One Day at a Time: Normalized Addiction and Recovery

Written anonymously from a recovering addict

“Steve Jobs was the original CEO of Apple back in the early aughts… before he died of [pancreatic cancer.] The main way that the iPhone had permeated the mainstream was that he and the developers of the original iPhone had consulted social scientists and psychologists to find ways to keep people engaged with their technology for as long as possible. They used focus groups using studies of the public to find out what colors would be most likely to be responded to (like red for notifications), what sounds people would respond to more for notifications, and what mechanics would be used to keep people engaged for longer. This basically started a technological and capital driven arms race in the world for technology ever since, as every tech or gaming company has been doing this [stuff] for years at this point using these little tricks and psychological ploys to keep you ensnared… the infinite scroll mechanic was for keeping people on sites like [TikTok]... for longer… Steve Jobs never gave his kids iPads because he knew what would happen if he were to give one to them and… he knew what he had created and he knew the damage that he was inadvertently causing with his invention.”

This was written to me by a friend of mine, A, a fellow internet and technology addict (ITA). These claims, while they sound baseless and wild, are backed up by an article written by Whitby School, which writes, “The fact is that Steve Jobs himself knew the risks associated with touch screen technology and still chose to unleash it upon the world.” It continues by citing a New York Times interview with Jobs about his decision to keep iPads from his kids. But to understand how people get an addiction, we have to understand the addiction itself.

Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous defines addiction with 10 questions, including “Do I reach for my devices whenever I have free time?” and “Do I hide or lie about the amount of time I spend online or the kinds of digital content I consume?” There are also more specific addictions, such as social media, gaming, streaming, and phone addiction. “Internet and technology addiction is a condition that can affect both adults and children, sometimes at a young age and sometimes later in life,” the site also states.

Stanford Medicine reports, “The average age at which children received their first phones was 11.6 years old, with phone acquisition climbing steeply between 10.7 and 12.5 years of age, a period during which half of the children acquired their first phones.” A quick sample of Mountain Range students gave an average of 9.1 years. 

Medline Plus also says that, “The earlier young people start using drugs, the greater their chances of continuing to use them and become addicted later in life.” Doing drugs and using tech can produce the chemical dopamine in our brains, which is connected to our reward center. When this happens, we want more dopamine, more of that relaxed feeling. This is what makes drugs like marijuana and methamphetamine, alcohol, and tech so addictive. “The brain remembers this surge and associates it with the addictive substance. However, with chronic use of the substance, over time the brain’s circuits adapt and become less sensitive to dopamine. Achieving that pleasurable sensation becomes increasingly important, but at the same time, you build tolerance and need more and more of that substance to generate the level of high you crave,” states an article written by Yale Medicine.

“[Tech] is [made] to keep your attention for as long as possible with all of these psychological tricks and then making profit off of it,” says A. “Whether we are buying cosmetics for our in-game character [or] scrolling infinitely so data brokers can sell your info to advertisers, it still follows the same logic and the same intent. When we engage with the addictive tech, we’re the product.” A has shared that they lost over $52.5k to their addiction before seeking recovery. “You don’t have to [have] an addictive personality either, this can happen to anyone… you are not alone and can find the help you need.”

If you or someone you know may struggle with ITA, there is hope. Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous holds worldwide accessible Zoom meetings everyday at many times, and has in-person meetings in select locations. Visit internetaddictsanonymous.org for help.

We do recover.