The Seventh Kingdom: Is Technology Addiction Real Jan. 2015 | Page 35

DR. ANDREW DOAN, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Andrew Doan, M.D., Ph.D., a highly respected expert in video game and technology addiction
has been a researcher in brain development for over ten years. Being a previous addict to online
gaming and pornography, he speaks from both research as well as experience. He considers
addiction to be an illness which affects; Health, emotional health, family, social status and career.
Video gaming is an extremely powerful to ol and is sometimes used as a “d rug” or hypnosis
method. Burn victims are able to be given virtual reality simulation of snow-related games to
numb the pain whilst nurses scrub their burns clean. The reason why gaming is so addictive is
because of three elements; Achievement, Immersion and, due to the introduction of the internet,
socialisation. Bo oks are not considered an addictive medium as they only allow immersion.
Doan discovered the “Time and Impact theory of addiction” which suggests that if people are not
able to moderate their time with a specific behaviour and realise the impact it has on others, they
,
are an addict. Unlike bo oks, gaming allows no reflective thought – it tells the user what to think.
As a result, the gamer will enjoy pleasure from a game, but will not necessarily learn. (Doan,
2014)

18
2

INTERNET USE
stranger have access to
children

SCREEN TIME

need to grasp 3D form
rather than 2d form of
representations on a screen

Dr. Doan also stated the ages for when children
should be allowed access to specific technology
milestons (left). In addition, a child should not been
granted access to device entertainment (i.e. gaming,
videos etc) until they reach an understanding of time
management and moderation.
The average screen time f