Report: students "addicted" to gadgets

 

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By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 8 Apr 2011 at 10:06

Connected youngsters are officially “addicted” to their gadgets, according to a global study.

In research that will surprise few parents, the University of Maryland study showed that students around the world suffered vivid cravings when access to web-connected devices was withdrawn for 24 hours.

“If you are under 25, it doesn't matter if you live in the US or Chile or China, Slovakia, Mexico or Lebanon: you not only can't imagine life without your cell phone, laptop and MP3 player, you can't function without them,” the report said.

More than 1,000 respondents expressed feelings of anxiety and depression as a result of going digital cold turkey, with one respondent explaining she had to take the battery out of her mobile phone so she could physically hold it even if it wasn't switched on.

I'm panicking not knowing what is going on in, not just the outside world, but also my world. My friends, my family, my life

The research included UK students at Bournemouth University, who documented their reactions and highlighted that the addiction could have physical symptoms, according to the report.

One UK participant reported a raised heart rate and increased anxiety after only five hours of the experiment. “I'm panicking not knowing what is going on in, not just the outside world, but also my world. My friends, my family, my life."

Researchers were not only surprised by the level of dependence, but the fact that students around the world were equally likely to stress about losing access to their digital lifelines.

"Perhaps naively, we assumed that we would find substantial differences among the students who took part in this study," said project director Susan Moeller.

"But it quickly became apparent from looking at the student demographics and narrative comments that all responders in this study were digital natives. Digital natives have no passports."