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For Better or Worse, Technology Is Taking Over the Health World

Sarah Fielding is a freelance writer covering a range of topics with a focus on mental health and women's issues.

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years’ experience in consumer-oriented health and wellness content. He keeps a DSM-5 on hand just in case.

For many people over the past year and a half, the world has existed primarily through a screen. With social distancing measures in place to protect individuals from becoming infected with the coronavirus, technology has stepped in to fill the void of physical connections. It’s also become a space for navigating existing and new mental health conditions through virtual therapy sessions, meditation apps, mental health influencers, and beyond.

“Over the years, mental health and technology have started touching each other more and more, and the pandemic accelerated that in an unprecedented way,” says Naomi Torres-Mackie, PhD , the head of research at The Mental Health Coalition , a clinical psychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. “This is especially the case because the pandemic has highlighted the importance of mental health for everyone as we struggle to make sense of an overwhelming new world and can find mental health information and services online.” 

This shift is especially critical, with a tremendous spike occurring in mental health conditions. In the period between January and June 2019, 11% of US adults reported experiencing symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder. In January 2021, 10 months into the pandemic, in one survey that number increased to 41.1%. Research also points to a potential connection for some between having COVID-19 and developing a mental health condition—whether or not you previously had one.

The pandemic’s bridge between mental health and technology has helped to “meet the needs of many suffering from depression, anxiety, life transition, grief, family conflict, and addiction,” says Miyume McKinley, MSW, LCSW , a psychotherapist and founder of Epiphany Counseling, Consulting & Treatment Services.

Naomi Torres-Mackie, PhD

The risk of greater access is that the floodgates are open for anyone to say anything about mental health, and there’s no vetting process or way to truly check credibility.

This increased reliance on technology to facilitate mental health care and support appears to be a permanent one. Torres-Mackie has witnessed mental health clinicians drop their apprehension around virtual services throughout the pandemic and believes they will continue for good.

“Almost all therapists seem to be at least offering virtual sessions, and a good portion have transitioned their practices to be entirely virtual, giving up their traditional in-person offices,” adds Carrie Torn, MSW, LCSW , a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist in private practice in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The general public is also more receptive to technology’s expanded role in mental health care. “The pandemic has created a lasting relationship between technology, and it has helped increase access to mental health services across the world,” says McKinley. “There are lots of people seeking help who would not have done so prior to the pandemic, either due to the discomfort or because they simply didn’t know it was possible to obtain such services via technology.”

Accessibility Is a Tremendous Benefit of Technology

Every expert interviewed agreed: Accessibility is an undeniable and indispensable benefit of mental health’s increasing presence online. Torn points out, “We can access information, including mental health information and treatment like never before, and it’s low cost.”

A 2018 study found that, at the time, 74% of Americans didn’t view mental health as accessible to everyone. Participants cited long wait times, a lack of affordable options, low awareness, and social stigma as barriers to mental health care. The evolution of mental health and technology has alleviated some of these issues—whether it be through influencers creating open discussions around mental health and normalizing it or low-cost therapy apps . In addition, wait times may reduce when people are no longer tied to seeing a therapist in their immediate area.

While some people may still be apprehensive about trying digital therapy, research has shown that it is an effective strategy for managing your mental health. A 2020 review of 17 studies published in EClinicalMedicine found that online cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions were at least as effective at reducing the severity of depression symptoms than in-person sessions. There wasn’t a significant difference in participant satisfaction between the two options.

There Are Limitations to Mental Health and Technology’s Increasing Closeness

One of the most prevalent limitations of technology-fueled mental health care and awareness is the possibility of misleading or inaccurate information.  

If you’re attending digital sessions with a therapist, it’s easy to check their qualifications and reviews. However, for most other online mental health resources, it can be more challenging but remains just as critical to verify their expertise and benefits. “The risk of greater access is that the floodgates are open for anyone to say anything about mental health, and there’s no vetting process or way to truly check credibility,” says Torres-Mackle.

To that point, James Giordano, PhD, MPhil , professor of neurology and ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center and author of the book “Neurotechnology: Premises, Potential, and Problems,” cautions that, while there are guiding institutions, the market still contains “unregulated products, resources, and services, many of which are available via the internet. Thus, it’s very important to engage due diligence when considering the use of any mental health technology .” 

 Verywell / Alison Czinkota 

McKinley raises another valuable point: A person’s home is not always a space they can securely explore their mental health. “For many individuals, home is not a safe place due to abuse, addiction, toxic family, or unhealthy living environments,” she says. “Despite technology offering a means of support, if the home is not a safe place, many people won’t seek the help or mental health treatment that they need. For some, the therapy office is the only safe place they have.” Due to the pandemic and a general limit on private places outside of the home to dive into your personal feelings, someone in this situation may struggle to find opportunities for help.

Miyume McKinley, MSW, LCSW

There are lots of people seeking help that would not have done so prior to the pandemic, either due to the discomfort or because they simply didn’t know it was possible to obtain such services via technology.

Torn explains that therapists who work for tech platforms can also suffer due to burnout and low pay. She claims that some of these platforms prioritize seeing new clients instead of providing time for existing clients to grow their relationship. “I’ve heard about clients having to jump from one therapist to the next, or therapists who can’t even leave stops open for their existing clients, and instead their schedule gets filled with new clients,” she says. “Therapists are burning out in general right now, and especially on these platforms, which leads to a lower quality of care for clients.”

Screen Time Can Also Have a Negative Impact

As mental health care continues to spread into online platforms, clinicians and individuals must contend with society’s growing addiction to tech and extended screen time’s negative aspects.

Social media, in particular, has been shown to impact an individual’s mental health negatively. A 2019 study looked at how social media affected feelings of social isolation in 1,178 students aged 18 to 30. While having a positive experience on social media didn’t improve it, each 10% increase in negative experiences elevated social isolation feelings by 13%.

Verywell / Alison Czinkota

While certain aspects like Zoom therapy and mental health influencers require looking at a screen, you can use other digital options such as meditation apps without constantly staring at your device.

What to Be Mindful of as You Explore Mental Health Within Technology

Nothing is all bad or all good and that stands true for mental health’s increased presence within technology. What’s critical is being aware that “technology is a tool, and just like any tool, its impact depends on how it's used,” says Torres-Mackie.

For example, technology can produce positive results if you use the digital space to access treatment that you may have struggled to otherwise, support your mental well-being, or gather helpful—and credible—information about mental health. In contrast, she explains that diving into social media or other avenues only to compare yourself with others and avoid your responsibilities can have negative repercussions on your mental health and relationships. 

Giordano expresses the importance of staying vigilant about your relationship with and reliance on tech and your power to control it. 

With that in mind, pay attention to how much time you spend online. “We are spending less time outside, and more time glued to our screens. People are constantly comparing their lives to someone else's on social media, making it harder to be present in the moment and actually live our lives,” says Torn. 

Between the increase in necessary services moving online and trying to connect with people through a screen, it’s critical to take time away from your devices. According to a 2018 study, changing your social media habits, in particular, can improve your overall well-being . Participants limited Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat use to 10 minutes a day per platform for three weeks. At the end of the study, they showed significant reductions in depression and loneliness compared to the control group. However, even the increased awareness of their social media use appeared to help the control group lower feelings of anxiety and fear of missing out.

“Remember, it’s okay to turn your phone off. It’s okay to turn notifications off for news, apps, and emails,” says McKinley. Take opportunities to step outside, spend time with loved ones, and explore screen-free self-care activities. She adds, “Most of the things in life that make life worthwhile cannot be found on our devices, apps, or through technology—it’s found within ourselves and each other.”

Kaiser Family Foundation. The implications of COVID-19 for mental health and substance use .

Taquet M, Luciano S, Geddes JR, Harrison PJ. Bidirectional associations between COVID-19 and psychiatric disorder: retrospective cohort studies of 62 354 COVID-19 cases in the USA . Lancet Psychiatry . 2021;8(2):130-140. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30462-4

Luo C, Sanger N, Singhal N, et al. A comparison of electronically-delivered and face to face cognitive behavioural therapies in depressive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis . EClinicalMedicine . 2020;24:100442. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100442

Primack BA, Karim SA, Shensa A, Bowman N, Knight J, Sidani JE. Positive and negative experiences on social media and perceived social isolation . Am J Health Promot . 2019;33(6):859-868. doi:10.1177/0890117118824196

Hunt MG, Marx R, Lipson C, Young J. No more FOMO: Limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression . J Soc Clin Psychol . 2018;37(10):751-768. doi:10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751

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The impact of digital technology use on adolescent well-being


El impacto del empleo de la tecnología digital en el bienestar de los adolescents, impact de l’usage des technologies numériques sur le bien-être de l’adolescent, tobias dienlin.

School of Communication, University of Hohenheim, Germany

Niklas Johannes

Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, UK

This review provides an overview of the literature regarding digital technology use and adolescent well-being. Overall, findings imply that the general effects are on the negative end of the spectrum but very small. Effects differ depending on the type of use: whereas procrastination and passive use are related to more negative effects, social and active use are related to more positive effects. Digital technology use has stronger effects on short-term markers of hedonic well-being (eg, negative affect) than long-term measures of eudaimonic well-being (eg, life satisfaction). Although adolescents are more vulnerable, effects are comparable for both adolescents and adults. It appears that both low and excessive use are related to decreased well-being, whereas moderate use is related to increased well-being. The current research still has many limitations: High-quality studies with large-scale samples, objective measures of digital technology use, and experience sampling of well-being are missing.


Esta revisión entrega una panorámica de la literatura acerca del empleo de la tecnología digital y el bienestar de los adolescentes. En general, los resultados traducen que los efectos globales son negativos, aunque muy insignificantes. Los efectos difieren según el tipo de empleo: la procastinación y el empleo pasivo están relacionados con efectos más negativos; en cambio, el empleo social y activo se asocia con efectos más positivos. El empleo de la tecnología digital tiene efectos más potentes en los indicadores de corto plazo del bienestar hedónico (como los afectos negativos) que las mediciones a largo plazo del bienestar eudaimónico (como la satisfacción con la vida). Aunque los adolescentes son más vulnerables, los efectos son comparables para adolescentes y adultos. Parece que tanto el empleo reducido como el excesivo están relacionados con una disminución del bienestar, mientras que el empleo moderado se vincula con un mayor bienestar. La investigación actual todavía tiene muchas limitaciones: faltan estudios de alta calidad con muestras numerosas, mediciones objetivas del empleo de tecnología digital y muestras de experiencia de bienestar.

Nous proposons ici une revue de la littérature sur la pratique des technologies numériques et le bien-être de l’adolescent. Les données générales sont en faveur d’un effet négatif mais qui reste négligeable. L’usage définit la nature de l’effet : la procrastination et la passivité sont associées à un effet plus négatif alors qu’une pratique active et tournée vers la socialisation s’associe à un effet plus positif. Les effets sont plus importants sur les marqueurs à court terme du bien-être hédonique (comme les affects négatifs) que sur ceux à long terme du bien-être eudémonique (épanouissement personnel) ; ils sont comparables chez les adultes et les adolescents, même si ces derniers sont plus fragiles. Une utilisation excessive ou à l’inverse insuffisante semble diminuer le bien-être, alors qu’une pratique modérée l’augmenterait. Cependant, la recherche actuelle manque encore d’études de qualité élevée à grande échelle, de mesures objectives de la pratique des technologies numériques et d’expérience d’échantillonnage du bien-être.

With each new technology come concerns about its potential impact on (young) people’s well-being. 1 In recent years, both scholars and the public have voiced concerns about the rise of digital technology, with a focus on smartphones and social media. 2 To ascertain whether or not these concerns are justified, this review provides an overview of the literature regarding digital technology use and adolescent well-being. 


Digital technology use and well-being are broad and complex concepts. To understand how technology use might affect well-being, we first define and describe both concepts. Furthermore, adolescence is a distinct stage of life. To obtain a better picture of the context in which potential effects unfold, we then examine the psychological development of adolescents. Afterward, we present current empirical findings about the relation between digital technology use and adolescent well-being. Because the empirical evidence is mixed, we then formulate six implications in order to provide some general guidelines, and end with a brief conclusion.


Digital technology use


Digital technology use is an umbrella term that encompasses various devices, services, and types of use. Most adolescent digital technology use nowadays takes place on mobile devices. 3 , 4 Offering the functions and affordances of several other media, smartphones play a pivotal role in adolescent media use and are thus considered a “metamedium.” 5 Smartphones and other digital devices can host a vast range of different services. A representative survey of teens in the US showed that the most commonly used digital services are YouTube (85%), closely followed by the social media Instagram (72%), and Snapchat (69%). Notably, there exist two different types of social media: social networking sites such as Instagram or TikTok and instant messengers such as WhatsApp or Signal.


All devices and services offer different functionalities and affordances, which result in different types of use . 6 When on social media, adolescents can chat with others, post, like, or share. Such uses are generally considered active . In contrast, adolescents can also engage in passive use, merely lurking and watching the content of others. The binary distinction between active and passive use does not yet address whether behavior is considered as procrastination or goal-directed. 7 , 8 For example, chatting with others can be considered procrastination if it means delaying work on a more important task. Observing, but not interacting with others’ content can be considered to be goal-directed if the goal is to stay up to date with the lives of friends. Finally, there is another important distinction between different types of use: whether use is social or nonsocial. 9 Social use captures all kinds of active interpersonal communication, such as chatting and texting, but also liking photos or sharing posts. Nonsocial use includes (specific types of) reading and playing, but also listening to music or watching videos.


When conceptualizing and measuring these different types of digital technology use, there are several challenges. Collapsing all digital behaviors into a single predictor of well-being will inevitably decrease precision, both conceptually and empirically. Conceptually, subsuming all these activities and types of use under one umbrella term fails to acknowledge that they serve different functions and show different effects. 10 Understanding digital technology use as a general behavior neglects the many forms such behavior can take. Therefore, when asking about the impact of digital technology use on adolescent well-being, we need to be aware that digital technology use is not a monolithic concept.


Empirically, a lack of validated measures of technology use adds to this imprecision. 11 Most work relies on self-reports of technology use. Self-reports, however, have been shown to be imprecise and of low validity because they correlate poorly with objective measures of technology use. 12 In the case of smartphones, self-reported duration of use correlated moderately, at best, with objectively logged use. 13 These findings are mirrored when comparing self-reports of general internet use with objectively measured use. 14 Taken together, in addition to losing precision by subsuming all types of technology use under one behavioral category, the measurement of this category contributes to a lack of precision. To gain precision, it is necessary that we look at effects for different types of use, ideally objectively measured.


Well-being


Well-being is a subcategory of mental health. Mental health is generally considered to consist of two parts: negative and positive mental health. 15 Negative mental health includes subclinical negative mental health, such as stress or negative affect, and psychopathology, such as depression or schizophrenia. 16 Positive mental health is a synonym for well-being; it comprises hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being. 17 Whereas hedonic well-being is affective, focusing on emotions, pleasure, or need satisfaction, eudaimonic well-being is cognitive, addressing meaning, self-esteem, or fulfillment.


Somewhat surprisingly, worldwide mental health problems have not increased in recent decades. 18 Similarly, levels of general life satisfaction remained stable during the last 20 years. 19 , 20 Worth noting, the increase in mental health problems that has been reported 21 could merely reflect increased awareness of psychosocial problems. 22 , 23 In other words, an increase in diagnoses might not mean an increase in psychopathology.


Which part of mental health is the most likely to be affected by digital technology use? Empirically, eudaimonic well-being, such as life satisfaction, is stable. Although some researchers maintain that 40% of happiness is volatile and therefore malleable, 24 more recent investigations argued that the influences of potentially stabilizing factors such as genes and life circumstances are substantially larger. 25 These results are aligned with the so-called set-point hypothesis, which posits that life satisfaction varies around a fixed level, showing much interpersonal but little intrapersonal variance. 26 The hypothesis has repeatedly found support in empirical studies, which demonstrate the stability of life satisfaction measures. 27 , 28 Consequently, digital technology use is not likely to be a strong predictor of eudaimonic well-being. In contrast, hedonic well-being such as positive and negative affect is volatile and subject to substantial fluctuations. 17 Therefore, digital technology use might well be a driver of hedonic well-being: Watching entertaining content can make us laugh and raise our spirits, while reading hostile comments makes us angry and causes bad mood. In sum, life satisfaction is stable, and technology use is more likely to affect temporary measures of hedonic well-being instead of more robust eudaimonic well-being. If this is the case, we should expect small to medium-sized effects on short-term affect, but small to negligible effects on both long-term affect and life satisfaction.


Adolescents


Adolescence is defined as “the time between puberty and adult independence,” 29 during which adolescents actively develop their personalities. Compared with adults, adolescents are more open-minded, more social-oriented, less agreeable, and less conscientious 30 ; more impulsive and less capable of inhibiting behavior 31 ; more risk-taking and sensation seeking 29 ; and derive larger parts of their well-being and life satisfaction from other peers. 32 During adolescence, general levels of life satisfaction and self-esteem drop and are often at their all-time lowest. 33 , 34 At the same time, media use increases and reaches a first peak in late adolescence. 3 Analyzing the development of several well-being-related variables across the last two decades, the answers of 46 817 European adolescents and young adults show that, whereas overall internet use has risen strongly, both life satisfaction and health problems remained stable. 19 Hence, although adolescence is a critical life stage with substantial intrapersonal fluctuations related to well-being, the current generation does not seem to do better or worse than those before.


Does adolescent development make them particularly susceptible to the influence of digital technology? Several scholars argue that combining the naturally occurring trends of low self-esteem, a spike in technology use, and higher suggestibility into a causal narrative can take the form of a foregone conclusion. 35 For one, although adolescents are in a phase of development, there might be more similarities between adolescents and adults than differences. 30 Concerns about the effects of a new technology on an allegedly vulnerable group has historically often taken the form of paternalization. 36 For example, and maybe in contrast to popular opinion, adolescents already possess much media literacy or privacy literacy. 3 


This has two implications. First, asking what technology does to adolescents ascribes an unduly passive role to adolescents, putting them in the place of simply responding to technology stimuli. Recent theoretical developments challenge such a one-directional perspective and advise to rather ask what adolescents do with digital technology , including their type of use. 37 Second, in order to understand the effects of digital technology use on well-being, it might not be necessary to focus on adolescents. It is likely that similar effects can be found for both adolescents and adults. True, in light of the generally decreased life satisfaction and the generally increased suggestibility, results might be more pronounced for adolescents; however, it seems implausible that they are fundamentally different. When assessing how technology might affect adolescents compared with adults, we can think of adolescents as “canaries in the coalmine.” 38 If digital technology is indeed harmful, it will affect people from all ages, but adolescents are potentially more vulnerable.


Effects


What is the effect of digital technology use on well-being? If we ask US adolescents directly, 31% are of the opinion that the effects are mostly positive, 45% estimate the effects to be neither positive nor negative, and 24% believe that effects are mostly negative. 4 Teens who considered the effects to be positive stated that social media help (i) connect with friend; (ii) obtain information; and (c) find like-minded people. 4 Those who considered the effects to be negative explained that social media increase the risks of (i) bullying; (ii) neglecting face-to-face contacts; (iii) obtaining unrealistic impressions of other people’s lives. 4 


Myriad studies lend empirical support to adolescents’ mixed feelings, reporting a wide range of positive, 39 neutral, 40 or negative 41 relations between specific measures of digital technology use and well-being. Aligned with these mixed results of individual studies, several meta-analyses support the lack of a clear effect. 42 In an analysis of 43 studies on the effects of online technology use on adolescent mental well-being, Best et al 43 found that “[t]he majority of studies reported either mixed or no effect(s) of online social technologies on adolescent wellbeing.” Analyzing eleven studies on the relation between social media use and depressive symptoms, McCrae et al 44 report a small positive relationship. Similarly, Lissak 45 reports positive relations between excessive screen time and insufficient sleep, physiological stress, mind wandering, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behavior, nonadaptive/negative thinking styles, decreased life satisfaction, and potential health risks in adulthood. On the basis of 12 articles, Wu et al 46 find that “the use of [i]nternet technology leads to an increased sense of connectedness to friend[s] and school, while at the same time increasing levels of anxiety and loneliness among adolescents.” Relatedly, meta-analyses on the relation between social media use and adolescent academic performance find no or negligible effects. 47 


It is important to note that the overall quality of the literature these meta-analyses rely upon has been criticized. 48 This is problematic because low quality of individual studies biases meta-analyses. 49 To achieve higher quality, scholars have called for more large-scale studies using longitudinal designs, objective measures of digital technology use that differentiate types of use, experience sampling measures of well-being (ie, in-the-moment measures of well-being; also known as ambulant assessment or in situ assessment), and a statistical separation of between-person variance and within-person variance. 50 In addition, much research cannot be reproduced because the data and the analysis scripts are not shared. 51 In what follows, we look at studies that implemented some of these suggestions.


Longitudinal studies generally find a complex pattern of effects. In an 8 year study of 500 adolescents in the US, time spent on social media was positively related to anxiety and depression on the between-person level. 52 At the within-person level, these relationships disappeared. The study concludes that those who use social media more often might also be those with lower mental health; however, there does not seem to be a causal link between the two. A study on 1157 Croatians in late adolescence supports these findings. Over a period of 3 years, changes in social media use and life satisfaction were unrelated, speaking to the stability of life satisfaction. 40 In a sample of 1749 Australian adolescents, Houghton et al 53 distinguished between screen activities (eg, web browsing or gaming) and found overall low within-person relations between total screen time and depressive symptoms. Out of all activities, only web surfing was a significant within-person predictor of depressive symptoms. However, the authors argue that this effect might not survive corrections for multiple testing. Combining a longitudinal design with experience sampling in a sample of 388 US adolescents, Jensen et al 54 did not find a between-person association between baseline technology use and mental health. Interestingly, they only observed few and small within-person effects. Heffer et al 55 found no relation between screen use and depressive symptoms in 594 Canadian adolescents over 2 years. These results emphasize the growing need for more robust and transparent methods and analysis. In large adolescent samples from the UK and the US, a specification curve analysis, which provides an overview of many different plausible analyses, found small, negligible relations between screen use and well-being, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. 56 Employing a similar analytical approach, Orben, Dienlin, and Przybylski 57 found small negative between-person relations between social media use and life satisfaction in a large UK sample of adolescents over 7 years. However, there was no robust within-person effect. Similarly, negligible effect sizes between adolescent screen use and well-being are found in cross-sectional data sets representative of the population in the UK and US. 58 In analyzing the potential effects of social media abstinence on well-being, two large-scale studies using adult samples found small positive effects of abstinence on well-being. 59 , 60 Two studies with smaller and mostly student samples instead found mixed 61 or no effects of abstinence on well-being. 62 


The aforementioned studies often relied on composite measures of screen use, possibly explaining the overall small effects. In contrast, work distinguishing between different types of use shows that active use likely has different effects than passive use. Specifically, active use may contribute to making meaningful social connections, whereas passive use does not. 9 For example, meaningful social interactions have been shown to increase social gratification in adults, 63 , 64 whereas passive media use or media use as procrastination has been negatively related to well-being. 6 , 8 This distinction should also apply to adolescents. 6 The first evidence for this proposition already exists. In a large sample of Icelandic adolescents, passive social media use was positively related to anxiety and depressive symptoms; the opposite was the case for active use. 65 


Furthermore, longitudinal work so far relies on self-reports of media use. Self-reported media use has been shown to be inaccurate compared with objectively measured use. 14 Unfortunately, there is little work employing objective measures to test whether the results of longitudinal studies using self-reports hold up when objective use is examined. The limited existing evidence suggests that effects remain small. In a convenience sample of adults, only phone use at night negatively predicted well-being. 66 Another study that combined objective measures of social smartphone applications with experience sampling in young adults found a weak negative relation between objective use and well-being. 67 


Effects might also not be linear. Whereas both low and high levels of internet use have been shown to be associated with slightly decreased life satisfaction, moderate use has been shown to be related to slightly increased life satisfaction. 10 , 35 , 68 However, evidence for this position is mixed; other empirical studies did not find this pattern of effects. 53 , 54 


Taken together, do the positive or the negative effects prevail? The literature implies that the relationship between technology use and adolescent well-being is more complicated than an overall negative linear effect. In line with meta-analyses on adults, effects of digital technology use in general are mostly neutral to small. In their meta-review of 34 meta-analyses and systematic reviews, Meier and Reinecke 42 summarize that “[f]indings suggest an overall (very) small negative association between using SNS [social networking sites], the most researched CMC [computer mediated communication] application, and mental health.” In conclusion, the current literature is mostly ambivalent, although slightly emphasizing the negative effects of digital tech use.


Implications


Although there are several conflicting positions and research findings, some general implications emerge:


1. The general effects of digital technology use on well-being are likely in the negative spectrum, but very small—potentially too small to matter.


2. No screen time is created equal; different uses will lead to different effects.


3. Digital technology use is more likely to affect short-term positive or negative affect than long-term life satisfaction.


4. The dose makes the poison; it appears that both low and excessive use are related to decreased well-being, whereas moderate use is related to increased well-being.


5. Adolescents are likely more vulnerable to effects of digital technology use on well-being, but it is important not to patronize adolescents—effects are comparable and adolescents not powerless.


6. The current empirical research has several limitations: high-quality studies with large-scale samples, objective measures of digital technology use, and experience sampling of well-being are still missing.


Conclusion


Despite almost 30 years of research on digital technology, there is still no coherent empirical evidence as to whether digital technology hampers or fosters well-being. Most likely, general effects are small at best and probably in the negative spectrum. As soon as we take other factors into account, this conclusion does not hold up. Active use that aims to establish meaningful social connections can have positive effects. Passive use likely has negative effects. Both might follow a nonlinear trend. However, research showing causal effects of general digital technology use on well-being is scarce. In light of these limitations, several scholars argue that technology use has a mediating role69: already existing problems increase maladapted technology use, which then decreases life satisfaction. Extreme digital technology use is more likely to be a symptom of an underlying sociopsychological problem than vice versa. In sum, when assessing the effects of technology use on adolescent well-being, one of the best answers is that it’s complicated.


This lack of evidence is not surprising, because there is no consensus on central definitions, measures, and methods. 42 Specifically, digital technology use is an umbrella term that encompasses many different behaviors. Furthermore, it is theoretically unclear as to why adolescents in particular should be susceptible to the effects of technology and what forms of well-being are candidates for effects. At the same time, little research adopts longitudinal designs, differentiates different types of technology use, or measures technology use objectively. Much work in the field has also been criticized for a lack of transparency and rigor. 51 Last, research (including this review) is strongly biased toward a Western perspective. In other cultures, adolescents use markedly different services (such as WeChat or Renren, etc). Although we assume most effects to be comparable, problems seem to differ somewhat. For example, online gaming addiction is more prevalent in Asian than Western cultures. 70 


Adults have always criticized the younger generation, and media (novels, rock music, comic books, or computer games) have often been one of the culprits. 1 Media panics are cyclical, and we should refrain from simply blaming the unknown and the novel. 1 In view of the public debate, we should rather emphasize that digital technology is not good or bad per se. Digital technology does not “happen” to individuals. Individuals, instead, actively use technology, often with much competence. 3 The current evidence suggests that typical digital technology use will not harm a typical adolescent. That is not to say there are no individual cases and scenarios in which effects might be negative and large. Let’s be wary, but not alarmist.


Acknowledgments

Both authors declare no conflicts of interest. Both authors contributed equally to this manuscript. Tobias Dienlin receives funding from the Volkswagen Foundation. We would like to thank Amy Orben for valuable feedback and comments

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A global, 16-year study 1 of 2.4 million people has found that Internet use might boost measures of well-being, such as life satisfaction and sense of purpose — challenging the commonly held idea that Internet use has negative effects on people’s welfare.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01410-z

Vuorre, M. & Przybylski, A. K. Technol. Mind Behav . https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000127 (2024).

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Heffer, T. et al. Clin. Psychol. Sci. 7 , 462–470 (2018).

Coyne, S. M., Rogers, A. A., Zurcher, J. D., Stockdale, L. & Booth, M. Comput. Hum. Behav . 104 , 106160 (2020).

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What Makes Technology Good or Bad for Us?

Everyone’s worried about smartphones. Headlines like “ Have smartphones destroyed a generation? ” and “ Smartphone addiction could be changing your brain ” paint a bleak picture of our smartphone addiction and its long-term consequences. This isn’t a new lament—public opinion at the advent of the newspaper worried that people would forego the stimulating pleasures of early-morning conversation in favor of reading the daily .

Is the story of technology really that bad? Certainly there’s some reason to worry. Smartphone use has been linked to serious issues, such as dwindling attention spans , crippling depression , and even increased incidence of brain cancer . Ultimately, though, the same concern comes up again and again: Smartphones can’t be good for us, because they’re replacing the real human connection of the good old days.

Everyone’s heard how today’s teens just sit together in a room, texting, instead of actually talking to each other. But could those teenagers actually be getting something meaningful and real out of all that texting?

The science of connection

A quick glance at the research on technology-mediated interaction reveals an ambivalent literature. Some studies show that time spent socializing online can decrease loneliness , increase well-being , and help the socially anxious learn how to connect to others. Other studies suggest that time spent socializing online can cause loneliness , decrease well-being , and foster a crippling dependence on technology-mediated interaction to the point that users prefer it to face-to-face conversation.

It’s tempting to say that some of these studies must be right and others wrong, but the body of evidence on both sides is a little too robust to be swept under the rug. Instead, the impact of social technology is more complicated. Sometimes, superficially similar behaviors have fundamentally different consequences. Sometimes online socialization is good for you, sometimes it’s bad, and the devil is entirely in the details.

This isn’t a novel proposition; after all, conflicting results started appearing within the first few studies into the internet’s social implications, back in the 1990s. Many people have suggested that to understand the consequences of online socialization, we need to dig deeper into situational factors and circumstances. But what we still have to do is move beyond recognition of the problem to provide an answer: When, how, and why are some online interactions great, while others are dangerous?

The interpersonal connection behaviors framework

As a scientist of close relationships, I can’t help but see online interactions differently from thinkers in other fields. People build relationships by demonstrating their understanding of each other’s needs and perspectives, a cyclical process that brings them closer together. If I tell you my secrets, and you respond supportively, I’m much more likely to confide in you again—and you, in turn, are much more likely to confide in me.

This means that every time two people talk to each other, an opportunity for relationship growth is unfolding. Many times, that opportunity isn’t taken; we aren’t about to have an in-depth conversation with the barista who asks for our order. But connection is always theoretically possible, and that’s true whether we’re interacting online or face-to-face.

Close relationships are the bread and butter of happiness—and even health. Being socially isolated is a stronger predictor of mortality than is smoking multiple cigarettes a day . If we want to understand the role technology plays in our well-being, we need to start with the role it plays in our relationships.

And it turns out that the kind of technology-mediated interactions that lead to positive outcomes are exactly those that are likely to build stronger relationships. Spending your time online by scheduling interactions with people you see day in and day out seems to pay dividends in increased social integration . Using the internet to compensate for being lonely just makes you lonelier; using the internet to actively seek out connection has the opposite effect .

“The kind of technology-mediated interactions that lead to positive outcomes are exactly those that are likely to build stronger relationships”

On the other hand, technology-mediated interactions that don’t really address our close relationships don’t seem to do us any good—and might, in fact, do us harm. Passively scrolling through your Facebook feed without interacting with people has been linked to decreased well-being and increased depression post-Facebook use.

That kind of passive usage is a good example of “ social snacking .” Like eating junk food, social snacking can temporarily satisfy you, but it’s lacking in nutritional content. Looking at your friends’ posts without ever responding might make you feel more connected to them, but it doesn’t build intimacy.

Passive engagement has a second downside, as well: social comparison . When we compare our messy lived experiences to others’ curated self-presentations, we are likely to suffer from lowered self-esteem , happiness, and well-being. This effect is only exacerbated when we consume people’s digital lives without interacting with them, making it all too easy to miss the less photogenic moments of their lives.

Moving forward

The interpersonal connection behaviors framework doesn’t explain everything that might influence our well-being after spending time on social media. The internet poses plenty of other dangers—for two examples, the sense of wasting time or emotional contagion from negative news. However, a focus on meaningful social interaction can help explain decades of contradictory findings. And even if the framework itself is challenged by future work, its central concept is bound to be upheld: We have to study the details of how people are spending their time online if we want to understand its likely effects.

In the meantime, this framework has some practical implications for those worried about their own online time. If you make sure you’re using social media for genuinely social purposes, with conscious thought about how it can improve your life and your relationships, you’ll be far more likely to enjoy your digital existence.

This article was originally published on the Behavioral Scientist . Read the original article .

About the Author

Jenna Clark

Jenna Clark, Ph.D. , is a senior behavioral researcher at Duke University's Center for Advanced Hindsight, where she works to help people make healthy decisions in spite of themselves. She's also interested in how technology contributes to our well-being through its effect on our close personal relationships.

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Technology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment

How is technology used for mental health treatment.

Technology has opened a new frontier in mental health care and data collection. Mobile devices like cell phones, smartphones, and tablets are giving the public, health care providers, and researchers new ways to access help, monitor progress, and increase understanding of mental well-being.

Mobile mental health support can be very simple but effective. For example, anyone with a phone or computer can call, text, or chat the  988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline    at any time.

New technology can also be packaged into an extremely sophisticated app for smartphones or tablets. Such apps might use the device’s built-in sensors to collect information on a user’s typical behavior patterns. Then, if the app detects a change in behavior, it can signal that help is needed before a crisis occurs.

Some apps are stand-alone programs designed to improve memory or thinking skills. Other apps help people connect to a peer counselor or a health care professional.

Excitement about the huge range of opportunities technology offers for mental health treatment has led to a burst of development. Thousands of mental health apps are available in iTunes and Android app stores, and the number is growing every year. However, this new technology frontier includes a lot of uncertainty. There is very little industry regulation and very little information on app effectiveness, which can lead people to wonder which apps they should trust.

Before focusing on the state of the science and where it may lead, it’s important to look at the advantages and disadvantages of expanding mental health treatment and research into a mobile world.

What are the pros and cons of mental health apps?

Mental health apps and other technology have a lot of potential, both for people seeking mental health care and mental health professionals providing such services. Some advantages of mobile care technology include the following.

• Convenience : Allows treatment to take place anytime and anywhere, such as at home in the middle of the night or on a bus on the way to work, making it ideal for people who have trouble getting to in-person appointments
• Anonymity : Lets people receive treatment anonymously and privately from the comfort of their homes
• Introduction to care : Acts as a good first step for people who have been reluctant to seek mental health care in the past
• Lower cost : Makes care more affordable through apps that are free or cheaper than traditional in-person care
• Greater outreach : Helps mental health professionals offer treatment to people in remote areas or to large numbers of people in times of sudden need, like after a natural disaster or traumatic event
• Interest : Encourages people to continue therapy by making care more appealing and accessible than traditional in-person treatment
• 24-hour service : Provides around-the-clock monitoring or intervention support
• Consistency : Offers the same treatment program to all people
• Support : Complements traditional therapy by extending in-person sessions, reinforcing new skills, and providing support and monitoring
• Data collection : Collects information, such as location, movement, phone use, and other data

Mental health technology offers great opportunities but also raises concerns. Addressing potential problems will be essential to ensuring that new apps provide benefits without causing harm. Although apps are becoming more appealing and user-friendly, we need more information on their effectiveness.

The following are some limitations of the technology that researchers and developers are trying to answer questions about.

• Effectiveness : Is the app supported by scientific evidence showing that it works and works as well as traditional in-person methods?
• Audience : Does the app work equally well for all people it is meant to help?
• Privacy : How does the app maker guarantee users’ privacy, considering many apps deal with sensitive personal information?
• Guidance : How do people determine if an app is effective when no industry-wide standards exist for evaluating quality?
• Regulation : Who should regulate mental health technology and the data it generates?
• Overselling : Does the app promise more than it delivers and turn people away from using other, more effective therapies?

What are current trends in app development?

Research and engineering teams are combining their skills to address a wide range of mental health concerns. For instance, intervention apps may help people quit smoking; manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, or insomnia; and more. Some popular areas of app development include the following.

Self-management

Self-management apps involve people putting information into the app to receive feedback. For example, they might use the app to set medication reminders or access tools for managing stress, anxiety, or sleep problems. Some software can use additional equipment to track heart rate, breathing patterns, blood pressure, and so forth to help people monitor their progress and receive feedback.

Improve thinking skills

Cognitive remediation apps help people improve their thinking skills. These apps are often designed for people with serious mental illnesses who may have distorted or unhelpful ways of thinking or hold inaccurate beliefs.

Skill training

Skill training apps may feel more like games than other mental health apps as they help people learn new coping or thinking skills. These apps might involve watching an educational video about anxiety management or the importance of social support, for example. People then pick new strategies to try and use the app to track how often they practice those new skills.

Illness management and supported care

Illness management and supported care apps provide additional support by allowing people to interact with another person. The app may connect people with peer support or send information to a trained health care provider who can offer guidance and therapy options. Researchers are working to learn how much human interaction people need for app-based treatments to be effective.

Passive symptom tracking

Symptom tracking apps collect data using the sensors built into smartphones. The sensors might record movement patterns, social interactions (such as the number of texts and phone calls), behavior at different times of day, vocal tone and speed, and more. In the future, apps may be able to analyze these data to determine a person’s real-time state of mind. Such apps may also recognize changes in behavior patterns that signal an episode of mania, depression, or psychosis before it occurs. Although an app may not replace a mental health professional, it can alert caregivers when someone needs additional help. The goal is to create apps that support a range of people, including those with serious mental illnesses.

Data collection

Data collection apps gather data without any help from the person using them. Receiving widescale information from many people at the same time can increase researchers’ understanding of mental health and help them develop better interventions.

Conducting research

Apps can help conduct research. For example, Dr. Patricia Areán’s pioneering BRIGTHEN study  showed that research via a smartphone app is a reality. The BRIGHTEN study was remarkable because it used technology to both deliver treatment and conduct research. In other words, the research team used technology to recruit, screen, enroll, treat, and assess participants. BRIGHTEN was especially exciting because the study showed that technology can be an efficient way to test promising new treatments, while also highlighting the need to make those treatments engaging.

If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, call or text the  988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline    at  988  or   chat at  988lifeline.org   . In life-threatening situations, call  911 .

Who creates mental health apps?

Developing mental health apps and other technology requires a partnership between mental health professionals and software engineers. Researchers have found that interventions are most effective when people like them, are engaged in them, and want to continue using them. Behavioral health apps work best when they combine engineers’ skills for making an app easy to use and entertaining with providers’ skills for providing effective treatment options. Researchers and engineers are developing and testing apps that do everything from manage medications to teach coping skills to predict when someone may need emotional help.

Who evaluates mental health apps?

There are no review boards, checklists, or widely accepted rules for evaluating or choosing a mental health app or other technology. Most apps do not have peer-reviewed research to support their claims, and it is unlikely that every mental health app will go through a randomized clinical research trial to test its effectiveness. One reason is that testing is a slow process, and technology evolves quickly. By the time an app has been put through rigorous scientific testing, the original technology may be outdated.

Currently, there are no national standards for evaluating the effectiveness of the hundreds of available mental health apps. People should be cautious about trusting an app. However, there are a few suggestions for finding an app that may work for you:

• Ask a trusted health care provider for a recommendation. Some larger providers may offer several apps and collect data on their use.
• Check to see if the app offers recommendations for what to do if symptoms get worse or there is a psychiatric emergency. Know how to get help if needed.
• Decide if you want an app that is completely automated versus an app that offers opportunities for contact with a trained professional.
• Search for information on the app developer, including their credentials and experience. 
• Beware of misleading logos. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has not developed and does not endorse any apps. However, some app developers have unlawfully used the NIMH logo to market their products.
• Search the PubMed database  offered by the National Library of Medicine. This resource contains articles on a wide range of research topics, including mental health app development.
• If you cannot find information about a particular app, check to see if the app is based on a treatment that has been tested. For example, research has shown that internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is as effective as conventional CBT for disorders that include depression, anxiety, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder.
• Try it. If you’re interested in an app, test it for a few days and decide if it’s easy to use, holds your attention, and is something you want to continue using. An app is only effective if it keeps you engaged.

What is NIMH’s role in research on mental health intervention technology?

NIMH has awarded over 400 grants for technology-enhanced mental health interventions. NIMH staff continue to actively review and evaluate research grants related to mental health technology.

These grants have focused on many areas, including:

• Feasibility, efficacy, and effectiveness research, such as developing and refining new treatments and interventions
• Technology for addressing a wide range of mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, HIV, depression, anxiety, autism, suicide, eating disorders, and trauma
• Interventions for cognitive issues, illness management, problematic behavior, and health communication
• More accessible and engaging ways to deliver therapies or skill development (for example, interactive formats or game-like approaches) and apps that work on any device
• Incorporating real-time, face-to-face contact or remote counseling (phone or online) with peers and professionals to provide a balance between technology and human touch
• Active and passive mobile assessment and monitoring
• Artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies

A significant portion of NIMH funding for these types of technologies is through the NIMH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs .

In addition, NIMH created the National Advisory Mental Health Council workgroup on Opportunities and Challenges of Developing Information Technologies on Behavioral and Social Science Clinical Research to track and guide this rapidly changing area. In 2017, the workgroup released a report reviewing the opportunities for and challenges of using new information technologies to study human behaviors relevant to the NIMH mission.

NIMH voiced its interest in this research area in a 2022 notice of special interest  . The notice called for research on the utility and validity of digital health and AI tools and technologies in epidemiological, clinical, and intervention research.

How can I find a clinical trial on mental health intervention technology?

Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. The goal of a clinical trial is to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. Although people may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, they should know that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so that others may be better helped in the future.

Researchers at NIMH and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. We have new and better treatment options today because of what clinical trials have uncovered. Be part of tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs. Talk to a health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you.

To learn more or find a study, visit:

• NIMH’s Clinical Trials webpage : Information about participating in clinical trials
• Clinicaltrials.gov: Current Studies on Mental Health Intervention Technology   : List of clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health being conducted across the country

Where can I learn more about mental health intervention technology?

Federal resources.

• What Is Telemental Health?  (NIMH Fact Sheet)
• How Can You Protect and Secure Health Information When Using a Mobile Device?   (Department of Health and Human Services)
• How To Protect Your Privacy on Apps   (Federal Trade Commission)
• Device Software Functions Including Mobile Medical Applications   (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• NIH  All of Us  Research Program   : This big-data initiative aims to recruit one million adult volunteers to share a variety of data, including electronic health records, health and family medical histories, and biological samples, to support research and uncover paths to the delivery of precision medicine.
• The BRAIN ® Initiative   : The Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® Initiative, or The BRAIN® Initiative, funds the development of a wide variety of new technologies to help unlock the mysteries of the human brain.
• NIMH SBIR and STTR Funding Opportunities   : The NIMH SBIR and STTR Programs are among the largest sources of early stage capital for technology commercialization in the United States.
• Digital Global Mental Health Program : This program supports research on the development, testing, implementation, and cost-effectiveness of digital mental health technologies that are appropriate for low- and middle-income countries.

Science news

• Opportunities and Challenges of Developing Information Technologies on Behavioral and Social Science Clinical Research (NIMH National Advisory Mental Health Council Report)
• Chatbot Encourages People With Eating Disorders to Seek Care (NIMH Research Highlight)
• Digital Mental Health: Innovating in a Time of High Anxiety  (NIMH Institute Update)
• Mindful Mood Balance Effective for Treating Residual Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation (NIMH Research Highlight)
• Using Mobile Technology to Improve Care for Teens With Depression  (NIMH Research Highlight)
• Using Technology to Help Predict Binge and Purge Episodes in People With Eating Disorders (NIMH Research Highlight)

Other resources

The non-federal resources listed below are included for information purposes only. This is not a comprehensive list, and a resource’s inclusion on the list does not constitute an endorsement by NIMH.

• One Mind PsyberGuide   : Website run by a nonprofit organization of experts who provide reviews of computer and device-assisted therapies for mental illnesses, focusing on their credibility, user experience, and transparency of privacy practices
• What You Need to Know Before Choosing Online Therapy   (American Psychological Association)

Last Reviewed: June 2023

Unless otherwise specified, the information on our website and in our publications is in the public domain and may be reused or copied without permission. However, you may not reuse or copy images. Please cite the National Institute of Mental Health as the source. Read our copyright policy to learn more about our guidelines for reusing NIMH content.

Technology, Population Health, and Human Wellness

• Review Article
• Published: 05 November 2020
• Volume 100 , pages 683–689, ( 2020 )

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• Sameer Bhat 1  

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1 Progress and Promise over a Half-Century

It has been more than a half-century since Dr. Lawrence Weed published his landmark paper ‘Medical Records that Guide and Teach’ in the March 14, 1968, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. His insight — that technology could bring order to the sometimes overwhelming and chaotic world of medical practice—gave birth to the world’s first Electronic Medical Records 1 .

For two generations now, physicians and technologists have built on that vision, but only in the last decade has the medical community begun to appreciate three essential facets of healthcare and healthcare IT. This paper will examine each of the three in turn, illustrating ways in which physicians have and can continue to reshape their thinking about the electronic health record (EHR).

The EHR is a digital version of a patient’s traditional paper medical chart, containing patient histories and demographics, medications, treatment plans, and lab results. The best of today’s EHRs do still more: They connect physicians to networks of patient data, manage communications, and employ analytics to deepen understanding of the health of populations.

State-of-the-art EHRs add value because they provide physicians with tools to analyze cohorts of patients, identify those with common needs, and guide care efforts to target those patients most in need and most likely to benefit from interventions.

Moreover, the best EHRs on the market today also serve to minimize the risks of physician burnout by reducing clicks, making documentation easier, and integrating with interoperability networks to ensure that doctors have access to complete patient data, on demand and at the point of care.

Let us examine three aspects of healthcare that follow naturally from the power of today’s advanced EHRs:

I: Population health is central to addressing the healthcare challenges of the future

II: The full power of the EHR must be employed to best impact patient outcomes

III: Patients must be empowered as full partners in a shared healthcare journey

2 Why Population Health is Central

A 2015 survey conducted by the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University defined population health as “an opportunity for health care systems, agencies and organizations to work together in order to improve the health outcomes of the communities they serve” 2 .

Population health can be thought of as a set of tools and techniques for achieving broader public health goals. Public health agencies are concerned with big-picture matters such as sanitation, vaccination rates, and controlling disease outbreaks. Population health, while sharing many public health goals, brings together public and private agencies, data analysis, and the power of EHRs to identify patterns and develop proactive strategies for improving the health of a given set of patients or an entire community.

Three key questions guide population health efforts:

How can the application of technology, including analytics, not only improve care quality but create an entirely new model of care ?

How can a fully integrated EHR improve follow-up and patient satisfaction to build strong, two-way engagement ?

How can technology be used to achieve the first two objectives more efficiently ?

2.1 Step 1: Understanding the New Care Model

Today, industry-leading EHRs allow doctors to recall and analyze data more quickly and in greater quantities than any paper-based system. An integrated EHR brings together questionnaires, lab tests, observations, and progress notes.

The initial patient encounter is measured from first contact through proper follow-up, but is only the beginning of the care process. What appears to be a closed-loop system turns out to be a semi-open one to which new information is constantly being added.

Moreover, telemedicine can now create a second cycle of care in which the visit takes place in the comfort of the patient’s home, allowing for more frequent interaction and emphasizing preventive medicine throughout the year.

2.2 Step 2: Building Two-Way Engagement

The management of chronic conditions illustrates how doctors can strengthen engagement. Such illness can be managed from one office visit to the next, but management may be more effective with wearable devices that permit remote patient monitoring.

A 2018 analysis published in NPJ Digital Medicine “found that remote patient monitoring showed early promise in improving outcomes for patients with select conditions, including obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, and low back pain 3 .

2.3 Step 3: Achieving Care and Engagement More Efficiently

The third step in placing population health at the center of modern healthcare arises from a simple question: How do we achieve better care outcomes and strengthen patient engagement more efficiently?

The answer lies not in working harder, but in working smarter—and leads directly to core population health principles. As doctors use healthcare IT to better understand individual patients, they realize they can intervene on behalf of all patients who share common conditions.

When properly integrated and equipped to take advantage of EHR big data and artificial intelligence, an EHR can help physicians move from the particular to the general, analyze the efficacy of their interventions, and offer positive feedback that enhances overall performance. Population health tools can do still more, allowing doctors to manage patients with chronic illness, evaluate and stratify risk, predict the likelihood of hospitalizations, and manage patients moving among care settings.

3 Realizing the Full Power of the EHR

Having sketched a working definition of population health, we turn to the second of the fundamental facets and ask: How medical practitioners make full use of the EHR?

3.1 Complexity and Data in Healthcare

The exponential growth in the complexity and volume of patient data has led physicians to conclude that the only ally in the fight to tame technology is more technology.

In healthcare today, there are simply too many data points for even the most gifted physician to evaluate on their own. If doctors cannot discern what is most significant in the patient record, they might waste time and resources replicating previous work, order unnecessary tests, or miss a diagnosis.

3.2 Data Proves its Worth

Lingering opposition to technology has evaporated as physicians and office staff have witnessed the power of healthcare IT.

A drug recall, for example, used to take days or weeks to communicate via phone, fax, and email. With today’s messaging software, the EHR can identify all patients and practices impacted by a recall, generate a report, and reach each of them using a variety of modalities, including email, text, and app and portal notifications.

Such speed and efficiency are critical for reducing the possibility of medical errors and patient harm.

And while every physician has witnessed the power of analytics to extend their diagnostic and management capabilities for patients with chronic conditions, they also understand that software is intended to enhance rather than replace human judgment in the art of medicine 4 .

3.3 Improving Care with Greater Cost Efficiency

But technology does come with a caveat, one outlined in a 2013 article in MIT Technology Review, in which economist Jonathan Gruber warned that “In health care, new technology makes things better, but more expensive” 5 .

The key challenge in maximizing the power of the EHR, then, consists in finding ways to leverage the technology while controlling costs.

The following cases illustrate how healthcare IT can be leveraged to achieve public health and population health goals.

4 Case in Point

4.1 new york city: primary care information project.

In 2007, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene launched an EHR initiative as part of the city’s Primary Care Information Project (PCIP).

Involving a coalition of community health organizations and more than 3,200 physicians, PCIP aimed to support health goals related to prevention and primary care, including:

Facilitating connections between communities and clinical resources.

Educating physicians on the adoption and use of information systems.

Adapting data and health information to facilitate improvements in patient care.

Translating federal, state, and local policies and programs into actions.

4.2 Better Health in the Big Apple

New York City’s PCIP is a textbook example of how Electronic Health Records, in combination with provider and patient education, could make a major difference in the health of a community.

According to the office of then New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg:

Between 2008 and 2011, the number of preventive care services that participating doctors provided grew, on average, by about 290% 6 .

The use of EHR technology led to improvements in detecting certain preventable health problems, including high blood pressure, tobacco use, high cholesterol, and diabetes 6 .

An additional 81,000 patients improved their diabetes management, 96,000 New Yorkers got help controlling high blood pressure, and 58,000 people received assistance in quitting smoking 6 .

The NYC Hub Population Health System (Hub) was built to create those closed-loop networks discussed above, making it easier to analyze the quality of care across one of the world’s largest and most diverse cities.

4.3 Quality Measures for Population Health

As noted in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association , the PCIP was centered squarely on population health 7 .

The PCIP identified more than 30 quality measures, beginning with access to care. The project identified areas of the city with high body-mass index (BMI) values, suggesting an elevated risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. And the project was able to correlate such areas with a lack of access to high-quality food, including fresh vegetables.

“Given the geographic component of these queries,” Michael D. Buck and colleagues wrote, “these EHR datasets can be linked to other Geographical Information System (GIS) data like air quality and census socioeconomic information to give a more complete picture of health issues and disparities throughout NYC.”

Integrated analytics in the eClinicalWorks® EHR yield reports such as this one showing distributions of hemoglobin A1c values, helping alert providers to which of their patients are at risk for diabetes.

5 Case in Point

5.1 commonwealth of the bahamas: national health insurance authority.

In The Bahamas, the country has launched an ambitious program to address population health challenges in which the medical conditions are familiar, but the geography demands a different approach from that of a major urban area. The 385,000 residents of the Bahamas live on about 30 inhabited islands in an archipelago of some 700 islands and cays spread over 500 miles of the Atlantic Ocean in an area east of Florida.

In 2016, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) was established to address several issues:

The Bahamas’ current healthcare system is fragmented, meaning services are often duplicated, leading to waste and inefficiency 8 .

Even in 2020, approximately 50% of Bahamians are uninsured, while 20% are covered by the NHI and 30% have private insurance 9 .

The nation has seen a sharp increase in diabetes, present in 13.9% of the population, and a death rate attributable to diabetes of 37.9 deaths per 100,000 people 10 .

The NHIA is leading the nation toward a universal healthcare system that promises higher quality, affordability, and more financially sustainable health services and health insurance for all Bahamians.

5.2 Telemedicine Working, Broader Rollout Ahead

Although the EHR program in The Bahamas NHIA is ongoing, the early reports suggest the program is working as intended.

It has been interesting to see how residents of areas of the Bahamas that previously lacked any access to healthcare—and where it would be impractical and not cost-effective to open a facility—are now able to obtain services through telemedicine.

6 Patients Must be Empowered

Having established the centrality of population health and having illustrated how the use of technology can be maximized to achieve health goals in diverse settings, we now address the third of our healthcare facets—the need to empower patients in their own care.

6.1 Going Beyond a Login

Establishing a strong bond between the healthcare provider and the patient is at the heart of medicine, but engagement is about more than providing patients with an app and a login or enabling them to access records through a portal. It requires outreach and education through multiple channels to build the understanding that health is a shared journey.

The advantage that today’s doctors and patients enjoy is that technology—including wearable health devices and telemedicine—is putting access to healthcare within the reach of an ever-growing percentage of healthcare consumers.

6.2 How Telemedicine is Empowering Everyone

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, many physicians have increased their use of telemedicine or adopted it for the first time. As a result, they realized that telemedicine can be used not only for routine primary care, but also for specialties covering diagnoses, wound care, consultations, and pre- and post-operative assessments.

The value of remote care is particularly evident in behavioral and mental health 11 . Often, patients do not feel comfortable coming to a clinic or may lack the time to do so. Telemedicine is breaking down barriers of time and distance and removing the stigma often attached to mental health services. Many medical providers, including therapists, report that telemedicine has led to more meaningful and insightful visits.

Moreover, patients increasingly expect their doctors to offer telemedicine. That expectation grew in response to Covid-19 but makes sense independently of the pandemic. Healthcare consumers recognize that telemedicine can extend care to remote and underserved communities, as well as to individuals for whom time and mobility may be issues.

As one recent analysis concluded, “Telemedicine is still an integral step in the right direction as medical practitioners are deploying innovative approaches to manage the COVID-19 situation.” 12

In a one-month period in March to April 2020, eClinicalWorks saw a 16-fold increase in the use of healow TeleVisits among physicians seeking ways to limit the spread of illness while continuing to provide care to patients.

6.3 The role of Wearables

Wearable health devices, including fitness trackers and blood glucose monitors, also have enormous potential to strengthen patient engagement.

As referenced above [ 3 ], the ability to link such devices to an EHR gives physicians unparalleled insight into the day-to-day health of patients and an early warning system that can indicate when a medical intervention is needed.

A July 2019 study found that while adoption of wearable health devices “has lagged when compared to other well-established durable technology products, such as smartphones and tablets”, potential benefits will be more fully realized “when consumers have strong and positive intentions to adopt wearable healthcare technology”. 13

6.4 Summary: The Impacts of a Pandemic in a Changing World

Finally, it is important to recognize the unexpected beneficial impacts of Covid-19. To be sure, the pandemic has taken an enormous toll on human life and caused serious economic loss worldwide. But it has also had three discernible impacts on healthcare that, understood in the context of population health, may point the way to a better future for all.

6.5 A Catalyst for Technology Adoption

First, the pandemic sped adoption of key technologies that have the potential to address longstanding and seemingly insoluble challenges in healthcare. Healthcare IT is finally beginning to cut across national boundaries as well as boundaries of race, nationality, gender, and class.

Telemedicine is perhaps the most visible of these trends. The greatly enhanced role remote visits now play in the U.S. market is likely to be confirmed by legal and regulatory actions as lawmakers and policy makers recognize their value for improving healthcare access, equity, and affordability.

6.6 Better Preparation for the Future

Second, the changes include a better understanding of both the strengths and weaknesses of medical systems. While public health experts have long warned of the potential for such a pandemic, the reality of this crisis has driven that message home.

In a general sense, the events of 2020 have underscored the need to improve the capacity and resilience of health systems. More specifically, they have placed population health in the spotlight, illustrating the value of big data, analytics, and artificial intelligence to identify emerging crises and take steps to reduce their impact.

6.7 Toward a New Understanding of ROI

Finally, the combination of emerging technologies, population health tools, and a renewed appreciation of the importance of engaging patients is demonstrating, with real results, the meaning of return on investment to the healthcare community.

Physicians and patients are coming to understand that technology’s impact on human health cannot be expressed solely or completely through a spreadsheet or a bottom line. It is coming to be understood in human terms, in the quality of care we offer and the impact that care has on both individual wellness and the good of society.

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Bhat, S. Technology, Population Health, and Human Wellness. J Indian Inst Sci 100 , 683–689 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41745-020-00207-z

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Issue Date : October 2020

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s41745-020-00207-z

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How does technology affect your physical health?

With tens of billions of internet-connected devices around the world, technology surrounds us like never before. There are many positive aspects to technology – not least, helping us stay connected to others, which has been a lifeline throughout the pandemic – but alongside the benefits, there are also potential health consequences that should be considered. In this overview, we explore the effects of technology overuse and the negative and positive impacts of technology on health.

Negative impacts of technology on health

Some of the health problems caused by technology include:

Musculoskeletal issues

Looking down at an electronic gadget for long periods can lead to neck and back pain, as well as pains in elbows, wrists, and hands. In addition, laptop and smartphone usage can involve people sitting in positions consistent with poor ergonomic function and poor ergonomic positioning. As well as back pain from computer use, often caused by poor gaming posture or computer posture, there have also been reports of “selfie elbow” or “texting thumb” caused by technology overuse.

How to minimize musculoskeletal issues:

• Ensure proper sitting posture at the computer by ensuring that your desk, seat, and screen set-up is optimized – the UK's NHS has detailed guidance on achieving this here .
• Instead of holding your phone in your lap, you can minimize neck problems by holding it out in front of you. Positioning the device so it is in front of your face with your head sitting squarely on your shoulders is helpful to your neck.
• Consider using a body-standing desk. These make staring straight at your computer screen possible and help you avoid the health dangers of sitting all day.
• If texting with your thumbs causes pain, you may need to use other fingers to text or use a stylus.
• Regular screen breaks – allowing you to walk around, stand up, or stretch – will help relieve muscle pain and stress.

Digital eye strain

Constant exposure to digital devices can be harmful to our eyes. Digital eye strain, sometimes called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), is one of the most commonly reported symptoms of too much screen time. For example, one study suggested over 60% of Americans were affected by it . Symptoms of digital eye strain include dry eyes, redness around the eyes, headaches, blurred vision, plus neck and shoulder pain.

How to reduce digital eye strain:

• Practice the 20-20-20 rule for healthy digital device usage – i.e., take a 20-second break from the screen every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away. You could set a timer every 20 minutes to act as a reminder.
• Reduce overhead lighting to minimize screen glare.
• Increase text size on devices so you can read comfortably.
• Make sure you are blinking – when we stare at digital devices, we can blink less frequently, leading to dry eyes. If dry eyes are bothering you, using eye drops could help.
• Get regular eye check-ups. Poor eyesight contributes to eye strain. Regular check-ups will help ensure timely prescriptions when you need them.

Disrupted sleep

Getting enough sleep is vital for almost every bodily function. But using a laptop, tablet, or smartphone shortly before going to bed can affect your ability to fall asleep. This is because the so-called blue light from devices can lead to heightened alertness and disrupt your body clock. In addition, activities on digital devices can be stimulating and make us much less ready for sleep. As a result, people can become absorbed and continue using the technology past their bedtime.

It’s important to distinguish between interactive and passive technological devices. Passive devices are those which require little or no input from users. Examples include listening to music, reading an e-book, or watching TV or a movie. With interactive devices, what is viewed on-screen changes with input from the user. For example, playing a video game is interactive, as is chatting on social media. Interactive activities are more likely to disrupt sleep than passive activities.

How to avoid disrupted sleep:

• Avoid using your smartphone, laptop, and tablet for at least an hour before going to sleep every night. Reading a book is more likely to relax you than scrolling through social media feeds.
• Dim the screen as much as possible for evening use. In many e-readers, you can also invert the screen color (i.e., white font on black background). Many devices now come with a 'night-time mode,' which is easier on the eye before bed.
• You could consider using a software program for PCs and laptops which decreases the amount of blue light in computer screens – which affects melatonin levels – and increases orange tones instead. An example is a program called f.lux which is available here .
• If you can, consider making your bedroom a screen-free zone.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine that doesn’t involve screens, to help you relax before going to sleep.

Physical inactivity

Excessive use of smartphones, laptops, and tablets can lead to physical inactivity. For example, according to one study , 38% of parents worried that their children weren’t getting enough physical exercise due to excessive screen time.

Too much sedentary time has been linked to an increased risk of a range of health conditions, including obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The Covid-19 pandemic – which kept people at home, increased reliance on digital technology, and saw sporting events around the world canceled – didn't help. Still, even before Covid, it’s estimated that physical inactivity was costing 5.3 million lives a year globally .

How to stay active:

• The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week for adults. Health organizations around the world advise against prolonged sitting for all age groups.
• Get up and stretch every 20 to 30 minutes. Walk around, take restroom breaks, carry out simple stretches to pump fresh blood and oxygen through your body.
• Find a physical activity you enjoy – whether that’s walking, cycling, swimming, or a team sport.
• Certain apps and wearable technologies can help keep you active – for example, by sending push notifications telling you it's time to move or by helping you set and track fitness goals.

Psychological issues

Excessive screen time can negatively affect mental and emotional wellbeing. For example, by inducing anxiety because someone hasn’t replied quickly enough to your WhatsApp or text message, or constantly checking your social media feeds to see how many likes your last post received. It’s easy for both adults and children to compare themselves unfavorably to others on social media, which in turn can lead to feelings of anxiety.

Then there’s ‘doom scrolling’ – 1 in 5 Americans now obtain their news from social media , which is a more significant proportion than those who read traditional print media. Social media users who log in multiple times a day can be exposed to non-stop news, typically bad news such as natural disasters, terrorist events, political division, high-profile crimes, etc. Bingeing on bad news via social media or other online sources is known as doom scrolling, which can adversely affect mental health.

How to minimize psychological effects:

• Limit the amount of time you spend on social media – one study found that the less people used social media, the less depressed and lonely they felt . You can use a timer or app to track how long you are spending on social networking sites.
• Use real-world activities to help you focus on your immediate surroundings and circumstances. For example, you can read a book, watch a movie, go for a walk, do some baking, or phone a friend.
• Remember that social media is not a true reflection of reality – user feeds are often highly curated and show only a small proportion of real life.

Negative effects on kids

Technology overuse can have a significant impact on children and teenagers. This is because children’s brains are still developing, which means they can be more sensitive to the effects of technology overuse than adults. For example, some studies suggest that excessive screen time and social media use among kids and teens can impact social skills, creativity, attention spans , and language and emotional development delays. In addition, the same issues described above – poor posture, eye strain, disrupted sleep, and lack of physical activity leading to obesity – also apply to children.

How to minimize the impact on kids:

• It’s important for parents and caregivers to monitor screen time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children under 18 months old avoid screen time altogether, except for video chat , while 2-5 years old should have no more than 1 hour a day of supervised viewing. For older children, the Academy no longer provides a specific recommended time limit (previously, it recommended no more than 2 hours per day, but this was seen as unrealistic given how pervasive technology has become). Instead, the Academy encourages parents and caregivers to set sensible screen limits based on their own circumstances.
• To help your children get better sleep, talk to them about how digital devices can disrupt sleep and encourage them to avoid screens for at least an hour before bedtime.
• Set aside time without technology – for example, by turning off electronics at specific times or set days of the week.
• Model good behaviors for your children by avoiding technology overuse and ensuring your own healthy screen time per day.

Impact on hearing

Prolonged use of earphones, headphones, or earbuds at high volumes can cause hearing loss. The World Health Organization  estimates  that 1.1 billion young people worldwide are at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices, in part from listening to music via headphones or earbuds. Noise exposure is one of the most  common causes of hearing loss.

How to minimize the impact on hearing:

• Outside-the-ear headphones are considered a better option because, unlike earbuds which deliver music directly into the ear, they provide a buffering space between the music and the ear canal.
• Better quality headphones are likely to improve both your listening experience and protect your hearing.
• You could also consider using noise-canceling headphones, which work by using inverse waves to cancel out the incoming sound. Another option is noise-isolating headphones, which create a seal around the ear that creates a physical barrier between the ear and the outside noise.
• Experts recommend listening at no more than 85 decibels (dB) for no more than 8 hours per day.

Positive effects of technology on health

It’s not all bad: there are many ways in which technology can also positively impact our health. For example, digital devices or apps can help to improve our diets, track our fitness activities, act as a reminder to get up and move or take our medication. There is a wealth of well-sourced and credible medical information online, which allows people to research their own health conditions (although it's important to note that misinformation also exists, and looking up information about health symptoms online can sometimes be a double-edged sword, causing needless worry).

In addition, technology helps medical providers ensure better patient care, improve relationships with patients, and deliver medical results direct to patients’ phones. Examples include:

• Online medical records that give patients access to test results and allow them to fill prescriptions.
• Apps that track chronic illnesses and communicate essential information to doctors.
• Virtual medical appointments – through video and phone consultations – especially during and post-Covid.

Tips for using technology in a healthy way

Some tips for ensuring healthy screen time include:

• Remove unnecessary apps from your phone to prevent you from constantly checking them for updates.
• Set screen time limits and stick to them.
• Log off and take regular breaks.
• Review and maximize your privacy settings on social media. Be selective about what you want to post and who you want to see it.
• Keep mealtimes gadget-free.
• Keep electronic devices out of your bedroom. Turn clocks and other glowing devices towards the wall at bedtime. Avoid using digital devices for at least an hour before going to bed.
• Use the internet to stay connected but prioritize real-world relationships over virtual ones.

If you are a parent or caregiver, many of the same principles apply:

• Set limits on screen time and restrict it before bedtimes and during mealtimes.
• Encourage in-person interactions over online interactions.
• Encourage children to have technology-free playtime.
• Make sure you're aware of what programs, games, and apps they are spending time on – you can read our article on apps and websites parents need to know about here .
• Explore technology together with your children.
• Use a parental control app like Kaspersky Safe Kids – as well as minimizing their exposure to inappropriate content, it also helps you manage their screen time and includes expert advice and tips from child psychologists on online topics.

In summary: technology is an integral aspect of modern life, and there are both positive and negative effects of computer use on human health. Taking sensible steps – such as setting limits on screen time, ensuring correct posture, taking regular breaks, and keeping active – can help minimize the impacts of technology on health.

Related articles:

• Internet safety – guidelines for kids and teens
• How to find the best antivirus for gaming
• What are the effects of cyberbullying
• How to deal with trolling, bots and fake accounts
• https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/secure-futures-magazine/it-health-work/37690/

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How Does Technology Affect Mental Health?

View all blog posts under Articles | View all blog posts under Counseling Resources

Upon completion of a Master of Arts in Counseling degree , individuals can choose to work as mental health counselors — individuals who help clients living with varying mental health and/or interpersonal issues. For example, a mental health counselor may meet with a bereaved woman in the morning who recently has lost her husband, and then a young man in his 20s in the afternoon who is living with an anxiety disorder. The role is challenging and rewarding, and necessitates understanding and expertise for a whole spectrum of mental health concerns.

Given the ubiquity of technology in daily life — particularly the internet and internet-based platforms such as social media sites and smartphone apps — mental health counselors working today likely will encounter clients who are experiencing issues that may be directly or indirectly linked to the use of digital media. According to Dr. Igor Pantic, writing in the literature review “Online Social Networking and Mental Health,” published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, there is little doubt that the internet and social media platforms such as Facebook have had a notable impact on the way that individuals communicate.

Pantic further explained that a number of recent studies have observed a link between social media use and certain mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. Pantic is quick to assert, however, that the studies are by no means conclusive and that endeavors to understand the relationship between mental health and technology remain in their infancy.

Still, it is useful for mental health counselors to have an understanding of the research and insights into technology’s impact on mental health, which extends to the positive impacts, as well. After all, drawbacks aside, technology continues to improve many aspects of daily life for the better, and the arena of mental health is no exception: there are a number of observable areas in which the development of technology has helped clients take charge of their mental health care in a positive way.

Technology: A force for good?

Despite progress in terms of mental health awareness, journalist Conor Farrington, writing for the Guardian, explained how mental health care still receives a notable lack of funding from international governments. For example, Farrington reported that the per capita expenses on mental health care in industrialized nations such as the U.S. and U.K. amounts to just over $33, which equates to a little under £33. The amount is considerably less in developing countries. Consequently, Farrington argued that technology holds promise as a vehicle for improving access to mental health care, particularly in nations where such services are elementary at best.

Technology is improving mental health care in a number of ways, Lena H. Sun explained, writing for the Los Angeles Times, and it is primarily through platforms such as apps based on smartphones and computers that can help provide services and information to clients in a more cost-effective way. For example, Sun explained how there are now, in addition to smartphone apps that promote mental wellness, certain platforms available that allow patients to complete courses of cognitive behavioral therapy online. In her article, Sun profiled a British-based service known as the Big White Wall, which has been endorsed by the U.K.’s government-funded National Health Service. Big White Wall is an online platform that enables users living with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression to manage their symptoms from home via tools such as educational resources, online conversations and virtual classes on issues of mental health. The efficacy of Big White Wall is conspicuous — Sun reported on a 2009 study that found that a vast majority of the service’s users —some 95 percent —noted an improvement in their symptoms.

How can counselors harness technology?

Mental health counselors can play an important role in facilitating access to services such as Big White Wall and also can help promote smartphone apps and other online services that can be used to help improve general mental health. Technology can be used alongside in-person counseling, as opposed to being employed as a substitution. Counselors even may find that digital platforms allow the development of deeper working relationships with clients, particularly younger clients who are used to utilizing technology on a daily basis. Bethany Bay, writing in an article for Counseling Today, interviewed Sarah Spiegelhoff, a counselor from Syracuse, N.Y., who elaborated on this important point :

“I find technology resources to be great tools to supplement traditional counseling services, as well as a way for counselors to reach larger populations than we typically serve on an individual basis […] I find that college students are quicker to check Facebook and Twitter statuses than their email, so using social media has been one way for us to promote and distribute information on healthy living and outreach events […] I also share information related to new apps that promote wellness both through our social media accounts and directly in counseling sessions. For example, during alcohol awareness programming, we encouraged students to download free blood alcohol calculator apps. We also offer free mindfulness meditation MP3s through iTunes. I find the MP3s to be a great resource because I am able to present them to clients in session, talk about their experiences listening to and practicing the meditations and then develop a treatment plan that includes their use of the meditations outside of the counseling sessions.”

Counselors also can use platforms to connect with clients who may be situated in underserved or rural areas and are unable to travel for in-person meetings. As Farrington explained, some studies, including one from Oxford University, have found that text messaging and phone calls can be effective ways for counselors to connect with clients. Furthermore, telehealth platforms, which include instant messaging or video calling, already are proving useful in primary care settings for helping counselors reach clients. For example, Rob Reinhardt, writing for Counseling Today, interviewed Tasha Holland-Kornegay, a counseling professional who primarily provides counseling services to clients living with HIV via a messaging platform, which incorporates the option for video and audio calls.

Reinhardt, writing in a different piece published by Tame Your Practice, explained how the use of telemedicine platforms in mental health counseling has been shown to be beneficial in a number of ways. Perhaps most importantly, Reinhardt cited a study from researchers based at the University of Zurich, as detailed by Science Daily, which found that counseling conducted online actually can be more effective than face-to-face sessions. Researchers examined two groups of clients — one group received in-person therapy and the other received therapy via a telemedicine platform. Researchers found that the clients who received counseling sessions online actually experienced better outcomes — 53 percent reported that their depression had abated, compared to 50 percent reporting the same in the group that received in-person counseling. Other benefits include the fact that it is cheaper and allows a wider net of clients to be seen and treated, particularly those who are unable to access mental health services in person, whether due to geography, lack of funds or issues such as social anxiety disorder.

A point of clarification needs to be made, however. Whereas counselors may indeed use online technologies to aid the counseling process or to provide counseling services, they always must abide by the ethical guidelines on the use of technologies. These guidelines can be found in the Ethics Code of American Counseling Association and through the National Board for Certified Counselors’ website. Furthermore, counselors are required by law to be licensed in the locations where their clients reside.

Can technology have an adverse impact on mental health?

Although the use of technology can have a positive impact in terms of helping clients manage and get treated for certain mental health conditions, some research has indicated that the use of technology in general — and especially the internet — actually can be connected with the development of mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression in some individuals. As Pantic noted, while more research is needed in this area, it is useful to take a closer look at what has been published on this topic so far:

Internet addiction

As detailed by Dr. Romeo Vitelli, writing in an article published by Psychology Today, research has indicated that addiction to the internet , particularly among younger demographics such as adolescents, is becoming a notable issue. Vitelli explained that internet addiction disorder shares many similar features when compared with other forms of addiction, such as withdrawal symptoms when online access is precluded. While the internet can be an agent for good in terms of education and the strengthening of interpersonal relationships, internet addiction can be problematic because it can negatively impact academic success and one’s ability to communicate effectively in person. Vitalli noted that research also has observed a link between certain mental illnesses and internet addiction, including depression, low self-esteem and loneliness.

The link between social media use and mental illness

In his literature review, Pantic explained how several studies have shown a link between depression and the use of social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Pantic is quick to caution that much more research is needed before the conclusions reached in the aforementioned studies are widely accepted as fact within the counseling community. Still, the findings are worth examining. Pantic reported on one study from 2013, which found that younger adults who frequently used the social networking site Facebook tended to report feeling less happy, with the use of the social platform possibly to blame. Pantic also reported on a study that he personally was involved with that found among high school students, rates of depression tended to be higher among those who regularly utilized social media sites.

Pantic proffered some possible reasons for the findings, explaining that social media sites, for some individuals, can trigger feelings of low self-esteem. For example, a social media site user may see other people on the site and assume those individuals are more successful, beautiful, intelligent and so on. Pantic explained that a study examining students at a Utah university found those who routinely used social media sites tended to feel as though their peers were more successful and happier than they were. Pantic noted that although these feelings are not necessarily linked to depression, there can be a relationship between them, particularly if the individuals in question already experience or are likely to experience mental health problems.

Dr. Saju Mathew was interviewed for an article by Piedmont Health, wherein he elaborated on this important point : “When we get on social media, we are looking for affirmation and consciously or not, we are comparing our life to the lives of others. As a result, we may not enjoy what’s in the moment.”

In conclusion

The impact of technology has extended into the realm of health care, and it is clear that technology also is making positive changes in terms of mental health care. Research has indicated, however, that the very tools that can help alleviate mental health issues, such as smartphone apps, may be linked with the experience of mental health problems in different contexts. As Pantic stressed, more research is needed before definitive conclusions are drawn. Still, for mental health counselors entering the field, a comprehensive understanding of the nuanced relationship between technology and mental health is necessary for effective practice. Counselors are compelled to expand their technological competencies but always in compliance with their respective ethical guidelines and the rule of law.

Consider Bradley University

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a mental health counselor, consider applying to Bradley University’s online Master of Arts in Counseling — Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Designed with a busy schedule in mind, completion of the degree program will put you on a direct path to becoming licensed to practice.

Recommended Readings

Substance abuse counseling: What you can learn in a MAC program

What are the Clinical Mental Health specialty courses?

Bradley University Online Counseling Programs

• #5 Among Regional Universities (Midwest) – U.S. News & World Report: Best Colleges (2021)
• #5 Best Value Schools, Regional Universities (Midwest) – U.S. News & World Report (2019)
• Bradley Ranked Among Nation’s Best Universities – The Princeton Review: The Best 384 Colleges (2019). Only 15% of all four-year colleges receive this distinction each year, and Bradley has regularly been included on the list.
• Bradley University has been named a Military Friendly School – a designation honoring the top 20% of colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide that are doing the most to embrace U.S. military service members, veterans and spouses to ensure their success as students.

Davos 2023: Eight ways technology will impact our lives in the future

The next generation will live a very different life to us, thanks to technology. Image:  Pexels/ThisIsEngineering

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• Technology will be a vital tool for creating a cleaner, safer and more inclusive world, but what changes can we expect to see?
• Panelists on the Technology for a More Resilient World session at Davos discussed future trends and developments in tech.
• Be it the metaverse, smart glasses or large language models, the world as we know it may never be quite as we first imagined it.

Technology can be an important tool in the transition to a cleaner, safer and more inclusive world. But what strategic opportunities are there for technology to be an accelerator of progress and how is it likely to affect the next generation?

Leaders gathered on day two of Davos to talk about how technology and platforms will change the world, what tech trends and developments we’re likely to see, and even provide a glimpse into what our grandchildren can expect in future.

The Technology for a More Resilient World session featured Nicholas Thompson, CEO, The Atlantic; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises; Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO, IBM Corporation; Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO, Accenture; and Cristiano Amon, President and CEO, Qualcomm Incorporated.

Here’s a selection of what they had to say:

1. Technology is boosting productivity

Businesses are increasingly looking to digitally transform their operations amid an incredible demand for things to be more intelligent and connected, says Cristiano Amon , President and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated. “I think technology right now, probably more than ever – especially when we talk about the current economic environment – we see that there is this desire of companies to digitally transform and use technology to become more efficient and more productive,” he said.

2. Glasses will overtake mobile phones

The future of computing will become virtual as computing platforms continue to evolve – just as it evolved from personal computers to mobile phones, says Amon . What we now know as the video call, particularly post-COVID, will soon become a holographic image in front of you seen through smart glasses.

“The technology trend is the merging of physical and digital spaces. I think that’s going to be the next computing platform and eventually, it’s going to be as big as phones. We should think about that happening within the decade,” he adds.

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How to follow davos 2023, we are closing the gap between technology and policy, 3. the rise of quantum computing.

Quantum computing won’t replace classical computing but it will begin to solve problems in the physical world - materials, chemistry, encryption and optimization problems - within a few years, according to Arvind Krishna , Chairman and CEO, IBM Corporation. Indeed, quantum computing is already so good you may want to think about it now. “I would strongly urge everybody to invest in quantum-proof decryption now for any data, that you really, really care about,” he advises.

4. 5G will create lots more use cases

5G will create a lot of new use cases including drone management, robotic surgery and autonomous vehicles, says Sunil Bharti Mittal , Chairman, Bharti Enterprises. Industrial applications will particularly benefit due to their larger capacity. “In the meanwhile, people will get used to better connections, higher speeds, and lower latency for their regular devices as well,” he adds, before warning: “It’s going to cost a lot of money.”

5. ChatGPT-like tech will become the norm

Large language models will become a given because they lower the cost of artificial intelligence (AI) by allowing you to have multiple models over one base, giving you a speed advantage, says Krishna . “Beyond language is going to be a given, language because code can be a form of language and then you can go to, ‘what else can be a form of language?’ Legal documents, regulatory work etc,” he adds.

6. Great things will need good data

The recent excitement around ChatGPT has demonstrated the potential of having large amounts of data and the great things you do with it, but it has also highlighted the need for ‘good’ data, says Julie Sweet , Chair and CEO, Accenture. “We love what’s going on right now, with everyone talking about it. Because in many cases people have been doubters about why you need to have really clean data connecting to external data, use these then foundational models on specific use cases – a lot is going to be in digital manufacturing, in agriculture, industrial use cases – and it reminds everyone you have to get the data right.”

7. The metaverse is evolving very quickly

The metaverse is evolving faster than expected because it taps into human need while also creating something new, observes Sweet . “With human need, what we’ve discovered is that when you immerse yourself in an experience together, you learn better and you can also do things better,” she says. “We estimate there will be $1 trillion of revenue influenced by the metaverse by 2025.”

8. We will see a democratization of services

Our grandchildren will live in a very different world thanks to the democratization of products and services that are currently only available to the elite or wealthy, predicts Mittal . “Sitting like this, in the metaverse, you’ll probably have a few million people join from around the world, to experience what we’re experiencing today,” he says. “You’re going to see the benefit of technology really impacting people’s lives on a daily basis, and they will live a very different life to us.”

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How Technology Affects Our Lives – Essay

Do you wish to explore the use of information technology in daily life? Essays like the one below discuss this topic in depth. Read on to find out more.

Introduction

Technology in communication, technology in healthcare, technology in government, technology in education, technology in business, negative impact of technology.

Technology is a vital component of life in the modern world. People are so dependent on technology that they cannot live without it. Technology is important and useful in all areas of human life today. It has made life easy and comfortable by making communication and transport faster and easier (Harrington, 2011, p.35).

It has made education accessible to all and has improved healthcare services. Technology has made the world smaller and a better place to live. Without technology, fulfilling human needs would be a difficult task. Before the advent of technology, human beings were still fulfilling their needs. However, with technology, fulfillment of needs has become easier and faster.

It is unimaginable how life would be without technology. Technology is useful in the following areas: transport, communication, interaction, education, healthcare, and business (Harrington, 2011, p.35). Despite its benefits, technology has negative impacts on society. Examples of negative impacts of technology include the development of controversial medical practices such as stem cell research and the embracement of solitude due to changes in interaction methods. For example, social media has changed the way people interact.

Technology has led to the introduction of cloning, which is highly controversial because of its ethical and moral implications. The growth of technology has changed the world significantly and has influenced life in a great way. Technology is changing every day and continuing to influence areas of communication, healthcare, governance, education, and business.

Technology has contributed fundamentally in improving people’s lifestyles. It has improved communication by incorporating the Internet and devices such as mobile phones into people’s lives. The first technological invention to have an impact on communication was the discovery of the telephone by Graham Bell in 1875.

Since then, other inventions such as the Internet and the mobile phone have made communication faster and easier. For example, the Internet has improved ways through which people exchange views, opinions, and ideas through online discussions (Harrington, 2011, p.38). Unlike in the past when people who were in different geographical regions could not easily communicate, technology has eradicated that communication barrier. People in different geographical regions can send and receive messages within seconds.

Online discussions have made it easy for people to keep in touch. In addition, they have made socializing easy. Through online discussions, people find better solutions to problems by exchanging opinions and ideas (Harrington, 2011, p.39). Examples of technological inventions that facilitate online discussions include emails, online forums, dating websites, and social media sites.

Another technological invention that changed communication was the mobile phone. In the past, people relied on letters to send messages to people who were far away. Mobile phones have made communication efficient and reliable. They facilitate both local and international communication.

In addition, they enable people to respond to emergencies and other situations that require quick responses. Other uses of cell phones include the transfer of data through applications such as infrared and Bluetooth, entertainment, and their use as miniature personal computers (Harrington, 2011, p.40).

The latest versions of mobile phones are fitted with applications that enable them to access the Internet. This provides loads of information in diverse fields for mobile phone users. For business owners, mobile phones enhance the efficiency of their business operations because they are able to keep in touch with their employees and suppliers (Harrington, 2011, p.41). In addition, they are able to receive any information about the progress of their business in a short period of time.

Technology has contributed significantly to the healthcare sector. For example, it has made vital contributions in the fields of disease prevention and health promotion. Technology has aided in the understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases, which has led to the prevention of many diseases. For example, understanding the pathophysiology of the gastrointestinal tract and blood diseases has aided in their effective management (Harrington, 2011, p.49).

Technology has enabled practitioners in the medical field to make discoveries that have changed the healthcare sector. These include the discovery that peptic ulceration is caused by a bacterial infection and the development of drugs to treat schizophrenia and depressive disorders that afflict a greater portion of the population (Harrington, 2011, p.53). The development of vaccines against polio and measles led to their total eradication.

Children who are vaccinated against these diseases are not at risk of contracting the diseases. The development of vaccines was facilitated by technology, without which certain diseases would still be causing deaths in great numbers. Vaccines play a significant role in disease prevention.

Technology is used in health promotion in different ways. First, health practitioners use various technological methods to improve health care. eHealth refers to the use of information technology to improve healthcare by providing information on the Internet to people. In this field, technology is used in three main ways.

These include its use as an intervention tool, its use in conducting research studies, and its use for professional development (Lintonen et al, 2008, p. 560). According to Lintonenet al (2008), “e-health is the use of emerging information and communications technology, especially the internet, to improve or enable health and healthcare.” (p.560). It is largely used to support health care interventions that are mainly directed towards individual persons. Secondly, it is used to improve the well-being of patients during recovery.

Bedside technology has contributed significantly in helping patients recover. For example, medical professionals have started using the Xbox computer technology to develop a revolutionary process that measures limb movements in stroke patients (Tanja-Dijkstra, 2011, p.48). This helps them recover their manual competencies. The main aim of this technology is to help stroke patients do more exercises to increase their recovery rate and reduce the frequency of visits to the hospital (Lintonen et al, 2008, p. 560).

The government has utilized technology in two main areas. These include the facilitation of the delivery of citizen services and the improvement of defense and national security (Scholl, 2010, p.62). The government is spending large sums of money on wireless technologies, mobile gadgets, and technological applications. This is in an effort to improve their operations and ensure that the needs of citizens are fulfilled.

For example, in order to enhance safety and improve service delivery, Cisco developed a networking approach known as Connected Communities. This networking system connects citizens with the government and the community. The system was developed to improve the safety and security of citizens, improve service delivery by the government, empower citizens, and encourage economic development.

The government uses technology to provide information and services to citizens. This encourages economic development and fosters social inclusion (Scholl, 2010, p.62). Technology is also useful in improving national security and the safety of citizens. It integrates several wireless technologies and applications that make it easy for security agencies to access and share important information effectively. Technology is widely used by security agencies to reduce vulnerability to terrorism.

Technologically advanced gadgets are used in airports, hospitals, shopping malls, and public buildings to screen people for explosives and potentially dangerous materials or gadgets that may compromise the safety of citizens (Bonvillian and Sharp, 2001, par2). In addition, security agencies use surveillance systems to restrict access to certain areas. They also use technologically advanced screening and tracking methods to improve security in places that are prone to terrorist attacks (Bonvillian and Sharp, 2001, par3).

Technology has made significant contributions in the education sector. It is used to enhance teaching and learning through the use of different technological methods and resources. These include classrooms with digital tools such as computers that facilitate learning, online learning schools, blended learning, and a wide variety of online learning resources (Barnett, 1997, p.74). Digital learning tools that are used in classrooms facilitate learning in different ways. They expand the scope of learning materials and experiences for students, improve student participation in learning, make learning easier and quick, and reduce the cost of education (Barnett, 1997, p.75). For example, online schools and free learning materials reduce the costs that are incurred in purchasing learning materials. They are readily available online. In addition, they reduce the expenses that are incurred in program delivery.

Technology has improved the process of teaching by introducing new methods that facilitate connected teaching. These methods virtually connect teachers to their students. Teachers are able to provide learning materials and the course content to students effectively. In addition, teachers are able to give students an opportunity to personalize learning and access all learning materials that they provide. Technology enables teachers to serve the academic needs of different students.

In addition, it enhances learning because the problem of distance is eradicated, and students can contact their teachers easily (Barnett, 1997, p.76). Technology plays a significant role in changing how teachers teach. It enables educators to evaluate the learning abilities of different students in order to devise teaching methods that are most efficient in the achievement of learning objectives.

Through technology, teachers are able to relate well with their students, and they are able to help and guide them. Educators assume the role of coaches, advisors, and experts in their areas of teaching. Technology helps make teaching and learning enjoyable and gives it meaning that goes beyond the traditional classroom set-up system (Barnett, 1997, p.81).

Technology is used in the business world to improve efficiency and increase productivity. Most important, technology is used as a tool to foster innovation and creativity (Ray, 2004, p.62). Other benefits of technology to businesses include the reduction of injury risk to employees and improved competitiveness in the markets. For example, many manufacturing businesses use automated systems instead of manual systems. These systems eliminate the costs of hiring employees to oversee manufacturing processes.

They also increase productivity and improve the accuracy of the processes because of the reduction of errors (Ray, 2004, p.63). Technology improves productivity due to Computer-aided Manufacturing (CAM), Computer-integrated Manufacturing (CIM), and Computer-aided Design (CAD). CAM reduces labor costs, increases the speed of production, and ensures a higher level of accuracy (Hunt, 2008, p.44). CIM reduces labor costs, while CAD improves the quality and standards of products and reduces the cost of production.

Another example of the use of technology in improving productivity and output is the use of database systems to store data and information. Many businesses store their data and other information in database systems that make accessibility of information fast, easy, and reliable (Pages, 2010, p.44).

Technology has changed how international business is conducted. With the advent of e-commerce, businesses became able to trade through the Internet on the international market (Ray, 2004, p.69). This means that there is a large market for products and services. In addition, it implies that most markets are open 24 hours a day.

For example, customers can shop for books or music on Amazon.com at any time of the day. E-commerce has given businesses the opportunity to expand and operate internationally. Countries such as China and Brazil are taking advantage of opportunities presented by technology to grow their economy.

E-commerce reduces the complexities involved in conducting international trade (Ray, 2004, p.71). Its many components make international trade easy and fast. For example, a BOES system allows merchants to execute trade transactions in any language or currency, monitor all steps involved in transactions, and calculate all costs involved, such as taxes and freight costs (Yates, 2006, p.426).

Financial researchers claim that a BOES system is capable of reducing the cost of an international transaction by approximately 30% (Ray, 2004, p.74). BOES enables businesses to import and export different products through the Internet. This system of trade is efficient and creates a fair environment in which small and medium-sized companies can compete with large companies that dominate the market.

Despite its many benefits, technology has negative impacts. It has negative impacts on society because it affects communication and has changed the way people view social life. First, people have become more anti-social because of changes in methods of socializing (Harrington, 2008, p.103). Today, one does not need to interact physically with another person in order to establish a relationship.

The Internet is awash with dating sites that are full of people looking for partners and friends. The ease of forming friendships and relationships through the Internet has discouraged many people from engaging in traditional socializing activities. Secondly, technology has affected the economic statuses of many families because of high rates of unemployment. People lose jobs when organizations and businesses embrace technology (Harrington, 2008, p.105).

For example, many employees lose their jobs when manufacturing companies replace them with automated machines that are more efficient and cost-effective. Many families are struggling because of the lack of a constant stream of income. On the other hand, technology has led to the closure of certain companies because the world does not need their services. This is prompted by technological advancements.

For example, the invention of digital cameras forced Kodak to close down because people no longer needed analog cameras. Digital cameras replaced analog cameras because they are easy to use and efficient. Many people lost their jobs due to changes in technology. Thirdly, technology has made people lazy and unwilling to engage in strenuous activities (Harrington, 2008, p.113).

For example, video games have replaced physical activities that are vital in improving the health of young people. Children spend a lot of time watching television and playing video games such that they have little or no time for physical activities. This has encouraged the proliferation of unhealthy eating habits that lead to conditions such as diabetes.

Technology has elicited heated debates in the healthcare sector. Technology has led to medical practices such as stem cell research, implant embryos, and assisted reproduction. Even though these practices have been proven viable, they are highly criticized on the grounds of their moral implications on society.

There are many controversial medical technologies, such as gene therapy, pharmacogenomics, and stem cell research (Hunt, 2008, p.113). The use of genetic research in finding new cures for diseases is imperative and laudable. However, the medical implications of these disease treatment methods and the ethical and moral issues associated with the treatment methods are critical. Gene therapy is mostly rejected by religious people.

They claim that it is against natural law to alter the gene composition of a person in any way (Hunt, 2008, p.114). The use of embryonic stem cells in research is highly controversial, unlike the use of adult stem cells. The controversy exists because of the source of the stem cells. The cells are obtained from embryos. There is a belief among many people that life starts after conception.

Therefore, using embryos in research means killing them to obtain their cells for research. The use of embryo cells in research is considered in the same light as abortion: eliminating a life (Hunt, 2008, p.119). These issues have led to disagreements between the science and the religious worlds.

Technology is a vital component of life in the modern world. People are so dependent on technology that they cannot live without it. Technology is important and useful in all areas of human life today.

It has made life easy and comfortable by making communication faster and travel faster, making movements between places easier, making actions quick, and easing interactions. Technology is useful in the following areas of life: transport, communication, interaction, education, healthcare, and business. Despite its benefits, technology has negative impacts on society.

Technology has eased communication and transport. The discovery of the telephone and the later invention of the mobile phone changed the face of communication entirely. People in different geographical regions can communicate easily and in record time. In the field of health care, technology has made significant contributions in disease prevention and health promotion. The development of vaccines has eradicated certain diseases, and the use of the Internet is vital in promoting health and health care.

The government uses technology to enhance the delivery of services to citizens and the improvement of defense and security. In the education sector, teaching and learning processes have undergone significant changes owing to the impact of technology. Teachers are able to relate to different types of learners, and the learners have access to various resources and learning materials. Businesses benefit from technology through the reduction of costs and increased efficiency of business operations.

Despite the benefits, technology has certain disadvantages. It has negatively affected human interactions and socialization and has led to widespread unemployment. In addition, its application in the healthcare sector has elicited controversies due to certain medical practices such as stem cell research and gene therapy. Technology is very important and has made life easier and more comfortable than it was in the past.

Barnett, L. (1997). Using Technology in Teaching and Learning . New York: Routledge.

Bonvillian, W., and Sharp, K. (2011). Homeland Security Technology . Retrieved from https://issues.org/bonvillian/ .

Harrington, J. (2011). Technology and Society . New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Hunt, S. (2008). Controversies in Treatment Approaches: Gene Therapy, IVF, Stem Cells and Pharmagenomics. Nature Education , 19(1), 112-134.

Lintonen, P., Konu, A., and Seedhouse, D. (2008). Information Technology in Health Promotion. Health Education Research , 23(3), 560-566.

Pages, J., Bikifalvi, A., and De Castro Vila, R. (2010). The Use and Impact of Technology in Factory Environments: Evidence from a Survey of Manufacturing Industry in Spain. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology , 47(1), 182-190.

Ray, R. (2004). Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses . New York: AMACOM Div American Management Association.

Scholl, H. (2010). E-government: Information, Technology and Transformation . New York: M.E. Sharpe.

Tanja-Dijkstra, K. (2011). The Impact of Bedside Technology on Patients’ Well-Being. Health Environments Research & Design Journal (HERD) , 5(1), 43-51.

Yates, J. (2006). How Business Enterprises use Technology: Extending the Demand-Side Turn. Enterprise and Society , 7(3), 422-425.

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How technology negatively affects our health?

In the field of both mental as well as physical health, technology has proved to be a priceless asset to mankind. Today we have the internet, which is a never- ending ocean of knowledge in itself, providing us information regarding each and every symptoms as well as ailment that we experience. Then we have a plethora of high- end machines in our hospitals which have the capability to show as well as identify even the most minor tissues and nerves in our body.

Last but not the least, cell phones are probably the most crucial invention of technology to mankind. These days we have hundreds of health applications which not only track our overall wellness; rather also show us all the reasons behind the symptoms we experience. However, similar to the two sides of the coin, technology has definitely benefited human beings but it surely comes with an array of negative effects for the human body. Let us take a look at how technology can negatively affect our health and well being.

Also read: Positive effects of technology

Can technology have negative effects on our health?

Without a spike of doubt, we can say that technology comes with its share of negative effects for the human body. Below are few common ways how technology can mess with our health.

Your phone can cause blemishes

Do you have any idea that our phones always team up with innumerable bacteria? Yes, thanks to our surrounding external environment, bacteria piles up on your cell phone when you causally put it on the table in a coffee shop and other such public places. The next time you pick your phone and put it on your ears, this bacteria comes in contact with your face; hence causing blemishes, acne and other skin irritations.

Exposure to Wi-Fi can lower sperm count

Laptops and notebooks are undoubtedly very convenient to work and carry around while you are on the go, but a little known fact is that men who use laptops on their laps have increased chances of affecting their reproductive health. Exposure to electromagnetic waves affected the sperm count and also cause damage to the DNA.

Technology can also wreck your spine

Are you constantly staring into your cell phone or laptop throughout the day? If yes, then you are unknowingly causing long- term harm to your spine. Constant looking into your laptop as well as phone screens puts extra pressure on your neck and back, hence causing pain and lifelong stature issues in both youngsters as well as adults.

Too much use of bright screen can strain your eyes and cause headache

There is no denying in the fact that staring into computer, laptop as well as mobile phone screens for longer hours causes irritation in eyes. It is also the reason for headache in many individuals. This is known as tension headache which is caused as a result of paying too much attention to the screen.

Apart from these, technology also makes an individual a couch potato, which is an obvious condition when you have machines to do your share of work. Of course, most of these problems can be avoided by using technology effectively.

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• Nearly a third of participants weren’t sure how long perimenopause can last for.
• Almost 50% didn’t know that it’s still possible to get pregnant during perimenopause.

Women’s bodies go through many changes as they phase out of the menstruating years. For instance, we see an overwhelming increase in Oura members over 40 tagging symptoms associated with perimenopause, including insomnia, night sweats, hot flashes, anger, and migraines. 

The sudden influx of new physiological and mental symptoms can be scary and overwhelming for women who do not currently have access to sufficient information and resources to help guide them through this phase. This can lead to self-doubt and the avoidance of necessary medical care. 

READ MORE: How Does Menopause Affect Sleep?

Using Wearable Technology to Advance Understanding of Menopause

Using Oura Ring, researchers can monitor the physiological fluctuations of perimenopausal and menopausal women. Oura will donate rings to the participants in the UC Berkeley study and will collect biometric data, including heart rate , skin temperature , heart rate variability , and sleep changes.

The proposed study will use historical cycle data (cycle length and variability), a survey, Clue symptom tracking, and Oura data (sleep, stress, HRV, etc.) to help quantify when someone is entering perimenopause, and, if relevant, how far they are into their journey.

The aim of the study is to better understand and predict the changes women go through in later life, to help provide them with resources, tools, and guidance so they feel supported through this transition.

RELATED: UCSF and Oura Launch Study to Learn More About Irregular Menstrual Cycles and PCOS

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