Can we treat Tech Addiction with an App? Dr. Cali Estes and other experts weigh in on Verdict.

Dr. Cali Estes discusses tech addiction and notes that social media regulation is similar to a lock on a fridge, an app only works if it is on. Treating tech addiction with technology…read on…

Does the rise of social media addiction warrant regulation? Experts have their say.

According to the BBC, British teenagers now spend an average of 18 hours a week on their phones, much of it using social media. Social media addiction is now a growing concern.

Mobile data platform Ogury’s own data, shared with Verdict, showed that on average users check Facebook 17 times a day and Instagram and Snapchat eight times a day. This highlights the compulsive, repetitive action of checking social media. People are becoming increasingly attached to their mobile devices and access to social media.

Social media addiction is encouraged by the design of platforms to be maximally addictive. Features such as infinite scroll and ‘like’ button now characterise our social media and have contributed significantly to increasing social media addiction.

Although their creators stress the inventions were not intentionally addictive, social media platforms benefit from increased traffic and time spent on the platform. The colour red is used for the same purpose, for example in notification badges, to drive people to engage.

Social media also exploits vulnerability in human psychology. Facebook intended to get people closer together, but now people crave connection and validation via their social media.

Like any addiction, social media addiction can negatively influence multiple aspects of an individual’s life, including mental health and relationships.

So should social media platforms be regulated? Verdict spoke to industry experts for comments on whether social media platforms should be regulated to help combat social media addiction.

Continue below to the full article and read the experts views on this topic.

https://www.verdict.co.uk/social-media-addiction-regulation/