Differences in Screen Addiction in the Past 15 Years

Abstract

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has become widespread in recent years, leading to an increase in addiction cases. A total of 118 patients who attended the Behavioral Addictions Unit of Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa (Barcelona, Spain) between October 2005 and December 2021 were included in the study. The sample was divided into three groups according to the time period in which they started treatment: between 2005 and 2010 (before the rise in new technologies, named the pre-ICT period), between 2011 and 2019 (a time of major ICT development, named the ICT period) and between 2020 and 2021 (with massive use of the internet due to effects of the pandemic, named the COVID-19 period). We found an increase in the incidence of screen addiction cases related to the development of technology throughout the study years, and this increase was accentuated during the COVID-19 period. This increase was not equal for all types of content consumed via the internet, with patients with video game addiction increasing to a greater extent than patients with internet/social network addiction. In addition, patients with video game addiction were younger and had started gaming at a younger age than those with internet/social network addiction. These results contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon of technology addiction and to the design of appropriate treatment protocols and preventive programs.