Abstract
The COVID‐19 outbreak has caused unprecedented social disruption. This collective trauma has resulted in school closures, shuttered businesses, rising unemployment, and a spike in emotional distress from the pandemic and related secondary stressors. In this time of crisis, and due to sweeping stay‐at‐home orders across the United States and internationally, billions of individuals are engaging in work and school from home. This has resulted in an increasing reliance on technology to accomplish these tasks. Moreover, there has been a substantial rise in the use of technology as a way to stay connected to loved ones, for entertainment, for telehealth services, and to engage in at‐home‐fitness. This commentary reviews literature that discusses the potential harm of increased technology use as well as its benefits. If mindfully leveraged, technology can be harnessed to promote increased social connectedness, work productivity, and leisure time. Mental health services may be more widely distributed through telehealth and related services, improving access and reducing health disparities. Recommendations about how technology can promote effective coping and improve physical and mental health during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic are discussed.
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