Addiction in the age of the metaverse

Are we past the point of no return when it comes to our obsession with online technology? Elaine Moore considers her own tech use and explores our future in the metaverse.

According to a YouGov poll, the majority of Brits can’t get through dinner without checking their phone. Children and young adults can now be treated on the NHS for ‘gaming and internet addiction’. So, with the arrival of the metaverse, which promises to seamlessly blend our real and virtual worlds, are we facing a future which could potentially turbocharge this issue?

Elaine asks if addiction to technology is real, and as it becomes more entwined in our everyday lives, what’s being done about it? Speaking to addiction specialists, tech experts, and others, she finds out how we can live more harmoniously with technology and develop healthier relationships with our screens.

With contributions from: James Ball, author of 'The System: Who Owns the Internet, and How it Owns Us'.

Anna Lembke, Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and author of 'Dopamine Nation'.

Dr Rebecca Lockwood from the National Center for Gaming Disorder.

Catherine Price, science journalist and founder of ScreenLifeBalance.com.

Professor of AI and Spatial Computing, David Reid.

Producer: Craig Templeton Smith