Episode notes
The power and connectivity of modern-day technology has never been more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information-sharing, distance learning, remote work, the safe procurement of goods and services, socially distanced personal connections, and telehealth…all critical lifelines provided by the internet and social media. There is no denying these positives. There is also no denying a darker side of these tools and their use, and overuse, in society.
The medically-used term is Problematic Internet Use or PIU, if the focus is video games, Internet Gaming Disorder. Informally, it has been called internet addiction and it carries similarities to other so-called behavioral addictions such as gambling, but also has some aspects of diseases like impulse control disorders, OCD and substance abuse.
Dr. Elias Aboujaoude has made the ...