Digital era behaviors under scientific scrutiny

Researchers are studying new behaviors linked to hyper-connectivity to understand how they may become risk factors for individual well-being. Terms such as nomophobia, FOMO, and doomscrolling have entered daily life to describe how smartphones reshape human behavior and reality perception.

While these repetitive digital actions can impact sleep, concentration, and relationships, the scientific community is still determining when they transition from cultural phenomena to clinical disorders. Currently, the only digital behavior officially recognized as a pathology by the World Health Organization is gaming disorder, which involves gaming taking control of life for at least twelve consecutive months despite negative consequences.

Other digital behaviors are currently classified as problematic behaviors or cultural phenomena. Medical science is closely monitoring these emotional reactions to understand their evolution and determine if they will eventually be recognized as official clinical disturbances.