As an addiction psychiatrist, this is a question I get nearly every day. Common sense tells us that addictive technologies surround us—we all feel the pull of our phones and social media competing for our attention, wearing us thin. However, there's no single, agreed-upon definition of "tech addiction," "social media addiction," or "online gambling addiction." Adding to the complexity, some conditions, like video game addiction, have competing definitions describing the same phenomenon (e.g., Internet Gaming Disorder vs. Gaming Disorder).

The distinction between healthy technology engagement and addiction is a subtle one. Making this assessment requires in-depth interviews and a thorough understanding of someone's life circumstances. Without knowing a person's identity and aspirations, it's virtually impossible to determine if their technology use has become problematic.

Let's define addiction in its simplest terms. It's a persistent pattern of behavior that causes distress and interferes with someone's ability to fulfill their life roles. Additional symptoms often include obsessive thoughts and emotional withdrawal. Do I hear about people’s experience these symptoms with technology? Yes—I hear about it almost every day. Moreover, patients tell me they know their tech use is worsening their depression and anxiety, but they can't stop.

This is my answer: people share their technology struggles with me daily. They feel lost, unsure where to find help, and skeptical that effective treatments exist for excessive use of social media, pornography, and similar digital content. It breaks my heart because we have so many powerful mental health tools that can help people regain control over their technology use.

Yes, both common sense and my clinical experience indicate that tech addiction is a real and growing problem. Yet it's a challenge I'm eager to address—our existing treatments are effective, and help is available.

Dr. Sherer, CCO Nostos

No two cases of tech addiction look alike. In fact, no two cases of any addiction look alike. Addiction never happens in isolation—it happens to a real person with goals, dreams, and a complex history. Each person's experience with addiction is unique, just as their path to recovery will be.

Tech addiction can be particularly difficult to spot because excessive tech use has become normalized in our society—even celebrated. Just look around next time you're waiting for public transit. These days, it's unusual to see someone who isn't glued to their phone.

The devil is in the details.

Generally speaking there are six main symptoms to watch out for.

1. Salience

You spend a lot of time thinking about social media or planning how to use it.

2. Mood Modification

You use social media to forget about personal problems or reduce feelings of anxiety, guilt, or depression.

3. Tolerance

You feel an urge to use social media more and more to achieve the same pleasure you once did.

4. Withdrawal

You become restless or troubled if you're prohibited from using social media.

5. Conflict

You use social media so much that it has had a negative impact on your job, studies, or relationships.

6. Relapse

You've tried to cut down on social media use without success.

These symptoms, developed as part of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, help identify problematic social media use patterns. Answering "often" or "very often" to at least four of these criteria may indicate potential social media addiction.

Dr. Sherer, CCO, Nostos