Understanding Internet and Screen Addiction
Alex Cohan, MS, LPC-Associate, NCC, under the supervision of Erin Wysong-Warren, LPC-S, CSAT-S, CPTT-S, CMAT, SEP License #70992
Screens are woven into nearly every part of modern life. We work, learn, connect, and unwind through them. Yet when scrolling, gaming, or streaming begin to take up more time and energy than we intend or start to interfere with our relationships, focus, or wellbeing, it may be more than just “too much screen time.”
While internet and screen addiction isn’t a formal diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), we often describe it as a process addiction. These are patterns of behavior that activate the same reward system in the brain as substances or gambling. Understanding this connection helps us see that problematic screen use isn’t about weakness or lack of willpower. It’s often a sign of deeper unmet emotional needs.
What Is Internet and Screen Addiction?
Screen addiction occurs when technology use begins to interfere with everyday functioning by negatively impacting your work, relationships, sleep, or emotional health. It’s not necessarily about how many hours you spend online; it’s about how those hours affect your life and wellbeing.
Like other process addictions, digital experiences can be highly reinforcing. Each notification, “like,” or in-game achievement releases dopamine, the brain chemical associated with motivation and reward. Over time, the brain may start to seek out these quick hits, even when the behavior no longer feels satisfying or healthy.
When Screen Use Becomes a Way to Cope
Many people turn to screens to manage stress or escape uncomfortable emotions. Online activity can become a way to feel in control, distract from pain, or simply fill moments of boredom or loneliness.
Here are a few common patterns:
Social media and mood: Constant comparison or exposure can leave you feeling inadequate or lonely.
Doomscrolling and depression: Continuous exposure to negative or distressing content may contribute to anxiety, sadness, or hopelessness.
Pornography and relationships: Reliance on digital sexual content or messaging can create conflict or disconnection in real-life relationships.
Gaming and productivity: Video games can offer enjoyment and escape but may also reduce motivation or focus when used to avoid stress.
In each of these examples, screen use can offer brief relief, but it rarely provides lasting comfort. Over time, the behavior may numb emotions rather than help you process them, creating a cycle of avoidance and disconnection.
Looking Beneath the Surface
Problematic screen use often hides deeper emotional experiences such as anxiety, shame, loneliness, or past trauma. Turning to technology for distraction is a form of protection. It’s your brain is trying to help you avoid pain or discomfort.
Therapy provides a space to slow down and explore what’s driving those impulses. Even a small moment of reflection can help: the next time you reach for your device, try asking yourself, “What am I hoping this will give me?” That simple question can open the door to awareness and choice.
How Therapy Helps
At the Institute for Relational Recovery, therapy is a collaborative process that focuses on understanding what’s underneath your screen use, not on judgment or restriction. The goal is to help you regain balance, connection, and a sense of control over your time and attention.
Evidence-based therapies that have shown effectiveness include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Identifies thought and behavior patterns that reinforce overuse and helps build healthier habits.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Strengthens emotional regulation and distress-tolerance skills.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Encourages mindfulness and values-based decision making.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Can help process trauma that contributes to avoidance or emotional numbing.
Effective therapy looks beyond the behavior and focuses on healing the emotions beneath it. It’s not about taking away your technology, but about helping you use it in ways that serve your values and relationships.
If you’re seeking internet or technology addiction therapy in Dallas, our clinicians can help you take the first step toward meaningful change.
Small Steps Toward Recovery
You don’t have to make big changes all at once. Gentle, consistent shifts can create lasting impact. Try starting with:
Notice your triggers. When are you most likely to reach for your phone? What are you feeling in those moments?
Set boundaries. Try screen-free zones or times, like during meals or the hour before bed.
Pause before you scroll. Take a deep breath and ask, “What am I hoping this will give me?”
Find alternatives. Choose activities that nourish you. Spend time outdoors, call a friend, or engage in a creative hobby.
If you’re in the DFW area, you can also explore Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous (ITAA) meetings through Twelfth Step Ministry, which offer peer support for individuals working toward healthier digital habits.
When to Reach Out for Help
If your screen use is causing anxiety, conflict, or a sense of losing control, you don’t have to navigate it alone. A licensed therapist at the Institute for Relational Recovery in Uptown Dallas can help you explore the emotional patterns behind your behavior and develop tools to restore balance.
Therapy isn’t about taking your devices away. It’s about helping you live more intentionally and meaningfully, both online and off.
Finding Freedom Beyond the Screen
Healing from screen addiction means reclaiming your freedom to choose. When you understand what your screen use is trying to soothe or protect, you can begin to meet those needs in healthier ways.
Recovery doesn’t mean giving up technology. It means learning to engage with it without losing yourself.
If you’re ready to begin that process, contact one of our therapists to schedule a consultation today.
Additional Resources
American Psychological Association (APA): Technology and Internet Addiction
National Institutes of Health (NIH): Understanding Behavioral Addictions
Get started at the Institute for Relational Recovery
If you live in Texas and want to work with a therapist individually, with a group, or both, contact us on our contact page or call (214) 906-5138.
About the Author
Alex Cohan, MS, LPC-Associate, NCC, under the supervision of Erin Wysong-Warren, LPC-S, CSAT-S, CPTT-S, CMAT, SEP License #70992
(Appointments available online and in person)
Alex specializes in treating those with anxiety, depression, trauma, relational challenges, and difficult life transitions, using a variety of experiential approaches, including Coherence Therapy, EMDR, and "parts" models like Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Psychosynthesis.
He believes that these therapy models allow you to access and heal each area of your mind, fostering a sense of inner harmony by updating the emotional patterns that no longer serve you.
Alex is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) with a Master of Science in Counseling from Southern Methodist University, where he specialized in trauma studies. He believes therapy is a collaborative process and strives to create a compassionate, non-judgmental space for growth.
To learn more about Alex Cohan or to get in contact, click HERE.