The 21st century addictions that today keep parents awake and alarm experts

Over the past few years, parents, doctors, and teachers have debated whether the time has finally come to establish a healthy limit to the use of mobile devices.

However, while the pros and cons of technology are discussed and the uses of cell phones in classrooms begin to be outlined, adolescents fall, again and again, into traps disguised as trends.

From the use of social networks, platforms and certain mobile applications, phenomena such as online betting, infinite scrolling, addiction to video games, cosmeticorexia and looksmaxxing emerged, which have a negative impact in many children and adolescents.

Cosmeticorexia and looksmaxxing are terms that are heard more and more frequently. These are two trends that involve an excessive concern for physical appearance. They were born from the viralization of Instagram and TikTok videos.

“These social media contents mainly impact teenagers and generate an obsession with appearance“explains Ángela Nakab, pediatrician, specialist in Adolescence and member of the Argentine Society of Pediatrics.

This excessive concern for facial care gives way to cosmetorexia, a phenomenon that brings risks to the health of the skin due to indiscriminate use of beauty treatments and products that have not been created for young people, and, on the other hand, it also causes self-esteem and anxiety problems.

The obsession with videos is just the tip of the iceberg of a series of signs that identify this condition: “Teenagers can spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, worrying excessively about their appearance; compulsively using cosmetics, repeatedly applying beauty products even when it is not necessary and present constant dissatisfaction. That is, they feel that they are never ‘perfect’ enough or that there is always something to improve,” Nakab clarifies.

And he adds: “We have to observe if they neglect school responsibilities or social activities due to obsession with appearance. There is an impact on the self-esteem and dependency of external approval and, in addition, there is a distortion of personal image and constant insecurity.”

According to companies that offer beauty services, the increase in young clientele is notable. “We serve people ages 17 and up. They come to have their hands done, straightened, eyelashes or eyebrows,” he says. an expert of only 21 years who works in a store in the Palermo neighborhood, while beauty treatment specialist Viviana Mazzitelli reports that many teenagers visit her office as soon as any sign of acne appears.

“They come when they appear the first grains because they don’t like to see themselves like that. The older ones arrive alone and the younger ones, accompanied by an adult in the family,” she says.

Lookmaxxing went viral through TikTok and the majority of its followers are young men who share advice on personal care and beauty to achieve a “more masculine” look. The lookmaxxing videos, which have millions of views, show exercises to define the chin, highlight the cheekbones or train the facial muscles to achieve a “hunter” look.

There are also videos that show more radical practicessuch as the use of Botox or surgeries to achieve the ideal body and face, and “moderate” blows (bones smashing) that are applied to model certain areas of the face and that, according to specialists, can cause irreversible injuries.

Indeed, the pressure to achieve the appearance shown with filters on networks could lead to anxiety and negatively affect self-acceptance. “Constant comparison with others, exposure to idealized images and the need for validation can trigger negative emotions in young people and adolescents,” says Mariela Arce Guerschberg, specialist in Child and Adolescent Psychology and master’s degree in Families.

In 2006, Aza Raskin created the concept of “infinite scrolling,” a web design technique that allows content to be continuously loaded while the user scrolls down. This technological schemeadded to highly personalized content, keeps visitors “trapped” on web pages or applications.

Infinite scrolling has become a trap for teenagers because “they have a greater sensitivity to rewards and a poorer impulse control“This condition exposes them to risks in all contexts,” explains Silvina Pedrouzo, pediatrician specializing in the use and effects of technology in children and adolescents and president of the ICT Subcommittee of the Argentine Society of Pediatrics.

The expert also comments that “although there is a genetic component, associated with multiple psychological and social factors that determines addictions, intense stimuli produced by interactions on networks, exposure to video games or gambling, trigger the release of dopamine in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and instant gratification.”

Adolescents who scroll for hours can present “from difficulties in the circadian rhythm, which lead to the feeling of exhaustion and inattention during the first hours of the dayto irritability, disordered eating, decreased physical activity, increased social isolation, decreased academic level affecting self-esteem, social skills and comprehensive development,” says Mariela Arce Guerschberg.

Kids scroll and so do parents and, perhaps, for many adults the warning about this practicewhich is already part of everyday life, may be somewhat exaggerated.

However, it is important to highlight that Aza Raskin himself is currently working to combat the most negative aspects of digital life, among which is his own creation, and that, on the other hand, the European Union prepared a report to Examine and prohibit harmful techniques related to Internet useamong which is infinite scrolling: he considers that its design would be “addictive”.

The digital casino phenomenon reached its peak during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, these days there is a unusual number of teenagers placing bets on online platformsdespite the fact that in Argentina this activity is prohibited for minors under 18 years of age.

In fact, many teenagers have found ways to get around the age restriction by data falsificationthe use of credit cards or virtual wallets of adult relatives.

“Access to virtual casinos and other adult gambling apps gives teenagers access to everything they can’t yet or what they think they need: it makes them feel ‘free’ and thus they can get to the point of not wanting to leave the game,” explains Arce Guerschberg.

Teachers were the first to raise the alarm about the issue. “We found 13 or 14-year-old students who placed bets online, many times at recess or in the classroom,” says Silvia Rodríguez, principal of a Secondary School in the City of Buenos Aires. We chatted with the boys and we had meetings with their families. Many of these families did not know that their children handled gambling money and, on the other hand, the children were not aware of what this activity implied for their lives. Somehow they lose touch with reality and the surrounding world.”

Recurrent gambling is the prelude to what is known as digital gambling or cybergambling, “which is the uncontrollable impulse to bet or gamble through digital platforms, despite money losses and their negative consequences in the family, school or social spheres. The problem is aggravated by easy access to both applications 24 hours a day and virtual wallets,” explains Pedrouzo.

“In my work coordinating therapy groups for adolescents we have discussed online casinos and most of the members have said that they played ‘at least once to try’. Many described it as ‘an exciting activity and a quick way to make money’ without taking into consideration the consequences,” says Arce Guerschberg.

Although each case is unique, it was observed that adolescents who compulsively bet usually present some of the following signs: asking for or stealing money from members of their family; seek revenge again and again, even after losing; systematically denying that he is an active player; neglecting school responsibilities and family or social activities.

For his part, Pedrouzo points out that gambling in adolescents can generate deterioration in family and social tiessleep and behavioral disturbances, symptoms of anxiety, depression and social isolation.

“The permanent presence of technology can present itself as an obstacle to the treatment of digital gambling disease,” he warns. It is necessary to find a healthy balance and teach children to use technology responsibly and critically. “This requires an interdisciplinary therapeutic approach that includes education, therapy and family support.”