Name – Harshada Vijay Wadgeri
UPI – hwad399
Digital Addiction: Should Technology
Companies Be Held Accountable for Designing
Addictive Features?
In today’s world of “Digital Natives,”
smartphones and other gadgets have become an
integral part of our lives, so much so that when
we scroll through YouTube videos or Instagram
reels or play video games, we lose track of our
time, which is often termed as “Digital
Addiction.” This raises the question of whether
technology companies should be held
accountable for designing addictive features. This
essay explores both sides of the argument.
Digital addiction refers to the overuse of digital
devices that starts to interfere with everyday life,
as mentioned in the examples above. It does
have the ability to ruin people’s mental health.
Features like scrolling, autoplay, and constant
notifications keep users excited and interactive
for as long as possible. While doing these things,
individuals get a dopamine jolt (dopamine is
often called the “happy hormone”), and their
brain responds by releasing serotonin, which
makes them feel happy. If the dopamine is not
triggered, it leads to a rise in cortisol (the stress
hormone), and the only way to get that dopamine
hit back is to do the same thing all over again.
Hence, the endless vicious cycle [1]. Since these
features are deliberately built to keep users
hooked, it is only fair to hold tech companies
accountable for the mental harm they help
cause.
On the other hand, some people argue that we
have control over how we use technology. We as
humans can reduce our screen time, turn off our
phones, get off the apps we want, and choose
how much we want to engage with the digital
content and how much we must put out there.
Labelling technology as the sole blame for Digital
Addiction is a bit rich. There are numerous
positive sides to these platforms; one can use
them for connecting with their families or friends,
which is especially helpful when they stay
overseas; one can use them for learning or
relaxing by binge-watching movies or series, be it
Netflix or Amazon Prime. If we stop its use
altogether, we might miss out on some good
things that help us develop. Putting all the blame
on tech companies for the rise in Mental Health
issues might not be the truth.
This calls for finding a middle ground between
both extremes. Tristan Harris, a former Google
employee, advocates for principles that prioritize
the well-being and health of the user over
engagement tactics (like scrolling, notifications,
and so on, as mentioned above). The article
points out that while various companies like
Apple and Instagram have added tools like
screen time tracking, those features only work if
people actively use them. At the same time,
Lawton notes that improving media literacy
among users, especially younger ones, is just as
important. Facebook has also funded research
that found out that the connections made on
Facebook help with anxiety. However, the main
problem is that Facebook makes most of its
money from ads that show up rather than the
one-on-one communications that the users are
looking for. So, the middle ground encourages
tech companies and users to do their respective
duties.[2]
In conclusion, Digital Addiction is a real issue. At
the same time, tech companies also play a part
in it. The users also need some level of self-
control and awareness regarding their boundaries
and well-being, as every human has free will at
the end of the day. An approach where users
become more aware of their behaviour and
companies are more ethical in their designs
would help solve the problem.
References:
[1] J. S. Gans. "Detoxifying Addictive Tech." The
Regulatory Review.
https://www.theregreview.org/2024/04/27/detoxif
ying-addictive-tech (accessed Apr. 9, 2025).
[2] G. Lawton. "Confronting big tech's role in
digital addiction and digital wellness."
TechTarget.
https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/news/2524
59190/Confronting-big-techs-role-in-digital-
addiction-and-digital-wellness (accessed Apr. 9,
2025).
