Nearly 1 in 5 young adults shows 'problematic' use of electronic devices: CAMH survey

If you have trouble putting your phone or tablet down, you're not alone nearly one in five young Ontario adults shows "problematic" use of electronic devices, a new survey from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has found.

The researchers found up to 19 per cent of young adults aged 18 to 29experience moderate to severe problematic use of electronic devices, which includessmartphonesand tablets as well as computers and video-game consoles.

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The survey also showed that Ontario adults of various agesare spendingmore than 11 hours per week onemailand social media, and almostfour hours per week playing screen-based games over and above timespent on the devices at work or in school.

'It is an addiction'

The studylooked at use, not impacts, but CAMH researcher Dr. HayleyHamilton saidit's easy to imagine what the issues with too much screen time might be.

"It can wreck your career, your employment,your [education]... There is a recognition that more needs to be done," she said.

Constant device-checking is something University of Toronto student Abby Rydingcan relate to.

"I'll look at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr ... It is an addiction," she said.

The researchers asked the same questions they would ask of someone who has a gambling problem things like whether someone's tension or anxiety could only be relieved by using adevice, if the user had ever tried to cut back, andif friends and family had voiced concern.

Overall, the survey suggestsseven per cent of Ontario adults have "problematic" involvement with electronic media,which totals more than 700,000 people.

37% textedwhile driving

The survey also touched on another disturbing issue:37 per cent of survey respondents reported they hadtextedwhile driving at least once during the past year, while 11 per cent admittedtextingbehind the wheel 30 or more times over the previous year.

"It ties in with the observation that people are really engaged with their devices, and they're using them perhaps all the time.They're using them while they're driving, which we know is a very hazardous behaviour,"said senior scientist Robert Mann, who co-authored theCAMHreport.

A number of studies have calculated that for those who text while operating a motor vehicle, the risk of being involved in a collision is 20 times greater, Mann said.