Tech Addiction: Should young people unplug?

Study shows that young people are unable to stay away from technology for a day. (iStock Photo)

Young adults report mental and physical symptoms of distress when they unplug from technology for an entire day, a research project suggests.

The project studied nearly 1,000 university students from 10 countries to see what happened when they tried to unplug from computers, televisions and MP3 players for 24 hours.

"A clear majority" of subjects were unable to stay away, according to the report, which was published by the International Center for Media at the University of Maryland.

"They expected the frustration. But they didn't expect to have the psychological effects, to be lonely, to be panicked, the anxiety, literally heart palpitations," said Susan Moeller, the professor of media who led the project.

Many students also reported mental and physical symptoms of distress and "employed the rhetoric of addiction, dependency and depression," when reporting their experiences of trying to go unplugged for a full day.

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What is your reaction to the University of Maryland report? Do you believe young people are too dependent on technology? Should young people try to 'unplug' more often? Share your thoughts in the field below.

(The survey is not scientific. The results are based on readers' responses.)