Can't turn off video-streaming sites? You could be addicted

Binge-watching video-streaming sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime is a new addiction. The sites also stream series running into multiple episodes. Young people say it is hard to stop watching a series, and that is what gets them hooked.

Roshan Jain, senior consultant psychiatrist at Apollo Hospitals, finds the problem rampant. "People don't come with video addiction directly but seek help for behavioural problems such as social avoidance and lack of confidence," he says.

His advice: Avoid binging on shows even if the content is interesting. "We must understand that awareness is key and moderation the solution. It is high time people became aware of the potential harm binging can have in the long run," he says.

Ad-free, compelling content is a reason people like streaming sites. Niya Alexander, a communications professional, spends six to eight hours watching movies on weekends.

"I usually binge-watch or do a movie marathon. It is the perfect way to laze around with friends over a couple of beers," says Niya. She also spends a couple of hours on the site every day. But she also makes sure to get away from the screen and go out to meet her friends. "The ideal is a mix of indoors and outdoors," she says.

Kishor Prasad, who works for Accenture, is among those who has his watching in control. He spends half his Saturday or Sunday afternoon watching TV shows on Amazon Prime. That doesn't count as binging.

"We recently did a workplace survey and found that the short-term consequences can be lifestyle changes," says Manoj Kumar Sharma, additional professor of clinical psychology, Shut (Service for Healthy Use of Technology) Clinic, Nimhans.

What the survey found: People are sleep-deprived as they watch one episode after the other.

"This can lead to frequent distractions at the workplace. Changing their focus from work to online activity sometimes affects their productivity," he says.

How long is a binge?

Deaddiction specialists are still trying to understand technology addiction and define binging.
"It requires empirical data to understand how many hours is a binge. We often see cases
with eight to 10 hours of use at a stretch, at the expense of offline demands," says a Nimhans expert.

Three A's to de-addict

Awareness: Strengthen awareness. It can come from newspaper articles or media stories, which constantly warn people against binging.
Acceptance: With awareness comes acceptance. Addicts must understand they have a problem.
Action: After understanding the problem, take action. Structure the day to set aside enough time for offline activities.

How binging affects you:
Makes you avoid social contact.
Deprives you of sleep.
Affects your productivity at work.