Representational image.

Frontiers in Psychiatry published some years ago ‘An Update Overview on Brain Imaging Studies of Internet Gaming Disorder’ as part of their research on IGD or Internet Gaming Disorder.

“There is an emerging evidence that IGD is associated with similar brain mechanisms responsible for substance use disorders. The brain imaging studies in IGD show similarity in brain mechanisms between IGD and substance use disorder and therefore support the classification of IGD as a behavioral addiction,” the IANS said. In simple words -- screen addiction is an addiction classified as per WHO. Its impact on the brain is similar to substance (e.g. Narcotics like cocaine) use addiction, the IANS stressed.

In short, there may be an irreversible long term impact on the brains of children addicted to Internet games. However, the question arises if only internet games are to be blamed or the problem is broader.

In 2019, researchers made an attempt to bring together all the use cases under the umbrella of SmUD (Smartphone Use Disorder). It was the research of Joel Billieux who provided clear pathways into problematic mobile phone usage. He emphasised on the following four pathways for SmUD:

• Impulsive, relationship, extraversion, cyber addiction. Billieux further broke down cyber addiction into online gambling, online video games, online sex, social networks and mobile phone, thereby defining a spectrum of cyber addictions. Fig 1: Spectrum of cyber addictions. Many parents despair at the amount of time their kids spend glued to screens, as a recent study by Kantar for Amazon India showed. However, they may not be in a position to co-relate symptoms in a child’s behaviour with cyber or mobile addiction, according to the IANS. A research published by national library of medicine suggests that both physical and mental wellbeing can be adversely affected by too much screen use. It divided students into low cellphone usage and high Cell Phone usage groups and came up with the following conclusions.

• Physical: High Cell Phone usage group observed higher numbers of eye strain, neck pain, back pain, and gain in weight

• Mental: High Cell Phone usage group were more likely to report loneliness, depression, and mood disorders.

In short, excessive phone usage is going to do you and your children harm. And what you may be passing off as a lifestyle aberration, may be the symptom of a larger disorder taking shape for e.g. eye strain and lack of concentration may be the trigger point for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) aggravated by years of mobile phone usage. At this point, it is important for us to introduce neurotransmitters, especially dopamine commonly called the happiness hormone. But sudden surges in dopamine release causes addiction, this is exactly what cocaine or narcotics do inside our body. They release a lot of dopamine, the brain responds less to the excess dopamine. Then we consume more to release more dopamine.

Eventually this cycle leads to mania, hallucinations and delusions. Now, here is the fun fact: the reason you can’t put that mobile phone down is because it releases cheap and plentiful dopamine in your brain. So you are on a high without consuming anything, just by spending more and more time on a mobile screen on gaming, gambling, sex or social networks.