I dislike this and similar articles because there is so much poor science in them and yet the authors always write in a very patronizing way. Correlation isn't causation. There is some good journalism but this is not it.

It's very clearly written from the perspective and mindset of someone that grew up without the internet. Asking most people who end up doom scrolling on social media if it's something that makes them happy and they will reply no, they are just bored. There are some valuable tips for people who want to move towards a tech-lite lifestyle. That's great and a personal choice, but it does not mean that people who decide they don't want to give up social media and technology are "addicted".

Your brain doesn't respond to "hits" of "dopamine", if your dopamine system is disordered, you should look into getting tested for ADHD if you haven't. Every one of negative consequences they imply as being caused by an "addiction to a screen" actually go back to something bigger like ADHD.

"It has been proposed that genetic variants of dopaminergic genes and other “reward genes” are important common determinants of reward deficiency syndrome (RDS), which we hypothesize includes ADHD as a behavioral subtype." [1]

Phone usage past reasonable boundaries is a symptom of something bigger, just like binge eating, impulse control disorders, addiction, and every other negative they listed in the article is. Impulse control disorder can cause weight gain which causes low self-esteem which feeds into a toxic cycle that leads to morbid obesity. There's an equally toxic cycle that can happen from using technology for escapism. But we shouldn't blame technology just like we don't blame food as the reason for a binge eating disorder.

Subjective overuse of technology isn't and shouldn't be treated the same way. It corrupts the definition of what an addiction is. As someone that grew up with internet from a very early age, articles like sound like feel good articles written for people who think they are better than others for not using technology.

Generalizing phone usage as "screen time" shows a clear lack of understanding of just how many different things can be done using a phone. Being "practically fused to their phones" isn't a crazy that should be seen as abnormal behavior, it's how to function in modern society. People that grew up without technology or choose to be out of touch, can't understand how much of teenage and young adult culture making happens in via technology.

I have this theory that I have been seeing more and more evidence for, the idea of generations dictated by what you grew up with is not going to be useful for the future. Internet has reached a point where physical distance no longer matters. IRC was ahead of its time with how it allowed people to connect to others across the world in a somewhat anonymous way. We're finally seeing kids grow up that have never experienced a world that wasn't connected. Kids today go on discord and gaming lobbies and can connect to thousands of others across the world just based on shared interests.

The idea that technology separates a parent from their kid is more a reflection on the cultural difference between a parent that decided they don't want to use a lot of technology and a child that embraces technology and understands that's how the rest of their peers are too.

"The internet has also become a crucial meeting place for children to exercise their right to freedom of expression by connecting with others online. Many children surveyed can be considered ‘active socializers’ who take part in a number of social activities online each week – such as chatting with friends and networking with those who share their interests. Our research suggests that children who socialize more actively online are better at managing their online privacy, which helps to keep them safe.

“Online, I can show my true self, there are no rules … I have more than 5,000 friends online.”

- Boy, who identifies as gay, 15, Philippines" [2]

Unicef, office of research-innocenti, has released a fantastic report on the trends and challenges kids growing up in a technology drive world will face. I recommend anyone thinking of using pre-internet mentality as boundaries for their kids read it. Things like not giving a child a phone until their are in high school is going to severely limit their child's ability to socialize.

"But faced with complex and fast-evolving technologies, many parents do not feel confident enough to supervise their seemingly tech-savvy children. Parents may also be influenced by popular worries about ‘excessive screen-time’, ‘internet addiction’ and ‘stranger danger’. The temptation is therefore to restrict children’s internet use rather than to guide them to use the internet safely.

Instead of limiting internet use, parents can get involved in children’s online lives by encouraging them to learn from the internet or suggesting ways to use the internet safely. By taking a more positive and supportive stance, parents can help their children develop resilience while also reducing conflict between parent and child. In most of the 11 countries surveyed, such enabling mediation helps children to engage in a wider range of online activities and slightly reduces their exposure to risk." [2]

Adults aren't different from kids in this way. It's fair to worry. It's understandable that adults who reduce screen time for themselves feel better. But that's not because there's something bad about technology, taking a break gives people room to re-examine their life. It's a personal choice to live a technology-lite lifestyle, but society as a whole is becoming more technology based. During covid the entire workforce and education system became technology based, I didn't hear parents complaining about screen time for virtual classes. I heard parents complaining that they struggled will encouraging kids to want to learn. I tutor on the side and I got non-stop calls from parents reaching out because they want to me help get their middle school-early high school aged kids motivated to learn and care about grades.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2626918/

[2] https://www.unicef-irc.org/growing-up-connected