‘Hi, my name is ___, and I’m addicted to tech’

In this Dec. 8, 2018, photo, young men gather to talk after a 12-step meeting for Internet & Tech Addiction Anonymous in Bellevue, Wash. The meeting is run much like other 12-step meetings for addicts, but the focus is video games, devices and internet content that has become a life-harming distraction. The Seattle area has become a hub for treatment of extreme tech use. (AP Photo/Martha Irvine)

BELLEVUE, Washington: The young men sit in chairs in a circle in a small meeting room in suburban Seattle and introduce themselves before they speak. It is much like any other 12-step meeting – but with a twist.  

“Hi, my name is,” each begins. Then something like, “and I’m an Internet and tech addict.”