CHRISTOPHER MULLIGAN LCSW
3685 Motor Avenue, Suite 150
Los Angeles, California 90034
310/287-1640
www.cyberaddictionrecovery.com
CHILD/TEEN TECHNOLOGY ADDICTION TEST
SCORING:
DOES NOT APPLY= O
RARELY=1
OCCASIONALLY=2
FREQUENTLY=3
OFTEN=4
ALWAYS=5
- How much time does your child spend playing video games per day?
__ none
__ 1 to 2 hours
__ 3 to 5 hours
__ 6 to 8 hours
__ more than 8 hours
- How much time does your child spend on the internet per day (playing on-line games, researching areas of interest, down loading music and videos, YouTube, chat rooms, instant messaging)?
__ none
__ 1 to 2 hours
__ 3 to 5 hours
__ 6 to 8 hours
__ more than 8 hours
- Does your child refuse to accept time limits set for video gaming and on-line use?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child eat meals while online or when gaming?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child reject physical activities (swimming, biking, hiking, sports, park play, camping) in favor of gaming and/or being online?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child engage in lengthy discussions/monologues about video games and/or on-line activities?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Has your child gained weight as a result of video gaming and on-line activities?
___ no
___ yes
(If yes, how much weight? _________lbs)
- Does your child complain of body aches/pains related to video gaming and/or on-line use? (carpal tunnel syndrome, stiff neck, back pain, eye strain)
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child neglect household chores in order to continue gaming or staying on-line?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child prefer to spend time gaming or being on-line rather than spend time with family?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child say s/he has made friends via gaming and on-line activities but spends the majority of his/her time alone gaming and/or being online?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Do your child’s grades suffer as a result of gaming and/or on-line use?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child play a video game, check his/her email or go online to chat before doing anything else (e.g., chores, homework, saying hello, having a check-in conversation, etc.).
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child complain that all activities are boring/useless except for gaming or being on-line?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child lose track of time when gaming or on-line (time warp)?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child argue any time limit on gaming or on-line use is “unfair”?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child attempt to hide how long s/he has been gaming or on-line?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child become defensive and/or secretive when asked what s/he is doing on-line or what game s/he is playing?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child spend time alone in his/her room when on-line or when playing video games?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child snap, yell and/or act annoyed if interrupted when on-line or when gaming?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child experience fatigue during the day due to staying up late gaming or being on-line?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child use energy drinks or caffeinated beverages while gaming or when on-line?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child prefer to engage in gaming or on-line activities rather than spend time with peers from school or peers from the community?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child become angry or belligerent when you place a time limit on gaming, on-line activities, or using a smart phone?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child appear depressed, moody, or agitated when “unplugged” from gaming and/or the internet?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child seem to use video gaming and/or being on-line as a way of coping with social skills problems, anxiety, depression, and/or social isolation?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child use the internet for viewing pornography?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child use a smartphone (or other cell phone) to send sexually explicit images or text messages?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child engage in compulsive texting, Facebook checking, and/or instant messaging? (100 texts per day? Multiple hours per day on Facebook posting messages and photos? Switch tasking between texting, Facebook, and instant messaging?)
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
- Does your child use Ebay, Amazon or other on-line retail businesses in excess of time and financial limits that you have set?
___ does not apply
___ rarely
___ occasionally
___ frequently
___ often
___ always
0-1-2-3-4-5 score _____
TOTAL SCORE= _________________
Scoring:
26 – 64 Average gaming and online use (child is spending no more than 1.5 hours per day on-line or gaming and is able to participate successfully in home, school, and social roles and functions).
65 – 103 Gaming and online use are causing significant day-to-day problems (child is spending more than 3 hours per day on-line and/or gaming, is constantly arguing about screen time, is refusing to attend to chores and homework, is beginning to show signs of social isolation and is preferring electronic forms of entertainment to all “off-line” forms of recreation).
104 – 130 Gaming and online use are causing severe problems (these problems include complete social isolation, depression, chronic fatigue, school failure, defiance/non-compliance related to limits on technology use, weight gain, orthopedic problems, loss of sense of reality, and addiction symptoms such as emotional agitation and/or depression when “off-line).
Key risk factors:
Childhood onset depression and anxiety disorders, social skills deficits, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, preferring technology to “off-line” forms of recreation and socialization, preferred social isolation, preferred withdrawal from family, secretive behaviors, emotional agitation and/or depression when “off-line, school performance problems, viewing and storing of pornography, and physical symptoms such as back and joint pain and weight gain.
Games that pose the greatest risk:
0 to 10 scale (0=no risk and 10=risk for addiction)
10/10: MMORPG’s (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) such as Entropia Universe, RuneScape, Final Fantasy, and World of Warcraft.
8/10: RTS (real time strategy games) such as Civilization, Age of Empires, Command and Conquer.
7/10: FPS (first person shooter) such as Halo, Call of Duty, and Counterstrike.
5/10: Manage and Control Games (God Games) such as Sims, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Black and White.
4/10: Educational Games that include geography, math, economics, politics, and history.
3/10: Old School Games such as mazes, races, battles that can be played by the entire family played on old platforms like Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1, or Sega’s Dreamacast.
2/10: Physical Simulation Games such as Dance Dance Revolution or WII teenic, bowling, baseball, and boxing.
1/10: Puzzle Games that include logic, language and trivia.
Resources:
Books: Caught in the Net (Kimberly Young), Tangled in the Web (Kimberly Young), Cyber Junkie (Kevin Roberts), The Digital Diet (Daniel Sieberg), Video Games and Your Kids ( Hilarie Cash), and PlayStation Nation (Olivia and Kurt Bruner).
Websites: webwisekids, Center for Media and Child Health, common sense media, netfamilynews, enoughisenough, connectsafely, Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
Professional Consultation: I am available to consult with parents, mental health professionals, physicians, and schools on how to create group and individualized programs to help children, teens and adults who are manifesting symptoms consistent with technology dependence and addiction.
www.cyberaddictionrecovery.com
