DetoxNology

I can't stay off my phone. And I'm afraid it's hurting my 2-year-old son.

Sometimes it's a breaking news story that draws me in, other times it's boredom. Whatever it is, this device in my hands — which gives me access to nearly all human knowledge plus all the cat videos I could ever want — is constantly calling for my attention.

Setting boundaries with my smartphone hasn't been easy. I'll sometimes sneak a quick glance at headlines when I'm in line at the grocery store or when we're waiting to see our son's pediatrician. Once I tapped on an alert during a religious service.

My wife, Laura, first realized I would have a problem when she saw my excitement ahead of Apple's iPhone launch in 2007. For years, she's told me I'm being rude when I look at my phone. Now we talk about whether my behavior is affecting our toddler, Theodore.

 Source NewsScientist - By Timothy Revell

Glued to your phone? A chemical imbalance in your brain may be to blame – a finding that may lead to new treatments for people who believe they are addicted to technology.

A study of teenagers who are “addicted” to their smartphones or the internet has found that people who struggle with so-called tech addiction seem to have more of a chemical that slows down brain signals, and less of a chemical that makes neurons more active.

Those who were addicted had more of a neurotransmitter called GABA, which is thought to help regulate anxiety, but less of the chemical glutamate, which causes neurons to become electrically excited.