Many of us feel that we, or our children, spend too much time staring at a screen. From gaming to social media use or 'doomscrolling,' it can sometimes feel that we are mindlessly spending hours going down a rabbit hole of technology. However, according to Catherine Knibbs, a psychotherapist who specializes in cybertrauma and online harms, there are tangible steps we can all take to wrestle back control from the hands of the technology corporations.
In her new book, Managing Your Gaming and Social Media Habits: From Science to Solutions, part of the new Ask The Experts in Psychology series in partnership with the British Psychological Society, Knibbs argues that technology itself is neither good or bad. Rather, it depends on how it is used, and who it is used by.
"For some people social media and gaming offers a lifesaving space," says Knibbs. "Games provide a space for people to connect, and to combat other feelings that exist in their lives such as loneliness, anxiety, depression."
For example Knibbs points to the role that technology played in allowing us to connect with others during the COVID pandemic, when we couldn't socialize physically.
"Cyberspace connections result in people being connected, and young people and adults tell me that the communities they are part of online help them feel like they are with people who understand them, see them and have the same interests. This can help them when they feel alone and in need of support."
However problems can arise if a person spends so much time engaging with technology that they stop paying attention to full bladder signs, or no longer want to participate in the real world, Knibbs explains. Eventually it can lead to a situation where children skip school, or adults don't go to work.
The key, she suggests, is to manage our technology use so that we can reap the rewards without falling prey to the negative sides of screen use. According to Knibbs, the first step in this process is to understand the tricks that technology companies use to get you addicted to their apps and devices in the first place.
"Technology companies create products that deliberately tap into our inner most desires and needs so as to keep our attention on those products," says Knibbs.
