Not smartphone, not cocaine

More recently, concerns over the number of young people who receive or send pornographic images, or over age access to inappropriate online content have increased. The specialist says two-thirds of her patients were 16-20 years old ... Harley Street Clinic Director Mandy Saligary says most of her patients are 13-year-olds who see sexting as "normal" and that is a "problem" only if discovered by parents.
The time spent exchanging messages with friends on Snapchat and Instagram may be equally dangerous for teenagers like drugs and akooli, and should be treated as such, a conference for school leaders and teachers in London said, writes Independent. Specialist Mandy Saligari said the time spent on the screen is often overlooked as being a potential addictive tool at younger ages. She went on to say that even 13-year-old children are in agreement with digital technology, where a large number of children in Britain between the ages of 12 and 15 agree not to balance the time between the screen and other activities.

"When it comes to addiction, people look at substances or other things-but it's actually a behavior that appears in other forms as well," says Mandy Sigarly, citing food and sexting fixes. More recently, concerns over the number of young people who receive or send pornographic images, or over age access to inappropriate online content have increased. The specialist says two-thirds of her patients were 16 to 20-year-olds seeking treatment for addiction - "a dramatic increase" - but most of the patients were still younger. In a recent study, one in six of the students with these concerns came from elementary schools. More than 2,000 children have been reported to the police for crimes related to improper images in the last three years. Figures also show that more than 4 in 10 parents find it difficult to control the time their kids spend on the screen.

Even 3 and 4-year-olds spend a long time in front of screens for about 6 hours a week. "It should be emphasized on sleep time and to require children to spend more time away from phones. If they are caught fast (addiction), children can learn to have self-control over the time spent in front of the screen and that with other activities, so we are not checking them, but we are telling them what to do split the time to enjoy both.