Smartphones have become such an integral part of our lives that nobody even notices the signs of addiction. There is a pre-formed notion in people’s minds that alcohol or substance abuse is the most common form of addiction that most teens get into.
However, there have been a number of researches and studies that shed light on how smartphone usage affects both the behavior as well as brain activity of young kids and lead to addiction, depression and anxiety.
72% of teens have the urge to immediately respond to social media notifications or messages and 78% check their phones almost every hour.
59% of the parents also affirmed that their kids have a hard time putting their phone down even while eating or driving across the street.
36% have daily arguments with their teens about it.
What is Smartphone Addiction and why is it Bad?
Being too attached to your smartphones can “numb the senses”, according to Dr. Cary Cooper, Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at the Lancaster University. Researchers and experts around the world agree on the fact that being too addicted to smartphones means you have an outlet and excuse to not face the world or your problems and hide behind a screen. This occupies your senses and mind, leading to lowered enthusiasm, smaller attention span, limited creativity as well as sleep deprivation and stress.
But that’s not all. What you might think is an obsession for technology or a trend that all teenagers follow can quickly turn into a serious matter in a span of few days. According to experts, smartphone addiction, also called nomophobia, springs from ‘internet usage disorder’ – a condition where people suffer from anxiety and hyperventilation if the Internet is removed from their lives. Smartphones trigger this disorder by being a constant source of Internet, and the changes it brings in your brain are similar to those that happen to people who are addicted to substances like cocaine.
When it comes to the word addiction, the first thing that comes to mind is maybe alcohol or drugs. However, digital world and its impact has taken over the lives of youngsters so much that they end up devoting a majority of their time surfing on the web and texting on the internet. Plus, there is a cruel and heartless world out there – so many teenagers worldwide fall prey to cyber bullies and privacy invasion incidents every year and this leads to horrific cases of depression and even suicide.
Dr. Mark Griffith, Professor of Gambling Studies published a paper on “Adolescent mobile phone addiction: A cause for concern,” where he highlights that it is difficult to determine the point that parents can use as a guideline to decide whether or not their teen is addicted to smartphones.
10. If they get back to the same pattern of over-using the phone even after they have tried limiting it.
According to Dr. Griffith, the key difference between excessive usage of smartphones and an addiction is that the former comes with healthy enthusiasm that adds to life and the later does not.
Are there any Implications of Limiting Smartphone Use Suddenly?
• Start with taking small breaks in using the smartphone as a family. Either designate a few hours a day or during the weekend when nobody will be using their smartphone unless it is for emergency calls. Also encourage your teens to go out with friends or invite them over for more in-person conversations and face-to-face encounters instead of messaging and Whatsapp discussions.
• Ban phones where it can become a potential threat to your safety. For example, during driving. Make sure to set a positive example by not using the phone yourself when driving or out on a family gathering.
• Make rules of not using phones at specific times. For example during dinner that you have as a family together. Encourage everyone to put their phones on silent when eating together and talk to each other.
• Define ‘no-smartphone’ zones in your home. These can be areas like the dining room, or the bathrooms. You can also allow smartphone usage in public areas of the home only and not in private rooms like the bathroom or bedroom after certain designated hours.
• Get professional help. Cognitive behavior therapy and counselors can help teens overcome their addiction to Internet and smartphones. They can also connect with them on a personal level instead of parents imposing strict rules, which sometime backfire and start affecting your relationship with your teen.
Don’t take smartphone addiction lightly or take it as a joke – being obsessed with your phone can lead to disastrous consequences if it isn’t addressed in due time.
I got a good solution for the addiction of small children to our smartphones..