Are we becoming addicted to technology?

PEOPLE are not shocked and amazed by technology like they used to be. It has become normal for grandmothers to check the weather, send a text, pay a bill and look up a restaurant review in about five minutes on the same device — all while listening to music, of course.

At this point, though, technology threatens to infiltrate some of our lives to the brink of being too much.

A recent study done at the University of Maryland found people might be addicted to technology. After asking a group of college students to give up all technology for 24 hours, including iPods, cellphones and laptops, participants reported feelings of withdrawal and anxiety.

That is not so surprising, considering children age 8 through 18 spend an average 7.5 hours per day using such devices. Or that half of teens, 12 through 17, report sending 50 or more text messages per day, and one-third send 100 or more.

One study participant described sending a text message every minute or so, and felt ashamed for not being able to go 24 hours without a cellphone.

Even more damaging than occupying the time of teenagers is the potential effect so much technology might have on how children develop.

Researchers are beginning to question if they will become less interested in face-to-face interactions, which are important for social and emotional skills, such as reading body language or feeling empathy.

Technology has been beneficial in many ways. Some parents point out that social-networking sites such as Facebook have been particularly helpful in starting friendships for children too shy to interact in person. The question is, how big of a role should technology play in our lives?

Sending text messages every few minutes and spending more than seven hours a day using technology is just too much. Parents would do well to initiate some changes to ensure they are not contributing to creation of a generation of socially and emotionally inept children.