Excerpt:

As people are increasingly addicted to their cell phones, it is important to know the unintended costs associated with reaching for this device every spare minute. Although people may assume that it is not different from any other kind of interaction or break, this study shows that the phone might be more cognitively taxing than expected.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7044622/

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Teenagers, young adults, students and their parents are encouraged to attend, as well as others struggling with these conditions.

When: Sun Sep 26, 2021

Time: 3pm – 4pm (SAST)

Presenter: J. C. Lech

The link to attend the webinar is available for members at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/EMFSA/webinar-link-sun-sep-26-2021-anxiety-depression

The post Webinar-Sunday Sep 26, 2021: Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, Suicide Risk appeared first on EMFSA.

Background: The evolution of the Telemedicine and e-Health is strictly related to the evolution of the mobile-technology. If today it is possible to successfully use a wide range of mHealth applications, playing an important role in Telemedicine and e-Health, health care has surely a gratitude debt with the smartphone. However, it is increasingly becoming clear that excessive use of the smartphone has implications for health in terms of risks and it is therefore necessary to tackle the various gaps and/or the role that Telemedicine and e-Health itself has in this field.

Methods: Through an overview to literature, Web and App stores the study faced the implications for health from the excessive use of the smartphone and therefore the various gaps and/or the role that Telemedicine and e-Health itself has in this area both in the prevention and in the monitoring with particular regard to the three components: eHealth, mHealth and eLearning.

Results: The study found (I) as emerging risks: the text neck, the risk of addiction and the risk in the use of deceptive Apps in mHealth; (II) as Telemedicine and e-Health useful approach: the design of Apps for the text neck prevention and the relevant acceptance and effectiveness assessment; the design and application of electronic surveys for tele-assessment of the addiction risk; the design and application of information and training path on the deceptive Apps in mHealth.

Conclusions: The key role of Telemedicine and e-Health in the prevention and monitoring of the risks from smartphone abuse has been clearly identified and the young people has been identified as target population and the relevant need to design specific teaching packages in this field focused on them.

https://mhealth.amegroups.com/article/view/63693/html

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Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.600134/full

Extract only, kindly see the link above for the full study.

One significant lifestyle shift is the complete reliance on the internet and smart devices, like tablets, laptops, and mobiles. During the quarantine, with the necessary social/spatial distancing, the usage of these smart devices increased at an increasingly fast pace. Unfortunately, this total dependence has shown to be a form of addiction, i.e., a compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance (10). Nowadays, addiction is not only restricted to extensive substance or drug abuse but also extends to the behavioral obsession with a specific activity that disturbs people’s healthy daily lives. Recently, internet-based activities, like online gaming, chatting, and communications through the different available applications, have shown similar addiction levels to those of drugs (11–13).

This is the first research that presents a large-scale study of thousands of Jordanian undergraduate students to assess the effect of COVID-19 extended home quarantine on smartphone addiction levels. This is assessed by collecting many exposures to cover the demographic, economic, and quarantine-related factors that might worsen the effect of quarantine on smartphone overuse.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Quarantine is a stressful situation with several challenges, casting its shadow over routine life. No previous study has assessed the relationship between quarantine and smartphone addiction levels during the quarantine period. Female gender, urban areas, apartment quarantine, higher income, and scientific and medical majors had higher and significant overuse scores. The SAS-SV scores are higher than previously reported scores for other countries, although they are comparable to other countries in the region (39). Whether an addiction or overuse, the high scores and prevalence reported are alarming and indicate the severity of smartphone dependence among Jordanian university students during the quarantine. A repeat questionnaire on a comparable study population with follow-up interventions is warranted.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.600134/full

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Linda M. Richmond May 14, 2021

Doctors have been quick to embrace the smartphone as an invaluable tool in the practice of medicine. These devices put information at your fingertips, allow you to check medical references, confer with colleagues instantly, and even access patient data and test results.

A report by the Boston Consulting Group and Telenor Group noted that the “smartphone is the most popular technology among doctors since the stethoscope.” Indeed, the share of Americans who own a smartphone—85%—represents a dramatic increase from just 35% a decade ago, reports the Pew Research Center. What’s more, smartphone uptake by individuals earning more than $75,000 a year is near universal at 96%.  

But the advancement and proliferation of smartphone technology also brings with it responsibilities and risks that physicians should consider. What follows are some of the most pressing concerns, according to recent guidelines, litigation, and an expert in the field of physician smartphone use.

Avoid ‘distracted’ doctoring

Human attention has a limited capacity. According to the American Psychological Association, talking on a cell phone causes a kind of “inattentional blindness,” whereby individuals can stare at objects but not see them due to an inability to process the visual information. In fact, cell phones are implicated in 1.6 million automobile crashes a year, according to the National Safety Council. More than one study has shown smartphone use to be as impairing as alcohol intoxication. (Think you might have a problem with smartphones? See Most doctors probably have this addiction on MDLinx.)

Similarly, when doctors use their personal smartphones in professional settings, they may experience risky distractions from clinical care. For example they may be interrupted by non-acute clinical concerns, personal communications, or even app notifications, according to a guideline on the use of personal devices in healthcare published by the Journal of Mobile Technology in Medicine.  

Read more at: https://www.mdlinx.com/article/how-smartphone-use-can-land-doctors-in-hot-water/5b9lHxwYAnDJFnBwE3pccU

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Abstract

Background

Following the inception of video games and the subsequent development of progressive innovations in videogame technology, many reports of videogame-related dermatologic conditions soon emerged in literature. Children and adolescents, in particular, are among the most avid consumers of online digital entertainment.

In an effort to better detail the impacts of these cutaneous manifestations and provide recommendations for injury prevention as it relates to video games, we performed an extensive systems-based literature review pertaining to the clinical features, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of reported cases of dermatoses resulting from the misuse of video games.

Results

A literature review using PubMed, SCOPUS, Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE was performed. Hardware implicated in the reported cases include video games consoles, personal computers, laptop computers, mobile phones and tablets. The dermatologic conditions are primarily localized to the extremities, particularly the palms and fingers. The majority are associated with repetitive friction and trauma, as well as allergic contact sensitivities. For all cutaneous manifestations induced by video gaming, early recognition and removal of the offending agent was most often described as effective in symptom resolution.

Conclusions

The universal use and pervasive popularity of video games for recreational purposes present an emerging dermatological concern. As videogames become increasingly advanced and immersive, various cutaneous conditions arising from intensive gaming will likely become common over time. Consequently, it is critical that dermatologists consider video games with a high index of suspicion when encountering dermatological ailments in underage patients engaging in persistent gaming behavior.

Extract

2. Conclusions

With the technological revolution, games have spatially shifted from the real-world arena to virtual world web, with adolescents being among the most avid consumers. Although playing video games is one of the most popular leisure activities in the world, there has been considerable debate about the influence of gaming that may continue without a clear consensus in the foreseeable future. The untimely and daily use of video games can be responsible for a certain number of organic pathologies, including benign and reversible dermatoses. For all cutaneous manifestations induced by modern-age sources, cessation of use is a sensible and often most effective treatment.

It seems apparent that this field would benefit greatly from validated measures that quantify or categorize the types of cutaneous manifestations being activated by different games and game types as well as research studying longitudinal negative cutaneous consequences of video gaming. Moreover, evidence is needed on excessive play and on defining what constitutes excess in the first place. Raising the level of awareness may encourage the video game industry to alter the structure of video-game-related devices and make it finger and thumb safe. The consumers also need to be thoroughly educated about the potential negative impact of excessive video gaming. Perhaps it is time to disconnect.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352646719301541?via%3Dihub

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By Sara Xia, April 12, 2021

Online games in China must get approval from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) to be published and sold in China. See China Online Game Approval Laws. The NPPA review and approval process involves requiring that the game have a built-in addiction prevention mechanism.

In November 2019, the NPPA released a Notice on Preventing Addiction among Minors in Online Games that proposes the following measures:

Extract:

1. Real name identification systems

2. Gaming time limits on minors

3. Limit spending by minors within online games

4. Explore and implement age-based rating system

5. Fulfill their responsibility to minors

Read more at: https://harrisbricken.com/chinalawblog/china-online-game-addiction-prevention-requirements/

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Abstract

Increasing evidences suggest the involvement of disrupted circadian clock in various pathologies including stroke and substance abuse. Here we took an attempt to do a comparative study on the regulation of circadian clock gene expression under two pathological circumstances – Opioid addiction and Ischemic stroke in the same cell line model (human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells). To mimic in vivo ischemic stroke condition cells were placed in a hypoxia chamber and incubated for 10 h in balanced salt solution lacking glucose, aerated with an anaerobic gas mixture (95% N₂ and 5% C0₂). For opioid addiction cells were treated with morphine sulphate at 10 μM dose for 48 h. We found that although circadian clock gets disturbed in both states, pattern of alteration of clock gene expressions were different and change was more severe in ischemic stroke than addiction. Interestingly, increase in expression of Cry1 showed as a common factor to both the diseases. This paper also emphasizes the interconnection between the severities of neuronal injury induced by ischemic stroke or opioid abuse to circadian system. Finally, this study will further enrich our knowledge towards the pattern of circadian rhythm disturbances under different pathological states.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33894675/

Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Background: In a large UK study we investigated the relationship between smartphone addiction and sleep quality in a young adult population.

Methods: We undertook a large UK cross-sectional observational study of 1,043 participants aged 18 to 30 between January 21st and February 30th 2019. Participants completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version, an adapted Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Score Index and reported smartphone use reduction strategies using both in-person (n = 968) and online (n = 75) questionnaires. A crude and adjusted logistic regression was fitted to assess risk factors for smartphone addiction, and the association between smartphone addiction and poor sleep.

Results: One thousand seventy one questionnaires were returned, of which 1,043 participants were included, with median age 21.1 [interquartile range (IQR) 19–22]. Seven hundred and sixty three (73.2%) were female, and 406 reported smartphone addiction (38.9%). A large proportion of participants disclosed poor sleep (61.6%), and in those with smartphone addiction, 68.7% had poor sleep quality, compared to 57.1% of those without. Smartphone addiction was associated with poor sleep (aOR = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.06–1.87, p = 0.018).

Conclusions: Using a validated instrument, 39% young adults reported smartphone addiction. Smartphone addiction was associated with poor sleep, independent of duration of usage, indicating that length of time should not be used as a proxy for harmful usage.

Excerpt: The results of this study indicate that self-reported smartphone addiction is prevalent amongst young adults attending university and that it is linked with use at later times of the day in addition to total duration of use. Public health bodies should take this evidence into account when developing guidelines around smartphone use and sleep hygiene. Furthermore, clinicians, parents, and educators should be aware of the pervasiveness of smartphone addiction, and be prepared to consider the potential wide-reaching impact of smartphones on sleep.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.629407/full

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•Russia

Oleg A. Grigoriev DrSc., PhD. (radiobiology & hygiene of non-ionizing radiation); Chairman, Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (RusCNIRP)

3rd of February 2021

•China:

The BBC reports: China bans children from using mobile phones at school

By Jane Wakefield
Technology reporter

Children in China are to be banned from using their phones in school, the Ministry of Education has ruled.

Pupils will not be allowed to bring mobiles to school without written parental consent.

The authorities say they want to protect young people’s eyesight, improve their concentration and prevent internet addiction.

Schools are being encouraged to find other ways for parents to communicate with children during the school day.

According to one of the country’s newspapers, China Daily, there has been heated debate among parents over the whether the ruling is practical.

The vast majority of children and teenagers in China access the internet via their own smartphones – 74% of under-18s, according to the government-affiliated China Internet Network Information Centre.

But the authorities are concerned about how internet use is affecting the health of the nation’s youth.

There have been rising levels of nearsightedness among children in China and in 2018, the authorities announced plans to regulate the gaming industry which was partially blamed for the problem. They also cited concerns that gaming addiction was damaging mental health.

The following year a curfew was imposed on under-18s, who were restricted to 90 minutes of gaming on weekdays and three hours on weekends and holidays.

Read more at: tinyurl.com/2zjlj89f

China bans mobile phones in schools and tightens social media

Didi Tang, Beijing Monday February 01 2021, 5.00pm GMT, The Times

China has banned pupils from bringing mobile phones to school to ensure that they concentrate on their studies.

The measure, which the education ministry said was to promote “healthy upbringing”, follows bans already introduced by some schools and local education authorities.

Beijing has also moved to further tighten control over social media, with internet companies launching a publicity drive to remind the public not to report or comment on political, economic, military and diplomatic news or big breaking stories.

(Subscription required) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-bans-mobile-phones-in-schools-and-tightens-social-media-87p59qvzd

•France:

In September 2018, the French government banned the use of mobile phones in schools. 

Phone use is banned inside school grounds

The law, according to Le Figaro, stipulates that children cannot use their telephones inside school grounds (or at school based activities outside of school such as sporting events or day trips) nor can they connect via any device to the internet. There are possible pedagogical exceptions for children with special needs.

It’s up to each school to determine how to police the ban, which applies to children in école maternelle (pre-school), école élémentaire (equivalent to junior high school, up to age 10) and collège, up to age 15 (ninth grade). At Lycée, which a teenager attends for the last 3 years of high school, individual establishments make their own rules regarding phone use.

https://tinyurl.com/y2ya3js5

Research continually shows how distracting cell phones are—so some schools want to ban them

In July of 2018, the French government passed a law banning cell phones in schools. According to CNN, the law passed 62 votes to one. The policy came into effect during the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year and impacts students in kindergarten through the 9th grade.

Some schools across the U.S. are enacting similar policies as a way to decrease distractions for students.

“It was a constant distraction for kids and what it became is a constant discipline issue,” Robin Kvalo, Principal of Portage High School, tells Wisconsin Public Radio. Kvalo says the school confiscated over 200 phones during the last school year, and that students and teachers are seeing results.

“They are not distracted anymore,” she says. “The phones are not their preoccupation. They know they can’t have the phones in the classroom. If that had been the case years ago, we wouldn’t have needed the policy.”

It doesn’t take a scientist to tell you that cell phones can be distracting, but if you do want confirmation from a scientist, it’s not hard to find. Study after study shows that the powerful computers we keep in our pockets can be distracting for even the most disciplined of adults — not to mention students.

https://tinyurl.com/y4eg3d3f

Images credit: Unsplash.com

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