VIDEO GAMES
Video game popularity first began its climb in the late 1970s, and has been on an upward trajectory ever since, particularly with the arrival of highly interactive online multiplayer platforms in the late 1990s. Research dating back to the early 1980s suggested that video game addiction was problematic among students. In 2018, the World Health Organization recognized gaming disorder as a mental health condition that intrudes detrimentally into an addicted gamer’s sleep, work, education and ability to foster and maintain relationships in real life, while also impacting memory, attention span and stress management.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media addiction hasn’t been officially recognized, Falcione said, “but it’s pretty clear – at least within the literature – that it seems to be transposable to the extent that all the criteria for gaming disorder also apply to a social media or smartphone addiction.”
There are three main criteria, she explained. The first is that the person feels a need to use that media more and more, which can build a tolerance similar to that experienced by drug addicts. Second, she continues, “there’s a salience that it becomes the most prominent thing in your life — it’s what you think about the most, it’s what you want to do the most, and even if you’re not on your phone, you’re thinking about it, craving it and choosing it over other activities that may need your attention.” The third criteria is that its use creates internal conflict or turmoil as it interferes with relationships or obligations to work or school.
“For teens and college students, when you see those grades drop, that’s a big signal that the media use is actually becoming detrimental,” Falcione said.
The original version of this article appeared in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of UC Santa Barbara Magazine.