SMARTPHONES, laptops and tablets are to be at the centre of a new probe into how addictive technology is affecting people’s health.
Scottish Labour MP Ged Killen will launch an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to examine the impact of the gadgets in the New Year.
It follows a House of Commons inquiry into the growth of “immersive and addictive technologies”, such as virtual and augmented reality.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation classified video game addiction as a mental health disorder for the first time.
Mr Killen said the new group would seek to engage with tech companies such as Google and Facebook face-to-face.
He said: “Phones, laptops and tablets have become central to many of our day to day lives.
“While these are extremely useful tools, overuse of technology can have a detrimental impact on our health.
“Most of us will have experience of trying to hold a conversation with a friend or relative who is face down in a phone or tablet, but for some people it is more serious than that.
“The WHO has already classified video game addiction as an official mental health disorder while new research and an inquiry by the House of Commons Digital Culture Media and Sports Select committee is seriously looking at the impacts that overuse of this technology has on our health.
“My APPG will seek to create a space for MPs to engage with the tech companies and put across our concerns and what action we want to see them take to ensure that we can live better and healthier lives with the technology we use every day.”
He added: “It’s all about choice. I use my smartphone as much as anybody, but it’s when it crosses that line from being useful to something you are struggling to put down.
“It’s all about trying to put power back into the hands of consumers. It’s one of those non-party political issues where we might be able to achieve something if we work together.”
Mr Killen said there was strong interest among other Scottish MPs following a debate he led in the Commons, while he has already had contact with Facebook and Google.
He previously called on tech companies to volunteer a portion of their profits to support research into the health impact of what they produce.
This would work in a similar way to an agreement reached with the gambling industry in 2007, which sees companies set aside cash for charities supporting those affected by addictions.
Mr Killen told MPs in October: “The big tech companies could be doing much more both to help us mitigate the negative effects of their technology and to help us understand it.
“In much the same way as the gambling industry and the alcohol industry contribute funds from their profits to mitigate the negative effects of their products, I see no reason why the big technology companies could not contribute to some sort of fund that supports research into the health impact of their products and services and helps to promote healthy use of their technology.
“That could apply to everything from using a smartphone to combating online abuse and bullying.”
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