Digital ‘Addictions’ to Digital Wellbeing: Understanding and Managing Our Use of Technology

In this course, Jocelyn Brewer, psychologist and founder of Digital Nutrition, defines cyberpsychology and digital wellbeing, proposing that we can attain “digital nutrition” through the resolution of five digital dilemmas that plague the use of technology, particularly for young people. Doing so matters because of the increasing pervasiveness and centrality of technology in our everyday lives, and because the uptake of it is happening earlier and earlier in people’s lives. Highlighting a digital health scale, Brewer describes how problematic use of tech can be prevented, or treated if it has already arisen. She proposes CBT-IA as a treatment mode, lists questions to explore, and advocates the promotion of both self-control skills and sleep hygiene, along with family technology compacts, to ensure adaptive technology use.