The Head of Addiction Services at St John of God Hospital has warned that shopping, video gaming and gambling are part of a surge in behavioural addiction in Ireland, and that the problem is "all predicated on the smartphone".
While most people will not get into difficulty engaging in these activities, a "significant minority", will present with addictive compulsive features, Professor Colin O'Gara said.
Prof O'Gara said in these cases, a person will persist with the addiction despite adverse consequences occurring.
Behavioural addictions involve compulsive engagement in a behaviour or activity and are different from substance addictions, which involve dependence on a chemical substance such as alcohol and/or drugs.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Prof O'Gara said that with video gaming some children use games "in a very harmful fashion" which can lead to them no longer taking part in sports or other activities.
"The harm can be when we see these people as adults, where there's very much decline of other activities.
"So, kids will not take part in, for instance, sports; adults will not perform at their work in a way that they should, or relationship difficulties as we see with all addictions," he said.
Prof O'Gara said the issues "are all predicated on the smartphone. Gambling, gaming, pornography addiction as well", adding that "shopping addiction is also a big problem".
"We might joke about somebody being addicted to shopping, but that has a very destructive financial impact and wider impact on the person and those close to them."
Prof O'Gara said the rise in addiction is primarily down to the increasing use of devices.
"I'm very worried about how kids are in particular [affected], but also adults.
"We keep talking about kids as if they're the only people," he said, but "adults as well, we're all scrolling and scrolling and scrolling."
He added: "This is definitely an issue that wasn't there before ... and it's not going away. There's no question about that."
The reasons behind behavioural addictions and how they can be curbed will be discussed at the 35th St John of God Research Conference in Dublin.
It will hear that 69% of people are increasingly worried that technology is hindering children's communications skills, with 37% believing it is negatively affecting their home life.
Among those aged between 15 and 29, research suggests that around seven out of ten people are likely to check their social media while struggling to sleep.
