Leveraging family force to assist adolescent patients in the treatment of technology abuse

Abstract

Technology abuse refers to the excessive use of personal technology devices, which can have a negative impact on adolescent patients' lifestyles and might lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes. This study conducted a needs assessment study to gain guidelines for the development of assistive systems to help adolescents deal with technology abuse issues. Our results identify current difficulties to depict screen use on multiple devices for the recording of device usage data as well as behavioral data related to lifestyles (e.g., sleep conditions). We also proposed a preliminary design of technology solutions to make the information sharing among patients and parents possible for constructive communication between them and provide treatment teams with the data necessary for diagnosis and the formulation of treatment plans.