As the nation’s leading counseling provider for digital dependencies, the title is of course in reference to web cookies. We have no issues with the other kind (chocolate chunk, please).
Web cookies are small text files placed on a user’s smartphone, computer, and laptop browser by websites and apps (apps use similar mechanisms) to track browsing behavior, preferences, and activity across different sites. They are a key component for digital marketing, allowing advertisers to build user profiles, deliver personalized ads, retarget potential customers, and measure campaign performance. While they have been on the periphery of the U.S. general public for quite some time, the proliferation of cookie alerts (pop-ups on newly visited websites) increased significantly following the implementation of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018.
Yes, it’s certainly irritating when you must select from an option of “”Approve”, “Customize” and “Reject All” when all you want to do is read an article or stream content, but that’s not the mental health compromise that the heading of this feature is referring to. Instead, the intent is to spread awareness about the threat of cookies among populations that are vulnerable to addictive behaviors relating to various online activities.
Why Americans Who Are Vulnerable to Technology-Related Addictive Behaviors Must Take Steps to Block and Prevent Web Cookies
I. How Web Cookies Feed Addictive Behavior
Before looking at how the integration of web cookies contribute to addictive behavior, let’s first summarize technology related addictions that are growing among vulnerable populations in the United States:
- Problematic online gambling behavior: Interestingly, exactly one month after the EU’s GDPR act thrust web cookie alerts to the forefront of the web browsing experience in May of 2018, the U.S. federal ban on sports betting was removed. For online sportsbooks, this change in regulation swung the doors wide open to solicit and track behavior of America’s online gambling consumers. Based on recent data (2025) from the National Council on Problem Gambling and analyzed by The Economist and Axios, calls to the National Problem Gambling Helpline between have grown by 148% in states where sports betting is legal, compared to a 45% increase in states where it remained illegal.
- Problematic use of pornography: National studies suggest that between men and women, an average of 7% of the U.S. adult population struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with online pornography.
- Problematic online trading behavior: While there is no single official national statistic confirming prevalence rates for addictive behavior relating to online trading, research indicates that a significant minority of investors exhibit behaviors consistent with problem gambling. Specifically, this research suggests that approximately 2.5% to 7.6% of investors exhibit behaviors characteristic of problem gambling.
- Unhealthy video gaming: National data indicates that young adults aged 18 to 34 show the highest rates of unhealthy behavior relating to video gaming, at 10.4%.
- Problematic online shopping behavior: Based on insights reported by Barron’s and associated psychiatric research, roughly 5% of the U.S. population struggles with unhealthy online shopping behavior.
- Unhealthy Use of Social Media: According to research from California State University (CSU) up to 10% of the U.S. population are estimated to have a behavioral addiction related to social media usage. Not surprisingly, rates are higher among young adults, with about 40% of 18- to 22-year-olds identifying as being addicted.
- Unhealthy Use of Dating Apps: Current search data from Google / Gemini AI indicates that average monthly searches for “dating app addiction” and semantically related terms runs into the thousands per largely populated U.S. state.
Every provider of online gambling, gaming, trading, pornography, dating, shopping, and social networking services leverages web cookies to closely track browsing behavior, preferences, and activity of the American consumer.
So how do web cookies contribute to addictive behaviors exhibited by significant proportions of the U.S. population? They do so by acting as the technical foundation for personalized, high-frequency engagement loops that keep users glued to digital platforms. By storing data about browsing habits, preferences, and identities, cookies enable algorithms to create tailor-made experiences that trigger the brain’s reward pathways. When someone tries to take a break from or completely abstain from a behavior, these cookies ensure that reminders of that behavior (push notifications, etc.) continue to follow them across different websites and apps. So while someone who struggles with online shopping may have sworn-off Amazon or eBay and removed the apps from their smartphone, cookies ensure that they will be exposed to deals on these shopping platforms while reading a current events article on their preferred online news site, et cetera.
There’s no sugar coating it – cookies effectively initiate triggers to continue with addictive consumption behaviors.
II. How to Stop Cookies
If you or a loved one struggles with addictive behavior relating to technology-based activities, consider web cookies to be the enemy, a monster without the endearing blue coat and gravelly voice. Below is a summary of how to stop and prevent web cookie tracking:
a) Install a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) hides your IP address which reduces tracking capabilities.
b) Block Third-Party Cookies
Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Third-party cookies > Block.
MS Edge: Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies > Block third-party cookies.
Firefox/Safari: Utilize built-in “Strict” tracking protection, which blocks most trackers.
c) Use Anti-Tracking Extensions
Anti-tracking extensions are browser add-ons designed to improve online privacy by blocking cookies in addition to third-party trackers, scripts, and fingerprinting techniques that apps and websites use to collect user behavior, location, and device data. They prevent targeted advertising, reduce data profiling, and speed up browsing by stopping unwanted content from loading. Examples of anti-tracking extensions to use include the following:
- Consent-O-Matic – automatically rejects cookie consent banners.
- Privacy Badger – blocks spying.
- uBlock Origin – blocks scripts and trackers.
d) Clear Existing Cookies
Frequently delete cookies and cache in your browser’s “Privacy” or “Security” settings to remove stored tracking data.
e) Use Privacy-Focused Browsers and Search Engines
Privacy-focused browsers and search engines such as Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Firefox are digital tools designed to protect user data, minimize online tracking, and ensure search anonymity. Unlike mainstream alternatives that log search history and track browsing habits for ad targeting, these tools prioritize privacy through encrypted connections, ad/tracker blocking, and non-personalized search results.
f) Use Incognito / Private Mode
These browser settings prevents local devices from saving browsing history, cookies, site data, and form-information once all windows are closed. It creates a separate, temporary session, making it ideal for avoiding targeted ads.
III. Counseling for Digital Dependencies
If you or a loved one is in a position of having to block cookies to avoid being exposed to triggers to engage in some unhealthy online behavior, you are encouraged to seek counseling. Counseling is considered the first line of offense and defense against digital dependencies, supplementing the practical steps (blocking cookies) to trigger avoidance. Kindbridge is the nation’s most powerful virtual counseling provider for individuals and households trying to make sense of this ever-evolving ai-influenced world. Reach out via your preferred form of contact below to get healthy.
