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Acta Bioethica

SciELO Chile

Ethical dilemmas and challenges in digital society: a multidisciplinary approach to cyberaddiction and technological regulation

Authors

  • Alejandro Vega-Muñoz Universidad Arturo Prat
  • Carolina Valdebenito Herrera Universidad Central de Chile
  • Osvaldo Blanco Universidad de las Américas
  • Nicolás Contreras Barraza Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
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Abstract

This manuscript examines the growing complexity of cyberaddiction, a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly socially normalized but still insufficiently researched and regulated. Cyberaddiction shares traits with other forms of dependency, arising from experiences of immediate pleasure that can become a necessity. From a multidisciplinary perspective, the text analyzes historical, familial, neurobiological, and sociotechnical factors that contribute to its development, highlighting the role of digital pleasure and technological architectures designed to capture and retain the user's attention. It also addresses the ethical dilemmas associated with its conceptualization, questioning whether cyberaddiction constitutes an autonomous disorder or a manifestation of broader transformations in the human relationship with technology. The manuscript delves into tensions related to autonomy, vulnerability, corporate responsibility, and privacy, proposing an approach that recognizes the moral complexity of the contemporary digital ecosystem. Overall, the work brings together contributions from neuroscience, psychology, bioethics, and socio-technical studies to offer an integrated understanding of the phenomenon. It raises the need to balance the benefits of intensive use of technologies with the associated risks, promoting practices that favor healthy, critical, and ethically responsible use. In summary, cyber addiction is positioned as an emerging challenge of the digital age.

Keywords:

cyberaddiction, ethical dilemmas, digital autonomy, technological regulation, technological dependence