Youngsters suffer 'from gadget withdrawal symptoms'

In fact, according to the study, the withdrawal symptoms youngsters experience when deprived of their gadgets are comparable with those of drug addicts going "cold turkey", the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Researchers found 79 per cent of students subjected to a complete media blackout for just one day reported adverse reactions ranging from distress to confusion and isolation. In vivid accounts, they told of overwhelming cravings, with one saying they were "itching like a crackhead".

The study focused on people aged between 17 and 23 in ten countries, including the UK, where about 150 students at Bournemouth University spent some 24 hours banned from using phones, social networking sites, the Internet and TV.

They were allowed to use landline phones or read books and were asked to keep a diary.

One in five reported feelings of withdrawal akin to an addiction while 11 per cent said they were confused or felt like a failure. Nearly one in five (some 19 per cent) reported feelings of distress and 11 per cent felt isolated. Just 21 per cent said they could feel the benefits of being unplugged