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Early on in my career, I worked at residential facility for children who struggled with mental illness so much that they couldn’t live with their families. And one thing particularly stuck out to me during my time there – many of the children didn’t have hobbies. And if they did, they often revolved around electronics like video games or cell phones.

Because of this, my teammates and I made a strong effort to introduce different types of activities and experiences to the children in our dorm. Our daily schedule was filled with activities like soccer, going to the side yard, playing cards, listening to music, or traveling out into Chicago. The fundamental reasoning for this came down to a simple idea – the more hobbies a person develops, the healthier they will be.

After leaving Chicago, I began reading more about technology addiction and wellness. And in most studies determining criteria for things like video game disorder and social media disorder there was one thing that almost always made the list – displacement.

Displacement refers to the idea that when people are addicted to technology, they begin to displace activities that once brought them fulfillment. Instead of going to the park with a loved one, a person might choose to play video games. Instead of doing their homework or chores, a child might stay on their phone for the evening. Understanding displacement leads to an important question – what’s more harmful: technology or the displacement that occurs when someone uses technology?

The answer depends on the person and context. But in my experience, people drastically underestimate the negative effects of displacement, and, on the flip side, the potential ways that hobbies can prevent technology addiction.

Recreational Diversity and Technology Wellness

Combining my experiences in residential treatment and researching tech addictions, I’ve come up with an idea that could be beneficial to prevent and address technology addictions – recreational diversity.

Recreational diversity comes down to two basic actions anyone can take – increase your hobbies and diversify them. Research strongly suggests that having more hobbies contributes to improved mental health. One research study even suggested that having hobbies could reduce mortality more than having a purpose in life.

When it comes to preventing and addressing technology addictions, introducing or reintroducing hobbies could redisplace the time lost to electronics. This would not only reduce problematic technology use, but it could also provide the extensive mental health benefits associated with engaging in fulfilling hobbies.

Diversifying hobbies takes it a step further. In addition to increasing the number of hobbies, a person can benefit from making sure that those hobbies don’t fall into the same category. For example, a person who has 4 hobbies that center around sports is benefiting from physical exercise, but they might be lacking experiences that make them feel connected to others.

On the other hand, a person who enjoys several and different types of hobbies will be more likely to experience diverse experiences that can fulfill complex psychological needs.  And because people who feel fulfilled are less likely to gravitate towards technology in problematic ways, engaging in recreational diversity will also likely reduce the chances of developing a technology addiction.

In the case of the children that I worked with in the residential program, I witnessed the positive effects of encouraging them to participate in a variety of activities that balanced comfort and challenge. They became more physically active and healthy. They found artistic ways to express their emotions. And they began making sacrifices for each other. And, as a bonus, it reduced their technology consumption in way that didn’t seem like a punishment and gave them an opportunity to experience the true point of hobbies – to experience meaningful and fulfilling moments.

Need help for technology addiction for yourself or child? Request a free consultation or call 267-293-9903.

One of the questions I get most from parents is, “When should I give my child a phone?” I always respond with the same question, “How will you know when they are mature enough to handle it?”

Giving children a device shouldn’t depend on age. Children develop in different ways, and some take more time to handle certain things than others. To make sure your child is ready for a tech device, considering asking yourself these questions:

• “Does my child generally listen to me when I ask them to do things?”
• “Will my child listen to me when I ask them to stop using X device?”
• “Does my child complete chores/homework/other basic expectations without excessive prompting?”
• “Does my child have the knowledge and skills to know when something is dangerous?”
• “Does my child engage in other fulfilling activities?”

If the answers to these questions are no, consider ways you can teach your child the skills necessary to handle some type of tech. And the answers are mostly yes, have conversations about what needs to happen in order for them to get and continue using that device.

Concerns about gaming addiction come from individuals, parents, teachers, mental health professionals, and even governments. Several countries have implemented laws prohibiting children from playing specific video games or playing during certain time periods. For example, Venezuela banned shooting games in their country in 2009. China has recently prevented children from playing online games during weekdays and has limited gameplay to 1 hour each weekend night. South Korea implemented a law in 2011 that stopped children from playing between midnight and 6AM but reversed the law in 2021. These strict responses to video games display a growing concern about the negative effects gaming can have on people.

On the other end of the spectrum, many gaming advocates and researchers have expressed concern that gamers are at risk of being over-pathologized. In a study examining the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (Lemmens, Valkenburg, Gentile, 2015), the authors found that 53% of their participants wouldn’t have met any clinical criteria for gaming disorder. They also concluded that roughly 80% of their participants would have fallen into the category of “normal gamers,” with only 5% exhibiting criteria to meet a gaming addiction.

Although there is and will likely continue to be controversy about whether gaming disorder should be considered a primary diagnosis, many people throughout the world express having problems that arise from excessively playing video games. At the Center for Technology Wellness, our main concern is listening to the unique concerns that people have about their gaming and finding ways to help them address those concerns in a way that works for them or their children.