This article was created by our former collaborator, Rawya Benaissa.
We all sometimes get carried away by certain habits. With screens, it’s even easier. For young children, teens, and young adults, the phone has become a constant companion. Between endless scrolling, likes, and notifications, we can quickly find ourselves hooked without even realizing it.
It’s normal that this happens: digital platforms are designed to capture our attention and stimulate our brain by sending small “rewards” (likes, notifications). This activates the dopamine circuit, which pushes us to come back again and again. Gradually, what was once a simple moment of relaxation can become a habit that is difficult to control.
A large study conducted by the University of Oxford (BrainWaves Study) showed that among adolescents, the more time spent on social media, the higher the risks of anxiety and depression (Gallacher et al., 2023).
Today, we spend on average more than 6 hours per day in front of screens. This is shown by a large European survey on our digital habits (Eurostat, 2023).
Among young people aged 16 to 24, this figure rises to more than 7 hours per day.
Social media, games, notifications, videos… digital technology is everywhere.
Yet the more we are connected, the more we can feel disconnected from ourselves and from others. This paradox is at the heart of what we call digital addiction.
“We think we are connected to the world, but often, we end up disconnected from ourselves.”
In Belgium, more than 1 in 3 young people already show signs of digital addiction (Statbel, survey 2023, published in 2024).
In Romania, according to WHO-HBSC 2022 data (published in 2024), nearly 28% of adolescents report having difficulty controlling their time spent online.
Recognized by the World Health Organization (2024), excessive screen use harms young people’s wellbeing.
Screens themselves do not “create” mental disorders.
But excessive and uncontrolled use, especially among the youngest, can weaken mental balance (WHO, 2024; Madigan et al., 2019; AAP, 2019).
Here are some well-known risks today:
Digital body dysmorphia is when a person becomes obsessed with their appearance by constantly comparing themselves to the perfect images seen online (often retouched or filtered).
Among children aged 2 to 5, high screen time is associated with language delays and difficulties in emotional regulation (Madigan et al., 2019; AAP, 2019).
So it is not the screen itself that is “the problem,” but the way we use it.
Learning to better regulate these uses is essential.
We know today that dependence on social networks is indeed a behavioral addiction, marked by a loss of control and negative effects on wellbeing.
Faced with these difficulties, the most recognized approach today to address digital addictions is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
I will link Camille’s article here.
CBT helps to understand why it is sometimes difficult to disconnect from screens, what we feel, what we think, and what we try to avoid. It provides concrete tools to regain control in a supportive framework.
In individual, group, or support formats — several possibilities exist:
A controlled experimental study, conducted in Iran by researchers at the Iran University of Medical Sciences (Alavi et al., 2021), showed that Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy (CBGT) reduces internet addiction symptoms and improves quality of life and mental health.
In addition, a literature review by King et al. (2017) on gaming disorder shows that group work helps to understand the mechanisms of addiction, strengthens motivation for change, and promotes regulation of emotions and screen time.
In short: we move forward better together.
For the youngest, it is more about adapted group workshops: games, creative activities, stories, moments of sharing.
These spaces allow the child to express what they experience with screens, to understand their emotions, and to strengthen their self-confidence.
This work is always done in connection with parents, because we know that to help a child regain balance, it is necessary to act on their entire environment: at home, at school, within the family.
Research shows that when parents are involved in the work with the child, it is much more effective in reducing problematic screen use and promoting more balanced and secure development (Domoff et al., 2019; Radesky et al., 2020).
In Belgium, there are still very few specialized therapeutic groups to concretely support people struggling with digital use.
“Because behind every screen, there is a need for connection.”
In Belgium, the Centre de Référence en Santé Mentale (CRéSaM) works on the effects that screens can have on our mental health and shares information to better understand them.
For its part, Faresa is a website that offers advice and online tools to help people going through difficulties, including those related to screen use.
