How Technology Is Rewiring Our Brain: Why Live in the Present When You Can Have AI?
Have We Bitten off More Than We Can Chew?
In today’s technological age, we are more connected than ever with the world’s information instantly at our fingertips. Individuals can instantly access healthcare, join online support groups, and download self-care and health applications. For those with safety concerns, individuals can even call or text hotlines for immediate crisis support and stabilization. So what’s the problem? Have we bitten off more than we can chew? Is technology being relied on too heavily for mental health support, making it difficult to differentiate truth? The question is not whether technology belongs in mental health care, but how to safely integrate it while preserving our humanity.
Are There Consequences to Technology Dependence?
Am I addicted to the internet? How would I know? Cash et al. (2012) contributes the following characteristics to an internet addiction:
Constantly thinking about the internet or anticipating the next opportunity to use the internet
Feeling the need to use the Internet more and more to achieve satisfaction
Making unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use
Restlessness, moodiness, sadness, or irritability when cutting down or stopping Internet use
Staying online longer than originally intended, “doom scrolling”
Risking significant relationships, jobs, or educational opportunities because of the internet
Lying to others to conceal the extent of your Internet use
Using the Internet to escape problems or cope with negative emotions
So what if I’m addicted to my phone? Is it really that bad? According to Haidt (2024), for every five to ten minutes online, our interior insula (in charge of self-awareness) decreases by 5-10%. Translation: the internet is making us less aware and less reflective people.
Wei (2025) reports that reliance on specific technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), may worsen our social and motivational functioning. We’ve all done it: we’ve asked ChatGBT about a problem we’re having instead of confiding in a friend. What happens when we stop engaging in normal human interactions? Will our realities begin to distort? Recently, a phenomenon known as AI psychosis has begun to emerge. According to Wei (2025), AI models have amplified, validated, or even co-created psychotic symptoms in some individuals. We are creating a world that prioritizes user satisfaction, continued conversation, and user engagement at the expense of reality.
Where Does This Leave Us?
Kennebeck and Bonin (2026) report individuals with high internet consumption (greater than five hours a day) have a greater risk of suicidal thoughts. What happens when a suicidal individual consults AI on their suicidality? In 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to create a national AI framework. Unfortunately, this framework provided no guidelines or safety protocols addresssing suicide risk, misinformation, or the regulation of AI in mental health care (The White House, 2026). Within Missouri, the House has not yet agreed on a unified framework to guide the use of AI in mental health care. Lawmakers continue to draft Senate Bill 859, which would prohibit designation of AI as medical advice (Missouri Senate, 2026). However, the bill still does not require standardized safety protocols.
How do we live in today’s society and still preserve our mental health? George Mason University (n.d.), suggests getting connected with others: joining a local club or organization, starting an exercise routine, attending events, and making new friends to help increase natural dopamine levels in the brain. These activities allow us to live more in the present, experience gratitude, and protect our mental health. When we isolate ourselves and rely entirely on technology for entertainment and interaction, we begin to drift apart. In a world driven by technology, it’s more important than ever to prioritize real human connection.
References
Cash H, Rae CD, Steel AH, Winkler A. Internet Addiction: A Brief Summary of Research and
Practice. Curr Psychiatry Rev. 2012 Nov;8(4):292-298. doi: 10.2174/157340012803520513. PMID: 23125561; PMCID: PMC3480687.
George Mason University Student Health Services. (n.d.). Internet addiction.
https://shs.gmu.edu/healthpromotion/internet-addiction/
Haidt, J. (2024). The anxious generation: How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an
epidemic of mental illness. Penguin Press.
Kennebeck & Bonin (2026). Suicidal behavior in children and adolescents: Epidemiology and
risk factors.
Missouri Senate. (2026). SB 859 – Creates provisions relating to artificial intelligence. Missouri
Senate Bill Tracking Page.
The White House. (2026, March 20). President Donald J. Trump unveils national AI legislative framework
https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/03/president-donald-j-trump-unveils-national-ai-legislative-framework/
Wei, M (2025). The Emerging Problem of "AI Psychosis."
