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Technology and Anxiety

Guest Blogger:  Susan Wang, MSc (OT)

Technology has increased access to information, entertainment, and connection with others.  However, it is not without consequences. With the rise of social media and the prevalence of smartphones, people are spending more and more of their lives looking at screens. Teenagers and young adults are particularly susceptible to the negative adverse effects of excessive technology use due to their developing brains and progression into adulthood.

Adolescence is a time of learning, growing, and challenges. Wanting to fit in, developing social relationships, and figuring out your identity are important pillars of adolescence. Social media provides a platform in which adolescents are able to satisfy their need for belonging and social interaction. However, excessive use of social media also increases the risk of several mental health symptoms, including depression and anxiety.

Staying in touch through technology has become a normalized way to connect with each other.  Data indicates that 88% of teens say they spend time with friends through texting, and 55% say they text their friends every day. The numbers are likely higher in 2020. There is increasing evidence supporting a link between social media use and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem amongst adolescents.  These findings can be attributed to a number of factors. For example, anxious adolescents tend to use social media more; this is consistent with previous findings in which adolescents higher in neuroticism prefer social uses of the internet. Furthermore, depressed adolescents may use social media more to regulate their low mood, causing a cyclic reaction that further exacerbates those symptoms. Other studies have found a linear association between the number of social media platforms used and depression and anxiety.  It has been found that individuals who used 7-11 social media platforms had substantially higher odds of having increased levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, compared to those who used 0-2 social media platforms.

Another factor contributing to poor mental health stems from the fact that many adolescents engage in nighttime use of their smartphones, resulting in later bedtimes and poorer sleep quality which also contributes to anxiety and depression.  It has been found that teenagers aged 15-19 who were regular users of mobile phones reported health symptoms such as tiredness, stress, headache, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and sleep disturbances more often than less frequent users.  Additionally, studies show that nighttime social media use was a predictor for poorer sleep quality.

There are several components of social media that cause stress and anxiety, including:

  • Seeing friends posting about events you weren’t invited to
  • Comparing your life/appearance to that of others you see on social media
  • Feeling pressured to post positive content about your life
  • Anxiety associated with getting comments and likes on your posts

FOMO

Fomo is defined as apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent and a desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. 

The term FOMO is associated with the first component of social-media induced stressors. For adolescents, being invited to events and having social interactions is extremely important to satisfy their sense of social connectedness and a sense of belonging. Seeing posts of their peers engaged in activities which they weren’t invited to causes FOMO. Why wasn’t I invited? Is it because they don’t consider me a good friend? What if everyone’s talking about this party on Monday and I can’t contribute?

Adolescents with predispositions of psychopathological problems (especially anxiety and depression) could develop higher FOMO because of their existing perceived social deficits. Individuals with poor emotional state and life satisfaction are also more likely to confront FOMO. Research has shown that social media users with high FOMO are more likely to spend more time on social media and suffer from depressive and anxious feelings. They may feel compelled to check their social media more often to keep up to date with their friends’ plans and activities, further feeding into a cyclic cycle of social media usage and symptom exacerbation.

“As being connected is of utmost importance in adolescents, young teens use social media prominently more in order to achieve greater levels of social involvement. By using social media, adolescents may satisfy their need to belong, but they also have greater risk of suffering from anxiety when they feel they are missing out on important shared experiences, or feel that they do not belong” (Oberst et al., 2017).

Common Symptoms of Social Media Anxiety

  • Interrupting conversations to check your social media accounts
  • Lying to others about how much time you spend on social media
  • Withdrawal from friends and family
  • Trying to stop or reduce your use of social media more than once before without being successful
  • Loss of interest in other activities
  • Neglecting work or school to comment on a social media account
  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you are not able to access social media
  • Spending over six hours per day on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
  • An overwhelming need to share things with others on social media sites
  • Having your phone with you 24 hours a day to check your social media sites
  • Using social media more often than you planned
  • Severe nervousness or anxiety when you are not able to check your notifications
  • Negative impacts in your personal or professional life due to social media usage

Tips to Help With Social Media Anxiety: for Teens and Parents

  • Think critically about the accounts you choose to follow and unfollow accounts you are comparing yourself to, or that make you feel anxious or self-conscious
  • Recognize that everything on social media is highly orchestrated and not reflective of reality.
    • Think back to moments from your own life that you’ve omitted from social media
    • The “perfect” people you follow likely have the same negative experiences that they are not posting for everyone to see
  • Screen Time on your iPhone allows you to track how much time you are spending on your phone as well as on each app.
    • Set a limit on your phone to how much time you spend on each app.
    • When you reach the daily limit, your phone will automatically stop those apps and display a message indicating you have reached your daily limit
  • Set screen-free times where you put your phone away completely and spend time doing other activities.
    • This can be a goal set together as a family, for example, at night for an hour before bed, turn off all phones and spend time together as a family watching a movie.
  • When you start to feel anxious or experience negative thoughts about yourself, put your phone down.
    • Find another activity to keep your hands busy instead (adult colouring books, knitting, painting, exercising, etc)
  • Practice mindfulness to become aware of your surroundings
  • Spend more time outside with friends
  • Participate in a social anxiety group to relate to others with similar issues

References

Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2013). Demographics of key social networking platforms. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/12/30/demographics-of-key-social-networking-platforms/

Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stoft, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-60.

Hamburger, Y.A., & Ben-Artzi, E. The relationship between extraversion and neuroticism and the different uses of the Internet. Computers in Human Behaviour, 16 (4), 441-449.

Van Der Goot, M., Beentjes, J. J., & Van Selm, M. (2012). Meanings of television in older adults’ lives: an analysis of change and continuity in television viewing. Ageing & Society, 32(1). 147-168

Primack, B,A., Shensa, A., Escobar-Veira, C.G., Barrett, E.L., Sidani, J,E,, Colditz, J,B,, & Everette-James, A. (2017) Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among U.S. young adults. Computers in Human
Behavior, 69 , 1-9.

Woods, H.C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51. 41-49.)

Jackson, ML, Sztendur, EM, Diamond, NT, Byles, JE, & Bruck, D. (2014). Sleep difficulties and the development of depression and anxiety: a longitudinal study of young Australian women. Arch Women’s Men Health, 17 (3), 189-198.

Dhir, A., Yossatorn, Y., Kaur, P., Chen, S. (2018). Online social media fatigue and psychological wellbeing—A study of compulsive use, fear of missing out, fatigue, anxiety and depression.  International Journal of Information Management, 40 , 141-152.

Desjarlais, M,, & Willoughby, T. (2010). A longitudinal study of the relation between adolescent boys and girls’ computer use with friends and friendship quality: Support for the social compensation or the rich-get-richer hypothesis? Computers in Human Behaviour, 26 (5), 896-905.

University of British Columbia (2019). Social Media Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Social_Media_Anxiety_Disorder

Fader, S. (2018) Anxiety and Depression Association of American – Social Media Obsession and Anxiety. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/social-media-obsession

Cuncic, A. (2019) Very Well Mind – Social Media and Social Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/social-network-use-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4117143

Shafer, L. (2017). Harvard Graduate School of Education – Usable Research. Social Media and Teen Anxiety . Retrieved from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/12/social-media-and-teen-anxiety

Soderqvist, F., Carlberg, M., & Hardell, L. (2008). Use of wireless telephones and self-reported health symptoms: a population-based study among Swedish adolescents aged 15–19 years.  Environ Health, 7: 18-10.1186/1476-069X-7-18.

Lenhart, A. (2015). Pew Research Center – Report: Teens, Technology and Friendships. Retrieved from  https://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/

 

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O-Tip of the Week: Getting to Know Your Devices

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

For the month of January, our O-Tip series will help you to get acquainted with your devices and the awesome accessibility features you may not be aware of.

Did you know that on both Apple and Android devices there are many accessibility options you can change to assist you with your unique needs?  Below is a quick primer on where to access these features on your smartphone or tablet.  In the coming weeks, we will delve deeper into some of the great features!

For Apple Users: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Android Users:

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Screen Time: How Much is Too Much and How to Change It

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

I was enjoying a nice dinner with a friend (also an occupational therapist) and we started a great conversation about phone use with our children.  She asked me “how much screen time is too much”?  Of course, there isn’t really an academic answer, but we talked from a professional perspective about the behavior of phones, the social risks and benefits, and from the parent side of our fears and worries about how these have become a staple in the lives of our kids. Then, she changed my world by introducing me to the concept of screen time (more on that below).

Parents have very polarized views on phones, so I get that how I manage this in my household may not fit with the values of others.  To recap, I have four teen daughters ages 14-18.  Our phone philosophy is that we provide our girls a phone for their 14th Birthday (Grade 9) and pay for this until their 18th Birthday.  After that, they are on their own to fund this expense (and can get as many gigs as they want).  On our plan, they have 2 gigs each and do not get an extension if they run out.  Their access to Wi-Fi at home is scheduled and is not limitless.  They are not allowed to have their devices in their bedrooms (concessions are made sometimes but they already have “old school alarm clocks” to negate the “I need it to wake up” argument) and they know that if this is beside their bed it needs to be in airplane mode to not disrupt their sleep.

Too strict?  Perhaps, but I see phones like every other “potentially harmful” thing I keep my kids from.  Sedentary time, junk food and pop consumption (tip – just don’t buy it!), and of course we do not serve them alcohol or buy them cigarettes.  I ensure they are all engaged in something active and encourage them to make decent food choices, even if they don’t.  Those things are easy for me to “parent about” because it is well established that “sitting disease” is a thing, “diabetes and obesity” are a problem, and alcohol and drugs are horrible for developing brains (not to mention illegal for my kids based on age).  But screen time?  How much is “too much”?  We don’t really know that yet.  We know that phones are highly addictive – more addictive than cocaine – and cause a whole host of behaviors that, like addictions, are hard to break.  They also promote highly sedentary behavior (they are typically used while sitting). So, here is how I handled this (and note this is for iPhones with a family plan, I don’t know how this works with any other devices):

  • Go to: “settings, screen time”.  To get to know how this works, the top shows your usage.  Push on that and you have the option to look at Today or the Last 7 Days.  Below that is a list of all the things you do on your phone and for how long.
  • Go back to “screen time” and you will see somethings below your usage:

o   Downtime (schedule time away from the screen)

o   App Limits (set time for apps)

o   Always Allowed (things you want to always have access to)

o   Content and Privacy (blocking inappropriate content

  • Then below that, you will see “Family” and a list of those “underage” as per your family plan.

Now for the cool parent stuff.  You can click on any one of your children’s devices and you can see for each of them what you can also see for yourself.  Patterns, usage behavior, time on certain things, and you can also put limits to the above (Downtime, Apps, Always Allowed and Content).  It asks you for a password so as a parent you can pick something that the kids won’t know.  They can’t change their limits on their own.

I don’t recommend arbitrarily just going in and setting limits as I think the best part of the “screen time” feature is the conversation that can happen around figuring out what is “reasonable”.  With my kids, I chatted with each of them about their usage pattern (something they never looked at).  We talked about the time on their Apps, and for some, questions like: “4 hours on Rodeo Stampede”?  This brought their awareness to their habits and allowed me to understand their insight into whether this was “good, bad or ugly”.  And honestly, it was a mix of all three.  After we understood their patterns, we decided on our “screen time limit” (for us three hours / day) and went through to give permission for all the “good” to continue, the “bad” to be limited, and the “ugly” to stop.  And the best thing is that these limits apply regardless of data or Wi-Fi – so even if they have unlimited Wi-Fi in public places, they can’t use their devices more than programmed.

Since implementing this several weeks ago, their screen time has dropped significantly, and they don’t even use their devices to their limits (which were set lower than their averages to start with).  In fact, three hours might be more than they need.

All of this brings me back to a popular concept in my profession of occupational therapy:  behavior change starts with being able to track and understand it in the first place.  Once you know where behavior is at, you can make a conscious and concerted effort to modify it to improve your own health.  Even if you drop your usage by 30 minutes a day and maintain that for several weeks, you just returned yourself 3.5 hours per week to do other (healthier?) things.

What’s next Apple?  An iFridge?

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Are You Capturing the Moment… or Missing it Altogether?

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

I love the song “Scare Away the Dark” by Passenger. Some of the lyrics have powerful insinuations: “we should stare at the stars and not just at screens”…”we want something real not just hashtag and twitter”…”we are all slowly dying in front of computers. I believe there is significant truth to what he is saying. The technology pendulum has swung so far in the direction of obsession and I am personally looking forward to it bouncing back to some form of neutral.

If addiction is defined as “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice that is physically or psychologically habit-forming to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma…” or “usage of something that is beyond voluntary control” then I would argue that technology applies, and many people have a serious problem.

On a recent holiday, the evidence of this was immense. On one occasion I saw three young women on a horse-drawn carriage ride (a $50 experience I might add) and they were all looking at their phones. Were they texting, tweeting, posting on FB “loving my horse-drawn carriage ride”, or maybe playing candy crush, Instagramming a photo, or taking a selfie? Or the families sitting at dinner looking down, using their devices, essentially ignoring each other. Or the guy at the theme park videotaping his experience – he was even videotaping while a photographer was taking their family photo! I am not sure it matters what these people’s intentions were with their devices, but I felt that in perhaps trying to capture these moments they were missing them completely. Look around, talk to each other, take in the sights, sounds, smells, be mindful of the fragility of life and take a moment to be grateful for the experience. Connect. Engage. Smile at a person, not just a screen.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am all for capturing moments. But some moments need to be captured by our eyes and filed in our brain, not just on a device, memory card, or online. The concept of being present includes enjoying moments while you are in them – without living in the past or obsessing about the future. How can we do this? Enlightened Living suggests that being present involves recognizing that we can only do ONE thing at a time and thus we should engage wholeheartedly. Taking a photo while trying to absorb a moment are two tasks that cannot happen simultaneously. Thus why people feel that “life has passed them by”…they were never there to fully experience it in the first place.

So every once in a while check your addiction. Step away from your phone. Take technology away from your children. Leave it at home. Don’t take it on vacation. Set rules for technology behavior. In our house, we have significant rules for screen use, including a 17 clause contract our daughter signed in getting her first cell phone at age 14.  Some of the important clauses include: 

  • Rule # 1: The phone cannot be used to be mean to anyone – directly or indirectly.
  • Rule # 2: Proper grammar and spelling must be used when communicating.
  • Rule # 4 and 5: The phone is not allowed upstairs and cannot be used during family or meal times.
  • Rule # 9: I will not use my phone to take photos or video of people without their permission. I will not post or share photos or video without the consent of the people in them.
  • Rule # 15: I will follow classroom and teacher rules for phone use when at school.
  • Rule # 16: I understand this is not an appendage and obsessive use will not be tolerated.
  • Rule # 17 is a list of reasons for repossession.

My 14 and 12-year-olds read the contract together. At the end, my 12-year-old said: “so, what CAN she do”?

Do you feel sorry for my kid? Don’t. The real reason for the contract was not because she needs to be rigidly structured, but because I, as a new parent of a kid with a cell phone, was not comfortable with the entire concept in the first place. At 14 (and younger) kids are not developmentally able to understand and grasp the full impact of this new power in their possession. That is why there are recommended ages for Facebook (14), and age-specific laws for driving and drinking. They are young, naïve, immature, and still learning the ways of the world. I have a responsibility to be her guide, as effortful as that is. In the end, the contract worked to set out the expectations, establish boundaries, communicate about safety and proper use and helped us recognize the need to adapt as a family to the transition of now raising teenagers, not just “kids”. But my true intent was to make sure that I don’t teach her, or worse, model for her, that technology trumps experiences, replaces in-person relationships, or is a valuable way to tick away the proverbial time bomb that is life.

So, try if you can to capture moments by being present, and by using your born faculties to photograph, store and file your memories – not just a device. Check in with yourself at times about your behaviors, track these, shock your system with some detox, set some boundaries and try to unplug.

 

Previously posted July 2014

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Technology – Why it’s Important to Unplug

Our relationships with our smartphones and other devices are bittersweet.  Though these devices seem to enrich our lives in many ways, they also have created numerous problems for our mental and physical health.  Excessive use of technology can lead to serious health problems including addiction, vision difficulties, sleep disturbances and more.  It’s important to try to be mindful of our technology use in order to avoid dependencies.  Check out this infographic, created by Psychologist Barbara Markway, with some great tips to help you unplug regularly for the sake of your health.

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How Technology is Ruining Your Good Night’s Sleep

Did you know that the use of technology, even having a television on in the bedroom, can disturb the amount and quality of sleep you achieve?  Could our reliance on devices be part of the reason one third of the Canadian population isn’t getting enough sleep?  Learn more about the effects of technology on your sleep in the following from the Sleep Help Institute.

Sleep Help Institute:  How Technology Impacts Your Sleep and What to do About it

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Better Health: Is There an App For That?

At this time of year people are focused on finding ways to improve their health and well-being.  A great way to facilitate this is through the use of technology, specifically helpful apps.  The App Store and Google Play Store feature thousands of apps for health, weight loss, smoking cessation, disease management and more, but how do you know which ones will actually help you reach your goals?  Take a look at the following from MedScape which provides rankings of the top clinically rated apps for both health and wellness and condition management and try one today!

MedScape:  Healthcare Apps to Recommend to Patients

Have you found an app that has helped you improve your health?  Please comment — we’d love to know what has and hasn’t worked for you!

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Tech Support: Learning Made Simple

In the digital age we live in if you are not fluent with the latest technology you can get left behind or struggle to keep up if you don’t know how to use it.  Those with cognitive difficulties and older adults who do not frequently use technology may find themselves needing some extra assistance to learn to use helpful apps and software.  Our colleagues at Lawlor Therapy Services have launched a series, Tuesday Tech Tips, providing how-to videos on some of the most frequently used and helpful pieces of technology.  If you could benefit from extra assistance maximizing the use of your computer, tablet or smart phone, this series is for you!

Lawlor Therapy Services:  Tuesday Tech Tips Series

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Nomophobia – Can You Disconnect?

A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has identified that 19% of adults in Ontario suffer from moderate to severe problematic use of electronic devices.  What makes the use problematic?   Take a look at the following from the CAMH to learn more and to see if you have trouble disconnecting.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health:  Nearly one in five young Ontario adults shows problematic use of electronic devices

Trouble getting the kids to power down?  Try our free printable Technology Pass.

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Too Much Screen Time? We’ve Got Solutions!

Child psychologists and occupational therapists are finding that screen time is stunting the emotional development of children. Children are not learning strategies to self-regulate behavior since they are constantly masking their emotional problems with distracting games.  Along with this expensive self-regulating strategy comes delayed development in language and social skills, poor sleep patterns, and poorer performance in school. And, what about the temper tantrum that erupts when the tablet battery dies halfway to Grandma’s?

The Canadian Paediatric Association recommends no more than 2 hours of screen time for children a day.  A recent survey showed that children in grade 6-12 spend on average 8 hours a day in front of a screen. Another study showed that one in three children are using tablets before they can even talk. Screen time is becoming a serious addiction for our children’s generation and is associated with poor health related outcomes.

We encourage you to use our FREE TECHNOLOGY PASS  printable to help get a handle on too much tech time in your home.  Simply print, laminate and use each time your child is asking for screen or tech time.  Have a conversation with your child about why you are using this tool, discuss a fair limit and get a commitment from your child.

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Check out our post The Detriments of Screen Time and a FREE Technology Pass to learn more about the negative impacts and find strategies on how to limit tech time.