Withdrawal symptoms experienced by young people deprived of gadgets and technology is compared to those felt by drug addicts or smokers going “cold turkey”， a study has concluded。
Researchers found nearly four in five students had significant mental and physical distress, panic, confusion and extreme isolation when forced to unplug from technology for an entire day。
They found college students at campuses across the globe admitted being “addicted” to modern technology such as mobile phones, laptops and television as well as social networking such as Facebook and Twitter。
A “clear majority" of almost 1,000 university students, interviewed at 12 campuses in 10 countries, including Britain, America and China, were unable to voluntarily avoid their gadgets for one full day, they concluded。
The University of Maryland research described students’ thoughts in vivid detail, in which they admit to cravings, anxiety attacks and depression when forced to abstain from using media。
One unnamed American college student told of their overwhelming cravings, which they confessed was similar to “itching like a crackhead (crack cocaine addict)”。
The study concluded that “most students... failed to go the full 24 hours without media”。
The research, titled The World Unplugged, also found students used “virtually the same words to describe their reactions”. These included emotions such as fretful, confused, anxious, irritable, insecure, nervous, restless, crazy, addicted, panicked, jealous, angry, lonely, dependent, depressed, jittery and paranoid。
Prof Susan Moeller, who led the research, said technology had changed the students’ relationships。
"Students talked about how scary it was, how addicted they were,” she said。
"They expected the frustration. But they didn't expect to have the psychological effects, to be lonely, to be panicked, the anxiety, literally heart palpitations。
“Technology provides the social network for young people today and they have spent their entire lives being ‘plugged in’。”
一项研究得出结论说，年轻人被迫脱离科技产品时感觉到的症状和瘾君子突然戒毒或戒烟时的感觉很相似。
研究人员发现，近五分之四的学生在被迫脱离科技产品一整天时，会感到严重的心理和生理不适，并会感到恐慌、迷惑和极度孤独。
他们发现，全球各地的大学生均承认对手机、笔记本电脑、电视以及Facebook和Twitter等社交网络这些现代科技产物“上了瘾”。
这项调查涵盖了英国、美国、中国等10个国家的12所高校的近1000名大学生，调查发现，“绝大多数”大学生无法让自己一整天不去用这些科技产品。
马里兰大学的这项研究生动地描述了学生想法的种种细节。学生们承认，在被迫脱离这些媒介工具时，他们会产生强烈的欲望，感到焦虑和抑郁。
一位不愿披露姓名的美国大学生描述了这种强烈的欲望。大学生们承认这和吸食强效纯可卡因的瘾君子毒瘾发作很相似。
该研究得出结论说，“大部分学生……无法持续24小时脱离媒介工具”。
这项名为《拔掉电源插头的世界》的研究还发现，学生们用“几乎一样的字眼来形容他们的反应”。这些形容词表达的情绪包括烦躁、迷惑、焦虑、易怒、不安全感、紧张、坐立不安、疯狂、上瘾、恐慌、嫉妒、生气、寂寞、过分依赖、抑郁、心神不宁、偏执等。
这一研究的领头人苏珊•莫勒教授说，科技已经改变了学生之间的关系。
她说：“学生们描述了没有科技产品的可怕情景，以及他们上瘾的程度。”
“他们预料自己会感到沮丧。但他们没预料到会产生心理影响，会感到寂寞、恐慌、焦虑，甚至会感到心悸。”
“科技为现在的年轻人提供了社交网络，他们的整个生活都是‘插上电源插头的’。”
