Daniel Dziewit, a Polish addiction therapist, columnist and writer, said modern digital platforms are designed to keep users online and make them dependent on constant stimulation.
Dziewit is the author of Enter i znikasz (Hit Enter and You Disappear), described by the publisher as "a story about humanity and the technologies that stormed into our homes and overturned the table."
Dziewit said the problem goes beyond the amount of time children spend in front of screens. He argued that social media, gaming platforms, and algorithms are changing how young people think, weakening their concentration and pulling them away from relationships in the physical world.
“A child sits next to his father or mother on the sofa, but mentally has long been living in TikTok, Discord or the world of computer games,” he said.
He compared some children’s reactions to losing internet or smartphone access to withdrawal symptoms seen in other addictions.
“Parents turn off the internet and the child goes into a rage,” Dziewit said. He added that in his therapeutic practice, some young people respond “like a person in drug withdrawal.”
Dziewit said many adults are afraid to set boundaries or enforce limits on phone and internet use.
He also criticized schools for encouraging children to use messaging apps and social media platforms without proper adult supervision.
The therapist warned that dependence on instant digital rewards can damage attention spans, reduce reading habits, and make it harder for children to build patience and deeper social bonds.
He also said that technology companies treat users mainly as “a resource to be exploited,” with algorithms designed to keep people in front of screens for as long as possible.
“Smartphones should be an addition to life, not a command center for the human being,” Dziewit said.
He also reflected on the role of religion and the Roman Catholic Church in the digital age, saying that even institutions traditionally based on silence, reflection, and face-to-face contact have been drawn into the logic of constant notification.
“Technology is beginning to become the new religion of the modern world,” he said. “It gives an immediate answer, immediate gratification, and a sense of control.”
He added: "If even institutions that for centuries were based on reflection and face-to-face relationships begin to function according to the logic of constant notification and digital stimulus, that means the problem is much deeper than we think."
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP