The smartphone keeps us on automatic pilot and it inhibits us from making healthy choices, thus we are responding to life on an automated and unconscious neurobiological basis. We socially isolate, are intolerant of boredom, and are always connected somewhere other than where we actually are at the moment.

It ain't pretty.

Compulsive Internet use has been linked to depression and anxiety.

By limiting children's access to gaming, they are more likely to find joy in real-world activities--such as spending time with family, reading, creative and outdoor play, and school. Such limits also help children learn that technology is best used as a tool, not a toy.

As we move into week one of a year when international news won't be "all bad, but much of it is," according to NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel's 2016 forecast, let's see what's in store closer to home.

Many young adults spend a third of their waking lives on their device.

Signs: always carrying a charger, feeling anxious about the idea of running out of battery, constantly checking for messages and sleeping with a phone.

Technology addiction may be the next big public health issue.