Study shows students unable to cope without tech

Students show signs of addiction when they are unplugged from their cell phones, MP3 players, computers and televisions, according to a study from the International Center for Media at the University of Maryland. Researchers surveyed 1,000 university students from 10 countries around the world, including, China, the United Kingdom, the United States and Chile. The study concluded that a “clear majority” of participants were unable to remove themselves from technology for 24 hours. Susan Moeller, who led the project, said the students exhibited symptoms clearly resembling withdrawal. “They expected the frustration. But they didn’t expect to have the psychological effects, to be lonely, to be panicked, the anxiety, literally heart palpitations,” she said. Students taking part in the study completed an online questionnaire before and after attempting to go media free. Some students, Moeller noted, recognized that their reliance on technology “actually inhibited their ability to manage their lives as fully as they hoped.”