The World Health Organization notes that one in four people suffer problems related to new technologies and a study by the Spanish Society of Psychiatry reveals that between 6% and 9% of Internet users could have problems of inappropriate use of the Network.
A new term has been coined to understand the abuse or excessive dependence of the Internet and mobile devices, or to the inability many people experience to get away from their smartphones or disconnect from social networks, forums and instant messaging. 'Digital obesity' is called by experts, and to know its scope in our country, Eroski Consumer made a Online survey of people between 14 and 39 years of age regarding their habits of personal use of the Internet, mobile phone and videogames, in addition to counting the number of digital devices available to them.
Are we obese digital?
The first conclusion of the study is that Only 5% of respondents have symptoms of suffering from this 'obesity', the result is based on the answer to different questions by the participants. The differences by age indicate that almost 10% of young people between 20 and 24 years old depend heavily on new technologies, more worrying is that 78% of teenagers between 14 and 19 are at risk of obsessive behavior in the future.
Although it is clear that the unstoppable progress of new technologies has benefited society in many ways, it has also led to problematic behaviors
How to know if we misuse new technologies?
The physical discomforts that can alert you to the misuse of new technologies are three mainly:
Tired eyesight (affected 54% of respondents)
Back or headaches (44% and 28% suffered respectively).
On the other hand, almost two out of five respondents recognize that they usually spend time in silence with their partner or with another loved one because each one is immersed in their digital universe
A matter of perceptions or potential harm?
In order not to fall into dependent use, 47% of respondents should control the time they spend on the phone, 31% and 16% must monitor the time they spend on the Internet and with video games, respectively. In all three cases, young people between 14 and 24 years old stand out.
43% of the respondents say that they could not do without the mobile phone even if they wanted to and 36% said they are constantly watching over it.
One in four teenagers tend to say they will only spend a few minutes on the Internet and, then, they sail for hours.
Among the reasons why the Internet is used, for 22% of respondents it helps them to avoid their problems and one in five states that it provides them with well-being. Few people feel they neglect their academic or work occupations because of the Internet (13% believe it).
How many digital devices do we have at home?
To calculate whether a person's 'digital weight' is high, medium or low, Eroski Consumer has taken as a reference a scoring system for digital devices and online services by technology expert Daniel Sieberg.
It has been detected that 64% of respondents have a high level of digital crockery
Almost all respondents had at home with an average of three mobile phones and nine out of ten had two laptops, on average, and two other digital cameras and / or video cameras. Much lower were the proportions of tablets, eBook or digital book and television with Internet connection at home: 25% of respondents had such a device.
It is considered a digital obese to that person who makes excessive and even abusive use of new technologies and is unable to disconnect from them. I believe that as a preventive measure, parents should know how to find balance, and be aware of the need to establish limits that link our children in a healthy way with technologies.
