A new study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors documents the first reported case of “Google Glass addiction.” Share on Pinterest The patient’s withdrawal symptoms for the device were “much worse” than withdrawing from alcohol. Google Glass – the wearable computer mounted in the headset of a pair of glasses – was launched by the data giant in February 2013. By as early as June of that year, surgeons were already experimenting with how the device might be applied to surgical practice. In February of this year, researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles, developed a Google Glass app with the intention of using the device to help prevent disease outbreaks around the world. These innovative uses of Google Glass sound optimistic and futuristic, but are we about to see a dark side to this must-have gadget? The new study reports on the case of a 31-year-old enlisted service member who is being treated for addiction to Google Glass.

Patient wore Glass headset 18 hours a day, only removing it to sleep and bathe In the summer, the man checked in to the US Navy’s Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program for treatment of alcoholism, on the basis that doctors had diagnosed the withdrawal symptoms he was exhibiting as being caused by alcohol. However, after all electronic devices were taken from the patient – which is customary for patients receiving substance rehabilitation treatment – experts at Naval Medical Center San Diego began to suspect that the man’s reliance on Google Glass might instead be the problem. Head of Addictions and Resilience Research at the Center, Dr. Andrew Doan – also a co-author of the new study – told NBC News that the patient’s withdrawal symptoms for the device were “much worse” than withdrawing from alcohol. The patient had been wearing Glass for up to 18 hours a day, only taking the headset off when he slept or bathed. He reported experiencing his dreams as though they were viewed through the window of the Glass headset. The authors describe this as the “Tetris Effect” – a symptom associated with playing the game Tetris for long periods of time, whereby gamers report seeing shapes from the game in their sleep. Dr. Doan said that “when the therapist would ask him a question, he would have this repeated movement of placing his index finger to the right side of face, similar to trying to turn on the Glass.” This motion was an involuntary movement that the man had adopted in order to access information and answer questions. Without the device, the man seemed to have impaired short-term memory and would lose his train of thought easily. After completing a 35-day residential treatment program, the patient is now following up with outpatient treatment and is experiencing improved memory and reduced withdrawal symptoms.