KIDS SUFFER DRUG-LIKE WITHDRAWAL FROM GADGETS

The Daily Mail of London says that young people suffer gadget withdrawal when separated from their phones.

A study found that the withdrawal symptoms young people experience when deprived of their gadgets are comparable with those of drug addicts going 'cold turkey.' Researchers found that 79 percent of students subjected to a complete media blackout for just one day reported adverse reactions ranging from distress to confusion and isolation. The study focused on people aged between 17 and 23 in ten countries where about 150 students at Bournemouth University spent 24 hours banned from using phones, social networking sites, the internet and TV. They were allowed to use landline phones or read books and were asked to keep a diary. One in five reported feelings of withdrawal akin to an addiction while 11 per cent said they were confused or felt like a failure. Nearly one in five (19 percent) reported feelings of distress and 11 percent felt isolated. Just 21 percent said they could feel the benefits of being unplugged.

(Daily Mail)