
BY Nasir Hamid Khan
Digital Addiction: The Invisible Pandemic
Albert Einstein once warned, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interactions. The world will have a generation of idiots.”
Well, here we are—a generation amusing itself to death, oblivious to what may be the last great pandemic known to humankind. We hand over digital devices to children and adolescents without a second thought, failing to realize that this could irreparably damage their developing brains. It’s akin to plugging a home circuit into an ultra-high voltage power line—the result is catastrophic. Our 1.7-million-year-old brain is simply not equipped to handle the endless barrage of digital information and the manipulative algorithms designed to keep us hooked.
The consequences? Isolation, impaired relationships, reduced attention spans, insomnia, chronic stress, diminished cognition, creativity blocks, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. This is the fastest and most pervasive addiction known to humanity.
Smartphones and other digital lures are engineered to be addictive, stripping our lives of creativity, meaning, and purpose. Neuroscientists call this state of dopamine depletion “learned helplessness.”
Waking Up to the Digital Crisis
We recently organized a discussion under the Common Interest Conversations program at Amar Singh Club, Srinagar. Presided over by Prof. S. A. Romshoe, Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of Science & Technology, and chaired by eminent senior advocate Mr. Zaffer A. Shah, the conversation was a wake-up call. It made me realize the disastrous power I had allowed technology to have over me—at the cost of lost time and fractured relationships.
Expert Perspectives on Digital Addiction
The insights shared in this article are largely drawn from Dr. Anna Lembke, a world-renowned addiction psychiatrist, Medical Director of Addiction Medicine at Stanford University, and author of the New York Times bestseller Dopamine Nation. Additional inputs come from Fabeha Syed, host of the popular podcast Lidunama, as well as Netflix documentaries The Social Dilemma (nominated for seven Emmys) and Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy. I strongly recommend these resources to grasp the full scale of digital addiction.
Incidentally, the Oxford Word of the Year for 2024 is ‘Brain Rot,’ describing the detrimental effects of excessive online content consumption, especially low-quality or trivial material. In Urdu, it translates to “Zehani Zawaal.”
The Business of Addiction
The digital world offers immense opportunities for education, research, and intellectual enrichment—but only for a responsible minority. The majority are ensnared by corporate interests that profit from maximizing online engagement.
This is reflected in the Forbes Billionaires List, where 15 out of the top 20 richest individuals are connected to digital businesses. Surveillance capitalism and planned obsolescence are their tools, and their product is you—or rather, your attention.
Scientific Evidence of Digital Brain Damage
A joint study by the Shanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education and the Faculty of Education and Human Development, Education University of Hong Kong, concluded:
“Digital addiction in children and adolescents leads to structural brain changes, including reduced grey and white matter volume in regions responsible for executive function, reward processing, and sensorimotor activities, thereby impairing cognition and leading to problematic smartphone use, internet gaming disorder, and internet addiction.”
The negative effects of digital addiction span multiple aspects—physical, emotional, cognitive, and neurological. These include:
- Impaired vision and hearing
- Weakening of social skills and relationships
- Aggressive behavior
- Increased rates of depression and anxiety
- Shortened attention spans
- Decline in memory and problem-solving abilities
The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle. We seek digital hits of attention, validation, and distraction, swiping endlessly for instant gratification. This over-reliance on short-term rewards leaves us trapped in the limbic brain—our emotional center—rather than the prefrontal cortex, which governs planning, problem-solving, and personality development.
Breaking the Cycle
Experts warn that behaviors initially pleasurable can drive us into a dopamine-deficit state where we engage in them not to feel good, but to avoid feeling bad. This cycle mirrors drug addiction.
Scientific research suggests that abstinence from any addiction for at least 30 days is necessary for the brain to reset its neuroadaptive pathways and restore equilibrium. This period allows us to recognize the true impact of compulsive overconsumption and reframe our engagement with digital content.
The goal? To do nothing.
Resting mental networks—the brain’s state when not actively engaged—are crucial for creativity, well-being, and original thought. Actor Aamir Khan shared in an interview:
“When I stopped using my phone, I didn’t realize how big a step it would be. It has totally changed my life. My mind opened up so fast. Before, mobile devices had stopped me from thinking. What would have taken me two years to accomplish, I completed in six weeks.”
Time spent scrolling mindlessly is time wasted—time is life itself.
The Challenge of Awareness
Unlike substance addiction, digital addiction is insidious. Many users remain unaware of their dependency. Raising awareness is critical, but the challenge is that families and communities themselves are often deeply afflicted. A glance around is enough to confirm this undeniable reality.
The scale of this addiction is unprecedented. However, we can break free by adopting a monastic mindset—reducing pleasure-seeking behaviors and replacing them with so-called “painful pursuits” like exercise, fasting, prayer, meditation, and other engaging activities.
We must ask ourselves: How does digital addiction affect our ability to be good parents, spouses, and friends?
A Spiritual Perspective: The Power of Abstinence
What neuroscience is discovering today was revealed over 1,400 years ago by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Every year, during Ramadan, Muslims practice self-control, gratitude, and compassion through fasting. Sawm (fasting) is the fourth pillar of Islam, emphasizing abstinence at its core. Many other religions also observe fasting as a form of spiritual and mental purification.
A Call to Action
There is an urgent need for society to rise in solidarity against digital addiction. I urge all residents of Jammu and Kashmir, regardless of religion, to collectively withdraw from the digital world—at least partially—during Ramadan.
Let us take this opportunity to reclaim our minds, reset our mental balance, and restore the lost art of deep thinking and meaningful interactions.
Nasir Hamid Khan
Secretary, Amar Singh Club, Srinagar
Former Senior Vice President, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Email: sunfresh1102@gmail.com