JOPLIN, Mo. — They’re called screenagers.

Teenagers who reportedly can’t live without technology -- computer games, the Internet, cell phones, social media.

The term is attributed to Dr. Richard Graham, a psychiatrist at Capio Nightingale Hospital in London, who developed England’s first treatment program for screenagers.

In the search for a few to be interviewed locally, Pittsburg Community Middle School teacher Teresa Spangler laughingly suggested the school’s entire roster of 623 students.

She might not be far off. In a recent study of 1,000 British youngsters ages 8 to 16, half reported they would be “sad” without access to the Internet, with one in five admitting they would be “lonely.”

Another recent study by the International Center for Media and the Public Affairs at the University of Maryland asked 2,000 teens from the U.S., Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, to go 24 hours without gadgets, social media and Internet, and to record their experiences.

The results? Students in 10 countries showed a “marked increase in feelings of failure, boredom, confusion, distress and isolation when asked to go 24 hours without media,” the researchers wrote. (They were, it should be noted, allowed to watch TV, read books and use land line phones).

The study also revealed that students have grown to rely on technology to the point that a day without it proves to be an experience similar to what a drug addict might face. Said one student from the United Kingdom: “Media is my drug; without it I was lost. I am an addict. How could I survive 24 hours without it?”

A similarity, despite diverse cultures and geographic regions, was the majority of them admitted failure in an effort to go unplugged.

Many of them reported feelings of boredom, confusion, distress, anxiety, depression and isolation, with 79 percent having an adverse reaction to pulling the plug “cold turkey.”

But is it cause for alarm?

James Childers, an addiction counselor with Ozark Center, the behavioral health arm of Freeman Health System, says no: The studies in and of themselves don’t worry him, and shouldn’t worry parents or teachers.

The reason is that youth today, to whom Childers refers to as “digital natives” -- as opposed to the “digital naive” of his generation -- simply use technology as their form of communication.

“I’m almost 40, and in my generation, we didn’t have this medium. The majority of our communication was face to face,” said Childers. “The youngsters today, they just use a higher blend of technology for communication. And that’s the norm.

“It would be like taking away the dinner table from our folks. A lot of studies report teens still want social interaction face to face, but the way they’ve been acclimated to communication is through the digital means.”

So can it become an addiction?

“There is no criteria by the diagnostic manual as of yet, but they have taken gambling addiction criteria and modified it to fit the Internet,” said Childers.

He noted eight criteria that could raise a red flag:

~ Thinking about it when not using it.

~ Feeling the need to use it more frequently than most, such as checking Facebook several times a day versus once or twice.

~ Making unsuccessful attempts to cut down use.

~ Feeling restless, irritable or depressed.

~ Staying on longer than intending to.

~ Willing to jeopardize or risk relationships in exchange for virtual time.

~ Lying to people about the amount of time spent using technology.

~ Using it as a way to escape everyday life’s problems.

“In that case, start working on setting limits and boundaries on the amount of time it’s being used,” said Childers. “People who have a hard time maintaining the balance, that’s when to worry.”

If you suspect an overuse but can’t resolve it on your own, Childers recommends working with a professional.

“It’s something still fairly new, because it is something most probably view as something you can end yourself,” he said. “But biologically speaking, the neurological circuits with gambling, alcohol, drugs and Internet are all the same circuits.”