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Digital addict is colloquially used to describe a person whose interaction with technology is verging on excessive, threatening to absorb their attention above all else and consequently having a negative impact on the well-being of the user. Used as a conversational phrase, digital addict describes an increasingly common dependence on devices in the digital age. The phrase is used to highlight the possible danger in being over exposed to technology in an age where the scope for using digital technologies in everyday life is ever-increasing and the danger of becoming dependent upon them is a distinct possibility. ==Discourse== Stemming from existing terminology used to describe technological behaviour, and building upon phrases which suggest a more comfortable relationship with technology, digital addict engages with the possible negative side-effects of being a digital native, to recognise that technology should not be used without limitation. Founded in current research on the adverse consequences of overusing technology,〔http://www.ecswe.com/downloads/publications/QOC-V3/Chapter-4.pdf. Aric Sigman. The Impact of Screen Media on Children: A Eurovision for Parliament. August 2010. Accessed: 06 December 2013〕〔http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negative-impact_b_3343245.html. Cris Rowan. The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child. The Huffington Post. 29 May 2013. Accessed: 06 December 2013.〕 digital addict is used as an overarching phrase to suggest an increasing trend of compulsive behaviour amongst users of technological devices, recognising that over-exposure to and over-use of technology can result in a dependence on digital devices, leading to behavioural symptoms similar to any addictive disorder, as the user neglects to maintain a healthy balance between using technology and socialising outside of it. The negative side-effects of overusing technology have in recent decades attracted increasing attention as a legitimate psychological disorder. Unrestrained use of technological devices may impact upon developmental, social, mental and physical well-being and result in symptoms akin to other behavioural addiction.〔http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2479109/The-signs-child-addicted-iPad--digital-detox.html. Victoria Woollaston. The Five signs your child is addicted to their iPad – and how to give them a digital detox. 30 October 2013. Accessed: 22 January 2014.〕 Several clinics worldwide now offer treatment for internet addiction disorder,〔http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10425194/Child-internet-addicts-sent-to-4500-a-week-addiction-clinics.html. Laura Donnelly. Child internet addicts sent to £4,500 a week addiction clinics. The Telegraph. 04 November 2013. Accessed: 04 February 2014.〕〔http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/9009952/Internet-addiction-how-to-fight-it.html. Anonymous. Internet Addiction: How to fight it. The Telegraph. 12 January 2012. Accessed: 04 February 2014.〕 and several studies have sought to establish a connection between the use of the internet and patterns of behaviour〔http://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/jan/12/internet-health. Polly Curtis. Can you really be addicted to the internet? The Guardian. 12 January 2012. Accessed: 04 February 2013.〕〔http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/19/study-internet-addicts-suffer-withdrawal-symptoms-like-drug-users/. Ollie John. Study: Internet Addicts suffer withdrawal symptoms like drug users. TIME. 19 February 2013. Accessed: 04 February 2013.〕 Whilst not yet listed as a legitimate mental health disorder within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, in the 2013 edition (DSM-V) internet addiction disorder was recommended for further study within an appendix of the manual,〔http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=99602&. Jerald J Block. 01 March 2008. AMJ Psychiatry 2008;165:306-307. Accessed: 23 January 2014.〕〔http://www.dsm5.org/Newsroom/Documents/Addiction%20release%20FINAL%202.05.pdf. The American Psychiatric Association. News Release. DSM-5 Proposed Revision include new Category of Addiction and related disorders. 10 February 2010. Accessed: 24 January 2014.〕 demonstrating the addictive qualities of technology as warranting further medical and academic research. It is clear that, whilst still debated, the potential for internet or digital devices to have addictive qualities is an emerging concern. In recent years particular attention has been paid to how the over-use of technology may be affecting the younger generation. With an influx of technology designed for day-to-day use, many children are becoming increasingly reliant upon digital devices for education, social networking and entertainment. With young people spending less time interacting with their peers face to face and more time indoors than previous generations, the direct impact of digital devices on both physical and mental well-being is becoming of concern.〔Larson, L. R., Green, G. T., & Cordell, H. K. (2011). Children's Time Outdoors: Results and Implications of the National Kids Survey. Journal Of Park & Recreation Administration, 29(2), 1-20.〕 In December 2013 researchers from the University of Maryland concluded the majority of students studied to be “addicted” to their technological devices, likening their symptoms when forcibly separated from technology to those experienced when withdrawn from an addictive substance.〔http://theworldunplugged.wordpress.com/. International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, University of Maryland, USA. the world UNPLUGGED. 2011.〕 The potential developmental side-effects of internet use are also recognised by the American Academy of Paediatrics in children under two years of age.〔http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/10/12/peds.2011-1753.full.pdf+html. Council of Communications and Media. Media Use by Children younger than two years. Paediatrics: The Official Journal of the American Academy of Paediatrics. 17 October 2011. Accessed: 24 January 2014.〕 Furthermore, South Korea’s concern for the attachment its younger generation has to technology is even greater, with their parliament considering passing a law to curb obsessive game use within the country by classifying online gaming as a potentially anti-social addiction.〔http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/south-korea-considers-law-to-classify-online-gaming-as-a-potentially-antisocial-addiction-8998538.html. Heather Saul. South Korea considers law to classify online gaming as a potentially antisocial addiction.’ 11 December 2013. Accessed: 23 January 2014.〕 Whether by academics, medics, journalists or users themselves, concerns are voiced worldwide about the potentially addictive qualities of technology, building a legitimate case for considering digital addict a valid social descriptor, aptly describing a collective trend in media habits. Although the extent to which digital addiction can be considered of medical interest continues to be discussed, the recognition of technology overuse as a developing cultural and social issue remains important. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Digital addict」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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