychological problems," he says.

Addiction aside, Decates says spending too much time online can affect anyone and leave you feeling irritable, short-tempered, constantly tired, and unable to handle changes in plans or routine.

Physical effects There are also physical effects of spending too many hours looking at a screen. These include dry eyes or strained vision; back, neck and headaches; sleep problems; and w eight gain or w eight loss.

W illiams says if you're spending long periods of time on the internet, there's a strong chance you aren't doing enough exercise.

"This inactivity can lead to long-term health issues such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity," he w arns.

"Recent research is suggesting that just sitting still – at a keyboard, for instance – for long periods is also bad for your health, and early indications are this effect isn't compensated for by doing more exercise later."

Published 09/12/2013

More info Is technology making us lonely - ABC Health & Wellbeing

(3 comments)

Share this article

email a friend

email ABC Health & Wellbeing

Add your comment

Matt :

10 Dec 2013 4:01:24pm

It w ould be useful if the article included a "w hat to do" section... ie from self help to professional help for cyber-addiction. People in this situation, and people w ith loved ones in this situation, need a few pointers.

Just "monitoring yourself a bit more closely" is not very helpful. It's the cyber addiction equivalent of asking someone w ith depression to "cheer up".

Reply

Alert moderator

simple wisdom :

11 Dec 2013 8:55:41pm

The headline w as 'digital detox'. Maybe use the summer break as a break in using the internet. I bet it'd be difficult, but digitally detoxifying too.

Reply

Alert moderator

KymY :

10 Dec 2013 8:55:30pm

Check my iPhobe social media at 4 a.m. from my hospital bed recently ? Yep - KymY in Darw in (63) Reply

Alert moderator

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

© 2013 ABC | Privacy Policy | Conditions of Use | About Us | Contact | Sitemap ABC Home About the ABC Careers ABC Services © 2013 ABC Conditions of Use Privacy Policy

ABC Contacts

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com