Technology Withdrawal?

Here's an interesting news story from the U.K.'s Mail.
 

It discusses a study done on teenagers who had their technology taken away from them.  They were allowed to use landline phones and read books, but no cell phones or internet access was allowed.  What's interesting is that many of the test subjects suffered symptoms of withdrawal similar to those that drug addicts experience.

One thing this highlights is that technology is playing an ever more important role in our society.  We rely on email and the internet constantly; they are great tools that certainly enhance our productivity.  However, there is potential for us to become over reliant on this technology and it’s clear that addiction is a very clear outcome.

Another point this article makes is that although we categorize technology dependence as an American trait (such as we do with obesity or consumerism), the fact is that it is a problem across the globe.  This case points to the situation in the U.K., but there are other places in the developed world where people have the same type of technology dependence as we do.

As our world becomes continually more interconnected with the world of technology, will addictions to cell phones, the internet, and other technology be the new norm?