Should Addictive Tech Come With a Health Warning?

holy_calamity writes "Academics researching how technology addiction affects businesses and employees say 'habit-forming' gadgets like Blackberries should be dispensed along with warnings about the effect they can have on your life. 'We don't want to be in a situation in a few years similar to that with fast food or tobacco today. We need to pay attention to how people react to potentially habit-forming technologies.'"

Re:Absolutely Not

[Midnight Thunder]

Any behavior comes with a risk of psychological addiction. To stipulate a health warning on devices is absolutely ludacris.

Exactly. Just imagine someone getting addicted to reading warning labels and the having to write a warning label that reads:

    "This device can be considered addictive, get a life*.

      *Reading warning labels is considered addictive, don't read.

The obiligatory

[Anonymous Coward]

Why didn't someone warn me about slashdot?

What better way to advertise?

[davidwr]

Company's lawyerspeak on package: Warning: This product may lead to psychological addiction, not having a life, lack of sleep, and other ill effects.

Teenage or young adult customer: COOL! I gotta have one of those!

Re:Absolutely Not

[Anonymous Coward]

> ludacris.

...is the stage name of a rapper. You meant ludicrous, "so absurd as to cause laughter".

(I'm psychologically addicted to hanging out at the local peeve ranch; that's one of my pet peeves.)

Re:As if just looking...

[Yoooder]

...but on the rare occasions that they do they shine like a clean greased albino in a mud-wrestling contest

I'm worried about the Beaver

[zazenation]

June Cleaver: "Ward, I caught Beaver and Wally using a blackberry behind the garage --- What should We do about it?"
Ward Cleaver: "I'll talk to him about it"

Later that day

Ward: "Beaver, your mother said she say you and Wally behind the garage using a blackberry. What do you have to say about yourself?"
Beav: "Gee dad, Wally and I were just seeing what it was like. All the kids at school have tried blackberries --- Some even use it at school!"
Ward: "I don't care what the other boys at school are doing. If all the other kids were smoking giant ganja bud spleefs while wearing bellbottoms and tea-shades, would you follow them?"
Beve: "Nah, I guess not dad. I'm sorry. I'll go ask wally to flush that blackberry down the toilet before we get into more trouble with it. I learned my lesson. Thanks dad."
Ward:'OK son. Now get Wally over here so I can ask him what he and Eddie Haskell were doing with that gallon of Mazola and 15 boxes of golf balls in the basement ..."

obl. quote

[stormguard2099]

"with a warning label this big you know it's gotta be fun!"

Warning: this quote is for hardcore fans only. If you can only relate 60% or less of your daily life to a futurama quote then please disregard this post

WARNING Cape Does Not Enable Wearer to Fly!

[wsanders]

Why don't we just put a warning on everything!

Re:Everything fun has addictive properties....

[CSMatt]

Then the solution is clear: make life miserable for everyone, all the time.

Re:Yes...

[AxemRed]

I have never had a half-chicken, half-steak! I know what I'm eating for dinner now...

Re:Everything fun has addictive properties....

[Anonymous Coward]

Hence Microsoft.

Warning

[theeddie55]

Posting on slashdot can be addictive please do not over use. If you percieve signs of grammar nazi-ism or trolling, please consult a professional.

Re:Personal Responsibility

[popmaker]

We should put warning stickers on hot women!

Re:Do warnings actually work?

[TopSpin]

first know whether that measure will actually fix the problem in question

The problem in question isn't the real problem. Start by discovering the real problem. The real problem is liability. The question will be answered by the massive judgment handed down by some judge and/or jury, forming a precedent mandating a fix, regardless of whether it impacts 'injury' rates. Since almost anyone's life can be valuated into the millions (for the purpose of calculating legal commission or whatever Latin they wrap it in,) by any one of millions of lawyers, the preceding is inevitable.

It's not enough to look like you're doing something

Actually it is, once you understand the real problem. Placing a barely legible sticker on the back corner of some dangerous machine with amps and spinning bits of metal is sufficient to preclude most liability. The appearance of doing something, while actually doing nothing at all is sufficient.

After that it's just you and Darwin, stuck together by a mass of warning labels. Enjoy!

Re:Heh

[aliloln]

My box of Kleenex has a warning (no joke): "It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. Use only as a facial tissue."

Makes me wonder what else I could be doing with my Kleenex...

Re:iPhone

[EmotionToilet]

My girlfriend gets mad that I ignore her all the time now that I have an iPhone. It actually bothers her a lot. They should make some sort of support group. Like iAnonymous.

Pop-tarts...

[Grog6]

Have a warning "pastry may be hot when removed from toaster"; I knew we were doomed, then...

We just need to instill the lemming instinct on the Morons...

Re:Absolutely Not

[smittyoneeach]

won't someone think of the children

But not too much, especially if they are not your own...