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Essay on Mobile Addiction | Mobile Addiction Essay for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Essay on Mobile Addiction: The mobile phone has become the central part of every human being’s life. Everyone these days is pinned to their cell phones. While we may dismiss this as an expected behaviour in the current times, but the truth is it has profound behavioural and social impacts. Mobile addiction is a real quandary and a matter of great concern. It affects our health, connections as well as work.

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Long and Short Essays on Mobile Addiction for Students and Kids in English

We provide children and students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the topic “Mobile Addiction” for reference.

Short Essay on Mobile Addiction 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Mobile Addiction is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Mobile phones give us the liberty to connect with anyone around the world spontaneously. They empower us to find any information we require and are a great source of entertainment. While this device was designed to empower us, sadly, it’s turning out to subjugate us. Almost every mobile user is suffering from the addiction of mobile these days.

Everyone these days is pinned to his or her cell phone. While we may deny this as a common behaviour in the present times, the truth is that it has great communicative and behavioural consequences in people. This is because its effects are dangerous. Mobile addiction causes several problems such as weakened vision, headache, sleep disorders, depression, stress, aggressive behaviour, social isolation, financial situations, ruined relationships and no or low professional growth. We must limit the use of mobile to take control of our lives. It might be difficult at first, but family and friends’ support can help overcome mobile phones’ addiction.

The mobile phone is one of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century. According to recent statistics, over 50 crore Indians are using smartphones. While it is true that the advancement of technology has led to many conveniences in our world, it has also brought many other critical issues to us. Mobile phone addiction is one of the instances where technology has affected people’s lives adversely. With the recent burst of iPhones, Androids, and other similar smart gadgets like the tablets, the cell phone addiction issue has risen to an alarming rate.

Mobile phones enable us to coddle in online shopping, online games, and many more. They connect us with people worldwide. We can also click pictures, watch movies, surf the internet, listen to music, and enjoy different other activities. It is difficult not to get addicted to this substation of entertainment. However, it is necessary not to fall victim to it as its consequences could be damaging. Mobile phones are designed for our convenience and our benefit. We must limit the use of mobile phones or instead it may take charge of our lives. If we feel, we are getting addicted to our mobile phone; we need to look for methods and ideas to get rid of it. We should also consider it as our duty to help our near ones, to get rid of this mobile addiction.

Long Essay on Mobile Addiction 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Mobile Addiction is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Introduction

Addiction is a chronic disease and is one of the most intractable health disorders faced around the world. Mobile addiction is a thriving concern. It is very easy to get addicted to cell phones but difficult to subdue them. A lot of people globally are addicted to their mobile phones. The mobile addicts behaviour pattern is more or less the same as the others. Here are some certain signs and symptoms that clearly show that a person is addicted to his/ her mobile phone.

Symptoms of Mobile Addiction 

Nearly everyone worldwide has a cell phone, so how can we tell if someone is experiencing mobile phone addiction syndrome from someone who is not?

Like most diseases and illnesses, one can deduce if someone is undergoing the exhibited symptoms’ syndrome. Research has revealed that using mobile phones have killed 6,000 people each year. Besides that, here are some other effects of cell phone addictions that can affect us.

1. Back and Neck Problem: This is a common problem that all phone addicts deal with. Most people arched down when they used their phones. Looking down at the mobile phone for an extended period causes them to have back and neck pain issues. According to studies, 45% of the youngsters from the age of 16 to 24 years suffer from back pain due to the over usage of mobile phones. Besides that, the endless swapping of phones and texting can make our fingers stiff.

2. Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Another common effect that we usually hear from experts is mental and emotional health problems. When we spend too much time on our phone, we neglect other elements of our life, and as a result, our life gets out of balance. Staring the mobile screen for too long can also make us feel anxious and stressed.

3. Health Issue: Spending too much time with our mobile phone can also give us less time to exercise or even walk around. Mobile phone usage has considerably displaced many of our physical activities in life. A Poll conducted on a group of schoolchildren found that those who employ long hours using their phones were less fit than those who spent less time on their phones.

Mobile phones are highly portable machines that can extend a treasure of benefits, like helping us stay connected and catering data at our fingertips. But there’s a darker side to smartphone usage. The average time consumed on smartphones is increasing, and evidence reveals that smartphone addiction is connected to severe health issues.

Essay on Mobile Addiction 800 words in English

A mobile phone is expected to make things easier for us. It serves us in connecting with our near and dear ones almost immediately. Communicating with our families and peers living in distant countries has become remarkably simple with mobile phones’ introduction.

Mobile phone addiction is increasing by the day. People have become delusional as they have designed a new world for themselves with their mobile phones making it their pivotal component in their lives. It is deplorable to observe how mobile obsession is robbing people of their real lives.

An average Indian consumes 1800 hours a year on his mobile phone. That is approximately one-third of his waking hours. The impact of obsession with smartphones, internet, and television is that less than 30 percent of people meet family and friends multiple times a month.

Overcoming mobile phone addiction

With other types of obsessions or addictions, one cannot overwhelm mobile addiction unless they do not want to give up on it sincerely. The obsession of mobile phones is one of the consequences on how technology has affected people’s lives. With the current outburst of iPhones, Androids, and other related smart gadgets like the tablets, the cell phone addiction issue has risen to an alarming rate. Once, you are determined, to get over mobile addiction, we can do so by following the below-mentioned tips:

By limiting the use of the mobile phone and setting the number of hours, we aim to consume on our mobile each day and assigning a fixed amount of time for each activity such as texting, social media, gaming or watching videos will help us to overcome the addiction of mobile phones.

We can also get engaged in dancing, painting, playing indoor and outdoor games, doing household chores, reading books, and many other activities. This will reduce our urge to check our mobile phone constantly. Spending time with our parents, helping our spouse with work, indulging in different fun activities or going out to new places can also help you to get rid of this addiction.

If the addiction of mobile becomes incapable of coping with, it is time to solicit professional guidance. Many therapists specialise in mobile addiction therapy, and they offer individual and group therapy to help get rid of this addiction.

Mobile Addiction amongst Teens

A mobile phone serves as an escapism from the obstacles and problems of practical life. People of every age group undergo mobile addiction. Nonetheless, teenagers are most prone to acquire this addiction. Teenagers are in that stage of their life where they are learning and traversing new things. They have various questions, and their mobile phones have almost all their answers. Children these days have a lot of things to ask and share but are often reluctant to discuss or speak about the same with their teachers or parents.

Most parents these days are so engaged in their work that they don’t have the time to speak or monitor their kids. And secondly, there are many things where they get embarrassed to ask, and for this reason, the mobile phone becomes their source of guidance. They also make friends online and adequately share their feelings with them.

Teens addicted to mobile phones are very dangerous. They cannot focus on their studies, as this addiction hinders their capability to focus and reduces their ability to understand things. Those addicted to mobile phones also have a greater chance of acquiring habits such as drinking, smoking, and taking drugs. They also become socially incompetent as they are always on their mobile phone. Therefore their future remains at stake. Parents must make sure that they do not give smartphones to their teenage kids. Teens need to focus on their education and traverse their interest in different beneficial activities. They should adequately explore the world and not by wasting their valuable time on a mobile phone.

Mobile Addiction Essay Conclusion

Mobile addiction can destroy our life if it is not stopped on time. As much as we ignore it, mobile addiction has grown into a big problem today. It is hindering our professional life and personal relations. Mobile phones are creating more impairment than being beneficial. People undergoing this mobile addiction problem must try to get rid of it and revert to the real world. Getting rid of this addiction might be challenging, but it is not impossible. With the support from the loved ones and some effort from oneself, we can overcome this problem over time, and if that does not help, we shouldn’t hesitate to solicit professional advice.

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Cell Phone Addiction, Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 1235

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Nowadays, many individuals have become more and more addicted and dependable on phones, specifically smart call phone s. This often happens without these individuals realizing how the excessive and inappropriate use of their cell phones can create several of problems in their social and everyday lives. Because of this, cell phone addiction can easily be denied as an incredibly serious compulsive disorder that has been increasing with newly available technology.            As technology has progressed throughout the years, innovate phones and intriguing apps make it almost impossible and irresistible for individuals to be able to put their phones down in social settings, such as a family dinner. In fact, scientific debates have recently arisen that question whether cell phone addiction, along with gambling, should be added to the new DSM-V addiction list (Choliz, 2010, p. 373). Having said this, it is imperative to make it known that the primary purpose of this research paper cognizant of the actuality that chronic cell phone usage can indeed be a huge problem in society today. This can lead to problems inside one ’ s own family as well as conflicts in the workplace. The result of the excessive cell phone usage creates social, behavioral, and affective problems in the lives of future teenagers all around the world.

Something that must be openly understood is the fact that a teenager ’ s social experience can deeply be affected by the manner in which he or she uses his or her cell phone. For example, for a teenager to be using his or her cell phone during a party makes this certain individual unsocial. This can result in a person only having friends online as opposed to having the real thing of having personal friends to interact with on a daily basis. While this controversy might seem worrisome to many older individuals, people should realize that if a teenager is not able to have a social life, he/she might end up leading a depressed lifestyle. Also, as W.K. Park points out, loneliness is “positively associated with mobile phone addiction” which shows that addicted persons tend to reduce their feelings of loneliness by using mobile devices, such as a cell phone (2005, p. 260).

This kind of behavior would not only affect the teenager, but also the teenager ’ s family members. The fact of the matter is that cell phones have become so addictive nowadays that teenagers do not realize that they are addicted to their cell phones until it is too late and they have already lost the majority of their friends because of the manner in which they have shut everybody out of their lives. It goes without saying that this type of behavior should be stopped immediately because it has a huge impact on the kind of individuals that will grow up to lead the world into a better tomorrow. However, this “ better tomorrow ” will not be able to be made if these teenagers grow up being socially awkward.

A second aspect that must be considered when talking about cell phone addiction is the fact that, due to the fact that cell phones have so many addictive applications on them, teenagers choose to use their cell phones for extended periods of time in order to pass certain levels on a video game. While there is nothing wrong with a teenager playing a simple video game on his or her cell phone, some of these games are extremely violent for young teenagers to be playing. These violent video games are often times difficult for parents to monitor because no teenagers wishes to have his or her parents looking through his or her phone. Without parental supervision, teenagers find it much easier to download violent video games or explicit content unto their phones. This kind of behavior creates grave problems for teenagers, as they lose sense of what is real and what is portrayed in their little phone screen. In order to avoid this type of behavior altogether, it should be considered each child ’ s parents ’ responsibility to monitor what his or her child is watching in his or her cell phone and ensure that nothing inside that cell phone could prove to be detrimental to the teenager ’ s behavior either at home at school.

The reason as to why a cell phone addiction might prove to be increasingly dangerous to some teenagers is because of the fact that some teenagers are not quite ready to know how to keep their social and behavioral life in shape. As a result of this, teenagers often times find it normal to spend unreasonable hours throughout their own respective day looking through their phone and talking to other individuals online. The problem that is brought forth with these kinds of actions is that it is only a matter of time until face-to-face interaction is considered taboo. When society reaches this point, it is a fair statement to say that cell phone addiction will have taken over the majority of society. In order to prevent teenagers from being prone to chronic cell phone addictions is by making sure that the teenager ’ s parents limit the amount of time allowed on the cell phone. Another method that could be used by parents is for them to ask their teenagers to turn in their phones by the end of the night to ensure that their children are getting their necessary sleep and are not spending all of their night on the phone instead.

The result of the excessive cell phone usage creates social, behavioral, and affective problems in the lives of future teenagers all around the world. Despite the fact that there is no definitive manner by which this addiction can be put to a stop once and for all, there are a number of alternatives that could be taken by certain parents in order to ensure that their children do not become prone to the kind of addiction that is often linked to yield unproductive teenagers who do not have much ambition in life. In today ’ s increasingly technological world, it is without a doubt that it would be invariably difficult to put a stop to the kind of addiction that is present in the world today. One way that would help would be for researchers to conduct more studies on cell phone addiction and related addictions through bibliographic databases that refer specifically to Internet, video games, and cell phone addiction ( Carbonell, Guardiola, Beranuy, & Bellés, 2009).

Carbonell, X., Guardiola, E., Beranuy, M., & Bellés, A. (2009). A bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on Internet, video games, and cell phone addiction . Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA, (97) 2, 102-107. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2670219

Choliz, M. (2010). Mobile phone addiction: a point of issue. Addiction (105) 2, 373-374.

Grohol, J. (n.d.). Coping with cell phone addiction. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/ lib/coping-with-cell-phone-addiction/

Hersman, D. (2015). Cell phones: A potentially deadly addiction. Retrieved from  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-hersman/cell-phones-a- potentially_b_7161074.html

Murdock, S. (2015). Our addiction to cell phones is costing lives: Here’s how we can stop it. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/cell-phone-addiction- driving_n_7543464.html

Park, W. K. (2005). Mobile phone addiction. In R. Ling & P.E. Pedersen (Eds.) Mobile Communications , 253-272. London, UK: Springer.

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Essay on Phone Addiction

Students are often asked to write an essay on Phone Addiction in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Phone Addiction

What is phone addiction.

Phone addiction means spending too much time on your phone, so much that it starts to harm your daily life. Like when you can’t stop checking your phone, even if you’re talking to friends, eating, or supposed to be sleeping.

Why Do Phones Hook Us?

Phones grab our attention because they have games, social media, and messages that make us want to keep looking. It’s like a magnet that pulls us in and makes it hard to put the phone down.

Problems from Too Much Phone Use

Staring at your phone all the time can lead to less sleep, fewer face-to-face chats with others, and can even make you feel sad or anxious. It’s important to balance phone time with other activities.

Breaking the Habit

To beat phone addiction, set time limits for using your phone. Find fun things to do that don’t involve screens, like sports, reading, or playing outside. This helps your brain reset and enjoy other parts of life.

250 Words Essay on Phone Addiction

Why do people get addicted.

Phones are fun and have lots of things to do on them. They let us talk to friends, watch videos, and play games anywhere we go. Because they are so enjoyable, some people start using them too much. They might feel happy or excited when they get likes or messages, which makes them want to use their phone even more.

Signs of Phone Addiction

You might be addicted to your phone if you can’t stop looking at it, even when you’re with friends or family. If you feel upset or worried when you can’t use your phone, that’s another sign. Also, if you’re using your phone late at night and it’s making you tired the next day, that could be a problem.

How to Fix the Problem

To break free from phone addiction, try setting limits for yourself. Decide on certain times when you won’t use your phone, like during meal times or before bed. Find other fun activities to do, like playing sports or reading books. If it’s very hard to stop, talking to a parent or teacher can help. They can give you advice and support to overcome the addiction. Remember, using a phone is okay, but it’s important to enjoy other parts of life too!

500 Words Essay on Phone Addiction

Phone addiction is when someone can’t stop using their smartphone. It’s like having a strong need to check the phone all the time, even if it’s not necessary. This habit can interfere with daily life, making it hard to focus on other things like school, work, or spending time with family and friends.

Why Do People Get Addicted to Phones?

Phones are designed to grab our attention. They have bright screens, lots of apps, and they beep or vibrate to tell us about new messages or updates. This can make us feel like we’re missing out if we don’t check our phones. Games and social media apps are especially good at keeping us hooked because they’re fun and let us connect with others.

1. Spend more time on their phone than with people in real life. 2. Feel anxious or upset when they can’t use their phone. 3. Use their phone in risky situations, like while driving or crossing the street. 4. Have trouble finishing homework or chores because they’re on their phone. 5. Lose sleep because they’re up late using their phone.

Effects of Phone Addiction

Being too attached to a phone can lead to problems. It can hurt our eyes and give us headaches from staring at the screen too much. It can also make us less active and cause weight gain. Plus, it can make us feel lonely or sad if we compare our lives to what we see on social media.

How to Break Free From Phone Addiction

Phone addiction is a real problem that can affect anyone. It’s important to be aware of how much time we spend on our phones and make sure it’s not getting in the way of our lives. By following the tips above, we can enjoy our phones without letting them control us. Remember, phones are tools to help us, not gadgets to take over our lives. Let’s use them wisely and live a balanced life.

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Essay Curve

Essay on Mobile Phone Addiction – Short & Long Essay Examples

Essay on Mobile Phone Addiction: In today’s digital age, mobile phones have become an essential part of our daily lives. However, with the constant access to information and communication at our fingertips, many individuals have developed a dependency on their devices. This essay will explore the phenomenon of mobile phone addiction, its causes, effects, and potential solutions. From social media scrolling to compulsive gaming, the allure of our smartphones can have detrimental impacts on our mental health and overall well-being.

Table of Contents

Mobile Phone Addiction Essay Writing Tips

1. Introduction: Start your essay by introducing the topic of mobile phone addiction and its prevalence in today’s society. You can mention statistics or studies that highlight the growing problem of excessive phone usage.

2. Define mobile phone addiction: Define what mobile phone addiction is and how it differs from normal phone usage. You can mention symptoms of addiction such as constantly checking your phone, feeling anxious when without it, or neglecting other responsibilities.

3. Causes of mobile phone addiction: Discuss the various factors that contribute to mobile phone addiction, such as the addictive nature of technology, social media platforms, and the need for constant connectivity. You can also mention how smartphones are designed to be addictive through notifications, likes, and other features.

4. Effects of mobile phone addiction: Talk about the negative effects of mobile phone addiction on individuals’ mental health, relationships, and productivity. Mention how excessive phone usage can lead to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and social isolation.

5. Tips to overcome mobile phone addiction: Provide practical tips and strategies for individuals to overcome their addiction to their phones. This can include setting limits on phone usage, turning off notifications, practicing mindfulness, and engaging in offline activities.

6. Importance of balance: Emphasize the importance of finding a balance between using your phone for productivity and enjoyment, and knowing when to disconnect and be present in the moment. Encourage readers to be mindful of their phone usage and its impact on their well-being.

7. Conclusion: Summarize the key points of your essay and reiterate the importance of addressing mobile phone addiction in today’s society. Encourage readers to reflect on their own phone usage habits and take steps towards a healthier relationship with their devices.

8. Edit and revise: Before submitting your essay, make sure to edit and revise it for clarity, coherence, and grammar. Check for any spelling or punctuation errors, and ensure that your ideas flow smoothly from one point to the next.

By following these writing tips, you can effectively address the topic of mobile phone addiction in your essay and provide valuable insights for readers on how to overcome this growing issue in today’s digital age.

Essay on Mobile Phone Addiction in 10 Lines – Examples

1. Mobile phone addiction is a growing problem in today’s society. 2. It refers to the excessive use of smartphones and other mobile devices. 3. People who are addicted to their phones often have difficulty disconnecting from them. 4. This addiction can lead to negative consequences such as decreased productivity and social isolation. 5. Excessive phone use can also have a negative impact on mental health, leading to anxiety and depression. 6. Many individuals feel a constant need to check their phones, even in inappropriate situations. 7. Mobile phone addiction can also affect relationships, as individuals may prioritize their phones over spending time with loved ones. 8. The constant stimulation from phones can also lead to sleep disturbances and decreased overall well-being. 9. It is important for individuals to recognize the signs of phone addiction and take steps to reduce their usage. 10. By setting boundaries and practicing mindfulness, individuals can break free from their phone addiction and lead a more balanced life.

Sample Essay on Mobile Phone Addiction in 100-180 Words

Mobile phone addiction is a growing concern in today’s society. With the constant access to social media, games, and messaging apps, many people find themselves glued to their phones for hours on end. This addiction can have negative effects on one’s mental and physical health.

Excessive phone use can lead to decreased productivity, disrupted sleep patterns, and increased feelings of anxiety and depression. It can also strain relationships with friends and family as individuals become more focused on their phones than on personal interactions.

To combat mobile phone addiction, it is important to set boundaries and limit screen time. Taking breaks from the phone, engaging in other activities, and practicing mindfulness can help reduce dependency on mobile devices.

Overall, it is essential to be mindful of our phone usage and strive for a healthy balance between technology and real-life experiences. By being aware of the signs of addiction and taking steps to address them, we can prevent the negative impacts of excessive phone use on our well-being.

Short Essay on Mobile Phone Addiction in 200-500 Words

Mobile phone addiction has become a growing concern in today’s society. With the advancement of technology and the increasing availability of smartphones, people are becoming more and more reliant on their devices for communication, entertainment, and information. While mobile phones have undoubtedly made our lives easier and more convenient, excessive use can lead to addiction and have negative consequences on our mental and physical health.

One of the main reasons for mobile phone addiction is the constant need for connectivity and communication. With the rise of social media platforms and messaging apps, people feel the need to constantly check their phones for updates and notifications. This constant need for validation and connection can lead to a compulsive behavior where individuals are unable to put their phones down and disconnect from the virtual world.

Another factor contributing to mobile phone addiction is the addictive nature of technology itself. Smartphones are designed to be engaging and interactive, with features such as notifications, games, and social media apps that are designed to keep users hooked. The dopamine release that occurs when we receive a notification or a like on social media can create a sense of pleasure and reward, leading to a cycle of compulsive phone use.

Mobile phone addiction can have negative effects on our mental health. Excessive phone use has been linked to increased feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Constantly comparing ourselves to others on social media can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Additionally, the blue light emitted from screens can disrupt our sleep patterns and lead to insomnia, further exacerbating mental health issues.

Physical health can also be impacted by mobile phone addiction. Prolonged phone use can lead to issues such as eye strain, headaches, and neck and back pain. The sedentary behavior associated with excessive phone use can also contribute to a lack of physical activity and lead to weight gain and other health problems.

To combat mobile phone addiction, it is important to set boundaries and establish healthy habits when it comes to phone use. This can include setting limits on screen time, turning off notifications, and practicing mindfulness and being present in the moment. It is also important to prioritize real-life interactions and relationships over virtual ones, and to engage in activities that promote mental and physical well-being.

In conclusion, mobile phone addiction is a real and growing problem in today’s society. While smartphones have revolutionized the way we communicate and access information, excessive use can have negative consequences on our mental and physical health. By being mindful of our phone use and setting boundaries, we can reduce the impact of mobile phone addiction and lead healthier, more balanced lives.

Essay on Mobile Phone Addiction in 1000-1500 Words

Mobile Phone Addiction

In today’s digital age, mobile phones have become an essential part of our daily lives. They have revolutionized the way we communicate, work, and entertain ourselves. However, with the increasing use of mobile phones, there has been a rise in mobile phone addiction. This addiction can have negative consequences on our physical and mental health, as well as our relationships and productivity. In this essay, we will explore the causes and effects of mobile phone addiction, as well as possible solutions to this growing problem.

One of the main causes of mobile phone addiction is the constant access to social media and the internet. With the rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, people are constantly checking their phones for updates, likes, and comments. This constant need for validation and connection can lead to addictive behaviors, as individuals feel the need to constantly check their phones to stay connected with others.

Another cause of mobile phone addiction is the instant gratification that comes with using a mobile phone. With just a few taps on a screen, we can order food, book a ride, or buy something online. This instant gratification can be addictive, as it provides a quick and easy way to fulfill our desires. This can lead to compulsive behaviors, as individuals become dependent on their phones to satisfy their needs.

Furthermore, the design of mobile phones themselves can contribute to addiction. With bright screens, notifications, and addictive apps, mobile phones are designed to capture our attention and keep us engaged. This can make it difficult for individuals to put their phones down and disconnect from the digital world, leading to excessive use and addiction.

The effects of mobile phone addiction can be detrimental to our physical and mental health. Excessive use of mobile phones can lead to eye strain, headaches, and neck pain. The blue light emitted from screens can disrupt our sleep patterns and lead to insomnia. Moreover, constantly staring at a screen can lead to poor posture and musculoskeletal problems. These physical health issues can have long-term consequences if not addressed.

In addition to physical health problems, mobile phone addiction can also have negative effects on our mental health. Constantly checking our phones for updates and notifications can lead to anxiety and stress. The fear of missing out (FOMO) can make individuals feel anxious and insecure, as they compare their lives to others on social media. This constant need for validation and approval can lead to low self-esteem and depression.

Mobile phone addiction can also impact our relationships with others. Excessive use of mobile phones can lead to neglecting our relationships with family and friends. Instead of engaging in meaningful conversations and spending quality time with loved ones, individuals may choose to scroll through their phones and prioritize virtual connections over real-life interactions. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation, as individuals become disconnected from the world around them.

Furthermore, mobile phone addiction can have a negative impact on our productivity and performance. Constantly checking our phones for updates and notifications can distract us from important tasks and deadlines. This can lead to procrastination and poor time management, as individuals struggle to focus on their work or studies. The constant need for distraction and entertainment can hinder our ability to concentrate and be productive.

Despite the negative consequences of mobile phone addiction, there are ways to address this growing problem. One possible solution is to set boundaries and limits on our phone use. By establishing designated times for phone use and setting aside time for digital detox, individuals can reduce their dependence on their phones and prioritize real-life interactions. This can help individuals to be more present and engaged in the world around them, rather than constantly being glued to their screens.

Another solution is to practice mindfulness and self-awareness when using mobile phones. By being mindful of our phone use and recognizing when we are engaging in addictive behaviors, we can take steps to limit our screen time and focus on more meaningful activities. This can help individuals to break free from the cycle of addiction and develop healthier habits when it comes to using their phones.

Moreover, seeking support from friends, family, or mental health professionals can also be beneficial in addressing mobile phone addiction. By talking to others about our struggles with phone addiction and seeking guidance and support, individuals can receive the help they need to overcome their addiction and make positive changes in their lives. This can help individuals to develop healthier coping mechanisms and strategies for managing their phone use.

In conclusion, mobile phone addiction is a growing problem in today’s digital age. With the constant access to social media, instant gratification, and addictive design of mobile phones, individuals are increasingly becoming dependent on their phones for validation, connection, and entertainment. This addiction can have negative consequences on our physical and mental health, relationships, and productivity. However, by setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness, and seeking support, individuals can overcome their addiction and develop healthier habits when it comes to using their phones. It is important for us to be aware of the impact of mobile phone addiction and take steps to address this issue before it becomes a more serious problem in our lives.

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What Are the Signs of Phone Addiction?

Warning Signs and How to Help

• Who Is at Risk
• Health Effects
• How to Break It
• When to Seek Help

While cell phones are integral to our daily lives and have numerous benefits, many people have developed what some researchers consider phone addiction symptoms that can have negative effects on well-being. According to some research, roughly 27.9% of young adults are addicted to their cell phones.

Read on to find out more about how cell phone addiction is defined, the risks involved, and how to identify and treat it.

Georgijevic / Getty Images

What Is Phone Addiction?

Cell phone addiction may be categorized as a type of behavioral addiction that presents when a person can't go without their cell phone, their excessive use causes adverse consequences, or they experience symptoms similar to withdrawal when they do.

While cell phone addiction is very real for the people experiencing it, it is not officially recognized as a mental health illness or an addiction in the fifth edition of the " Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders " (DSM-5). However, it does present with similar characteristics as other behavioral addictions, such as gambling.

What Is the DSM-5?

The DSM-5 is the American Psychiatric Association's official handbook that mental health professionals use to assess and diagnose a variety of mental health disorders.

There are reasons why smartphones are hard to put down. The sounds and vibrations catch our attention, and the games, notifications, social media, and messages provide instant gratification.

Smartphones offer a constant source of entertainment and distraction. Companies use persuasive design techniques with features like infinite scrolling, push notifications, and personalized content to keep us engaged and make it harder to disconnect.

Who Is at Risk of Phone Addiction?

The exact number of people addicted to their cell phones isn’t known. This is because it can be hard to quantify and many studies base their data on self-reporting methods.

Although anyone can be at risk for this type of addiction, it is most commonly found among adolescents. Some research indicates that about 20%–30% of adolescents and young adults have a phone addiction. Teens in particular use their phones with high frequency, while cell phone use tends to decrease gradually as a person gets older.

People who get phones at a younger age are also more likely to present with addictive behaviors than those who get them later in life.

Cell Phone Risk Between the Sexes

Both young boys and girls are at a higher risk of developing an addiction to their cell phones, but there may be somewhat different patterns of use. Girls typically use their phones for social interaction, while boys use phones for the same reason in addition to gaming applications. Males also show a higher tendency to use their phones in risky situations.

Social media addiction may go hand in hand with phone addiction. It is associated with poor sleep quality and depression. And, it is also correlated with body perception issues.

What Are the Symptoms of Phone Addiction?

Some new terms have emerged to describe the characteristics of phone addiction:  

• Nomophobia : Fear tied to going without one’s phone
• Textaphrenia : Fear of the inability to receive or send text messages
• Ringxiety : Feeling as though a notification has come through on your phone when it hasn’t
• Textiety : Feeling anxious about receiving and responding to text messages immediately

Some symptoms of phone addiction include:

• You are constantly reaching for your phone.
• You spend much of your time on your phone.
• You wake in the night to check if your phone has any notifications.
• You feel negative emotions such as anger, sadness, or anxiety when you don’t have your phone or can’t check it.
• Using your phone has led to an injury or accident, such as a car crash from texting while driving.
• The amount of time you spend on your phone affects your professional or personal life.
• When you try to limit your phone use, you end up relapsing in a short time.

Signs From Others

While it can be difficult to notice your own phone addiction, one telltale sign you are forming an addiction is if someone in your life mentions your phone overuse to you. They may express concern about how much you are on your phone or your behavior while you are not using it.

What Are the Effects of Phone Addiction?

Studies show that cell phone overuse can have a negative impact on your health in a variety of ways.

Excessive smartphone use has been associated with physical and mental health problems in adolescents and young adults, including:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Alcohol use disorder
• Difficulties in cognitive-emotion regulation
• Impulsivity
• Impaired cognitive function
• Addiction to social networking
• Low self-esteem

Some other effects of phone addiction include:

• Muscle pain and stiffness
• Blurry vision
• Red or irritated eyes
• Auditory illusions (hearing your phone ring or vibrate when it’s not)
• Thumb or wrist pain
• Loss of interest in other activities you once enjoyed
• Insomnia and sleep disturbances
• Worsened school or work performance
• Heightened conflicts with your social group or family
• Feelings of irritability or unease when you don’t have your phone
• An increased risk of developing depression or anxiety
• Putting yourself in dangerous situations by using your phone when you shouldn’t be
• Feelings of guilt, helplessness, or loneliness when you go without your phone

Cell Phone Addiction and Dopamine

Cell phone addiction is similar to other types of addiction because of its effect on dopamine , a chemical in the body that causes feelings of pleasure. Cell phone use has been shown to stimulate the production and release of dopamine, which drives the need to use it more and more.

How to Break the Addiction

Breaking any type of addiction isn’t easy, but it is possible.

First, you must acknowledge the issues it's causing in your life. Once you have determined that you need to break your addiction, you can:

• Identify the reasons : Research has found that people who are on their phones constantly may be trying to escape issues or problems in their lives. By determining if the root cause of your phone addiction is to escape problems, you can address and treat the underlying issues.
• Consider therapy : Certain types of therapy , such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) , have proven effective in helping people overcome addictions. Other types of effective therapies for addictions are contingency management, motivational interviewing , and couples counseling (if it is affecting your relationships).

Tips to Beat Phone Addiction on Your Own

While addictions often require professional help, not all people will want to go that route. If you want to try to get over phone addiction on your own you can:

• Buy a cellphone lockbox that only opens after a set amount of time. This will limit your use.
• Remove apps that take up the majority of your time.
• Eliminate notifications on your phone so you aren’t summoned to check it every time a notification appears.
• Charge your phone in an inaccessible place so it’s harder to get to.
• Try to replace phone use with other activities you enjoy.
• Switch to a non-smartphone.

How to Prevent Phone Addiction

The best prevention method for phone addiction is avoidance. If you have a phone, you can prevent becoming addicted by using it only when necessary. This means deleting any apps that don’t serve a purpose and using your time to connect with people in other ways.

For parents with young children, limit your child's phone use by only allowing them to use it on your terms, or avoid buying them a phone altogether until they are above a certain age. Since children in their teen years are most at risk, you could hold off on buying them a phone until it is absolutely necessary.

If your child must have a phone for safety reasons, consider buying a phone that doesn’t have the ability to download apps that may lead to addiction. This way they will still be able to contact you or their friends if they need to but will not have access to time-consuming apps.

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

If you feel as though your phone use has begun to control your life, or your loved ones have mentioned their concerns to you, it may be time to seek out professional help.

You can do this by speaking to your healthcare provider for referrals to a therapist or by signing up for a digital detox—a time when you give up tech devices. 

While not formally recognized by the DSM-5, problematic cell phone use shares many similarities with behavioral addictions. A person with a phone addiction will have difficulty staying off their phone and could lose interest in things they once enjoyed because of excessive phone use. Teens and young adults are most at risk of developing a phone addiction.

Signs of phone addiction include feeling irritable or negative when going without a phone, being unable to go without a phone for long periods, or using a phone so much that it negatively affects physical health or mental health.

While phone addiction does come with negative consequences, there are ways to beat it. A person can seek out professional help through a therapist or practice control techniques that limit phone use.

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Lin YH, Chiang CL, Lin PH, Chang LR, Ko CH, Lee YH, Lin SH. Proposed diagnostic criteria for smartphone addiction . PLoS One. 2016;11(11):e0163010. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0163010

Schulz van Endert T, Mohr PNC. Likes and impulsivity: Investigating the relationship between actual smartphone use and delay discounting . Xin B, ed. PLoS ONE. 2020;15(11):e0241383. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241383

Chen X, Hedman A, Distler V, Koenig V. Do persuasive designs make smartphones more addictive? - A mixed-methods study on Chinese university students . Computers in Human Behavior Reports. 2023;10:100299. doi: 10.1016/j.chbr.2023.100299

Pew Research Center. Mobile Fact Sheet 2021 .

Shoukat S. Cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health in adolescents . EXCLI J. 2019;18:47-50.

yi Lin L, Sidani JE, Shensa A, et al.  Association between social media use and depression among U.S. young adults: research article: social media and depression .  Depress Anxiety . 2016;33(4):323-331. doi:10.1002/da.22466

Çakmak S, Tanrıöver Ö. Is obesity and body perception disturbance related to social media addiction among university students? J Am Coll Health. 2022 Feb 14:1-8. doi:10.1080/07448481.2022.2034832

Addiction Center. Phone addiction: warning signs and treatment .

Wacks Y, Weinstein AM. Excessive Smartphone Use Is Associated With Health Problems in Adolescents and Young Adults . Front Psychiatry. 2021 May 28;12:669042. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.669042

Chun JW, Choi J, Kim JY, Cho H, Ahn KJ, Nam JH, Choi JS, Kim DJ. Altered brain activity and the effect of personality traits in excessive smartphone use during facial emotion processing . Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):12156. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-08824-y

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By Angelica Bottaro Bottaro has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and an Advanced Diploma in Journalism. She is based in Canada.

Cell Phone Addiction: The Hidden Dangers of Smartphone Dependency

In the palm of your hand lies a device that has the power to captivate your mind, alter your brain chemistry, and transform your life in ways you never imagined. It’s your smartphone, a marvel of modern technology that has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. But as we increasingly rely on these pocket-sized computers, a darker side of their influence has begun to emerge.

The allure of the endless scroll, the dopamine rush of notifications, and the constant connectivity have led to a phenomenon that’s raising eyebrows and concerns across the globe: cell phone addiction. It’s a term that might have seemed laughable a decade ago, but today, it’s a reality that millions grapple with, often without even realizing it.

What Exactly is Smartphone Addiction?

Smartphone addiction, also known as nomophobia (fear of being without a mobile phone), is a behavioral addiction characterized by excessive or compulsive use of mobile devices. It’s not just about the time spent on your phone; it’s about the impact it has on your life, relationships, and well-being.

Picture this: You’re having dinner with friends, but your hand keeps creeping towards your pocket, itching to check for new messages. Or you wake up in the middle of the night, bleary-eyed, just to scroll through social media. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

The prevalence of mobile phone addiction is staggering. Studies suggest that up to 6.3% of the global population may suffer from some form of smartphone addiction. That’s over 480 million people worldwide! And with Gen Z leading the charge in smartphone usage, these numbers are likely to climb.

But is phone addiction real? Absolutely. While it’s not officially recognized as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), many mental health professionals argue that it should be. The behavioral patterns and neurological changes associated with excessive smartphone use mirror those of other recognized addictions.

The Science Behind Our Smartphone Obsession

To understand why our phones have such a powerful hold on us, we need to dive into the fascinating world of neuroscience. At the heart of smartphone addiction lies a tiny molecule called dopamine, often dubbed the “feel-good” neurotransmitter.

Every time you receive a notification, like on a social media post, or level up in a mobile game, your brain releases a small burst of dopamine. This creates a pleasurable sensation, reinforcing the behavior that led to it. It’s the same mechanism that makes other addictive behaviors so hard to quit.

But can scrolling on phones really create a dopamine addiction? You bet it can. The variable reward schedule of social media platforms, where you never know when you’ll come across something interesting or receive positive feedback, is particularly effective at triggering dopamine release. It’s like a slot machine in your pocket, constantly tempting you to pull the lever (or in this case, scroll) just one more time.

Phone Scrolling Addiction: Breaking Free from the Digital Trap delves deeper into this phenomenon, exploring how the simple act of scrolling can become a compulsive behavior.

The neurological changes associated with cell phone use go beyond just dopamine. Regular smartphone use can actually alter the structure and function of your brain. Studies have shown changes in gray matter volume and white matter integrity in the brains of individuals with smartphone addiction. These changes can affect everything from attention span to emotional regulation.

Spotting the Signs: When Smartphone Use Becomes Problematic

Recognizing smartphone addiction isn’t always straightforward. After all, in our increasingly digital world, heavy phone use has become normalized. However, there are certain behavioral, emotional, and physical signs that can indicate a problem.

Behaviorally, you might notice: – Constantly checking your phone, even when there are no notifications – Feeling anxious or irritable when you can’t use your phone – Using your phone in inappropriate situations (like while driving or during important conversations) – Losing track of time while using your phone

Emotionally and psychologically, smartphone addiction can manifest as: – Feelings of guilt or defensiveness about phone use – Using your phone to escape from negative emotions or situations – Decreased interest in real-world social interactions – Mood swings related to phone use or lack thereof

Physical symptoms can include: – Eye strain and vision problems – Neck and back pain from poor posture while using devices – Sleep disturbances due to late-night phone use – “Phantom vibration syndrome” – feeling your phone vibrate when it hasn’t

If you’re wondering whether your smartphone use has crossed the line into addiction, taking a Smartphone Addiction Test: Recognizing and Addressing Digital Dependency can be a helpful first step.

The Psychological Toll of Constant Connectivity

While smartphones have undoubtedly made our lives more convenient in many ways, excessive use can take a significant toll on our mental health. One of the most common psychological effects of smartphone addiction is increased anxiety and stress.

The constant stream of information, the pressure to respond immediately to messages, and the fear of missing out (FOMO) can keep us in a state of heightened alertness. This chronic stress can lead to burnout, sleep problems, and even physical health issues.

Depression and phone addiction often go hand in hand, although the relationship is complex. While smartphone addiction can contribute to feelings of loneliness and inadequacy, especially through social media comparison, it can also be a coping mechanism for those already experiencing depression.

Paradoxically, our hyper-connected devices can lead to social isolation and relationship issues. When we’re constantly absorbed in our digital worlds, we may neglect face-to-face interactions and struggle to form deep, meaningful connections. How many times have you seen a group of friends sitting together, all staring at their phones instead of talking to each other?

Perhaps one of the most concerning impacts is on our attention span and cognitive function. The constant interruptions and multitasking encouraged by smartphones can lead to decreased ability to focus, reduced productivity, and even changes in how we process information. Some researchers worry that we’re losing our ability to engage in deep, sustained thought.

When Smartphone Addiction Spills Over into Daily Life

The effects of smartphone addiction aren’t confined to our internal world; they can have tangible impacts on various aspects of our daily lives. One area where this is particularly evident is in work and academic performance.

The constant distraction of smartphones can significantly reduce productivity. A study found that it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully regain focus after an interruption. Now imagine how many times your phone interrupts you throughout the day. For students, the impact can be even more severe. Smartphone Addiction in Students: Impacts on Academic Performance and Well-being explores this issue in depth, revealing how excessive phone use can lead to lower grades and reduced learning outcomes.

Sleep disturbances are another common consequence of smartphone addiction. The blue light emitted by screens can interfere with our natural sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to fall asleep and reducing sleep quality. Many people also struggle with the habit of checking their phones right before bed or even during the night, further disrupting their rest.

The physical health consequences of excessive smartphone use shouldn’t be overlooked either. From “text neck” and carpal tunnel syndrome to increased risk of obesity due to sedentary behavior, our bodies are paying the price for our digital obsession.

And let’s not forget the financial implications. While the cost of smartphones and data plans is obvious, there are hidden expenses too. In-app purchases, impulse buys from mobile shopping, and reduced work productivity can all take a toll on your wallet.

Breaking Free: Strategies for Overcoming Smartphone Addiction

If you’ve recognized signs of smartphone addiction in yourself or a loved one, don’t despair. There are numerous strategies you can employ to regain control over your digital habits.

The first step is self-assessment and awareness. Start by tracking your phone usage. Many smartphones now have built-in screen time tracking features, or you can use third-party apps. Be honest with yourself about how much time you’re spending on your device and what you’re using it for.

Digital detox strategies can be incredibly effective. This doesn’t necessarily mean going cold turkey (although a “phone-free” day can be eye-opening). Start small: – Set specific times for checking emails and social media – Create phone-free zones in your home, like the dinner table – Use “Do Not Disturb” mode during work hours or at night – Remove social media apps from your home screen to reduce temptation

Mindfulness and alternative activities are crucial in breaking the smartphone habit. When you feel the urge to reach for your phone, pause and ask yourself why. Are you bored? Anxious? Looking for a distraction? Once you identify the underlying need, try to address it in a non-digital way. This could be through meditation, exercise, reading, or engaging in a hobby.

For those struggling with severe smartphone addiction, seeking professional help may be necessary. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has shown promise in treating behavioral addictions, including smartphone addiction. Phone Addiction Rehab: Effective Strategies for Breaking the Digital Dependency provides more information on professional treatment options.

The Road Ahead: Balancing Technology and Well-being

As we navigate this brave new digital world, it’s crucial to remember that smartphones, like any tool, are neither inherently good nor bad. It’s how we use them that matters. The goal isn’t to demonize technology, but to foster a healthier, more balanced relationship with our devices.

The effects of phone addiction are far-reaching, impacting our mental health, relationships, productivity, and overall quality of life. By recognizing the signs of problematic use and implementing strategies to curb excessive screen time, we can harness the benefits of smartphones while mitigating their potential harms.

Looking ahead, more research is needed to fully understand the long-term impacts of smartphone addiction, especially on developing brains. As our understanding grows, so too will our strategies for prevention and treatment.

On a societal level, we need to have open conversations about digital wellness and implement policies that promote responsible technology use. This could include education programs in schools, workplace policies that discourage constant connectivity, and design changes in apps and devices to make them less addictive.

Ultimately, the power to control our relationship with technology lies in our hands – quite literally. By making conscious choices about how and when we use our smartphones, we can ensure that these remarkable devices enhance our lives rather than dominate them.

Remember, your smartphone should be a tool that serves you, not the other way around. So the next time you reach for your phone, pause and ask yourself: Is this enhancing my life, or am I just scrolling out of habit? The answer might surprise you – and it might just be the first step towards a healthier digital lifestyle.

Smartphone Addiction: Effective Strategies to Regain Control and Balance offers more insights and practical tips for those looking to cultivate a healthier relationship with their devices. After all, in a world where our phones can do almost anything, perhaps the most powerful thing we can do is choose when to put them down.

References:

1. Billieux, J., Maurage, P., Lopez-Fernandez, O., Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Can disordered mobile phone use be considered a behavioral addiction? An update on current evidence and a comprehensive model for future research. Current Addiction Reports, 2(2), 156-162.

2. Elhai, J. D., Dvorak, R. D., Levine, J. C., & Hall, B. J. (2017). Problematic smartphone use: A conceptual overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression psychopathology. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207, 251-259.

3. Horvath, J., Mundinger, C., Schmitgen, M. M., Wolf, N. D., Sambataro, F., Hirjak, D., … & Wolf, R. C. (2020). Structural and functional correlates of smartphone addiction. Addictive Behaviors, 105, 106334.

4. Kwon, M., Lee, J. Y., Won, W. Y., Park, J. W., Min, J. A., Hahn, C., … & Kim, D. J. (2013). Development and validation of a smartphone addiction scale (SAS). PloS one, 8(2), e56936.

5. Lepp, A., Barkley, J. E., & Karpinski, A. C. (2014). The relationship between cell phone use, academic performance, anxiety, and satisfaction with life in college students. Computers in Human Behavior, 31, 343-350.

6. Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 107-110).

7. Montag, C., & Panksepp, J. (2017). Primary emotional systems and personality: An evolutionary perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 464.

8. Panova, T., & Carbonell, X. (2018). Is smartphone addiction really an addiction? Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7(2), 252-259.

9. Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2019). Media use is linked to lower psychological well-being: Evidence from three datasets. Psychiatric Quarterly, 90(2), 311-331.

10. Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A., & Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain drain: The mere presence of one’s own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2), 140-154.

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Impact of mobile phone addiction on adolescent’s life: A literature review

Mobile phone usage is so strongly integrated into young people‘s behavior that symptoms of behavioral addiction, such as cell phone usage interrupting their day –to-day activities. Main aim of this paper is the reviews investigate some aspects of the emerging literature on the impact of mobile phone on adolescent’s life. There are several reviews addressing the definition, Mobile phone addiction symptoms, Assessment of Mobile phone addiction, Negative effect of Mobile phone addiction on adolescents and some reviews addressing the role of Mobile phone addiction on adolescent’s mental and physical health.

Related Papers

anuradha davey

Background: Almost a quarter of young people are so dependent on their smartphones that it has become an addiction. Mobile phone addiction is a sum effect of phubbing, internet addiction, or social media intrusion. Self-controlling behaviour is a necessity to avoid addiction. The study aims to find the gender differentials for the effect of predictors of mobile phone addiction and its effect on self-control via Smart phone addiction through SEM in two CBSE schools of Meerut, contributing a sample size of 400. Methods: Data Collection was done in part (1) Demographic information, Part (2) 5 structured scales: (i) The Phubbing Scale (ii) Adapted Mobile Phone Use Habits scale (iii) The Facebook Intrusion Questionnaire (iv) Internet Addiction Scale and (v) The Brief Self-Control Scale. Results: Male students are more phubbed (53%) than female students (25%), but the use of internet addiction is more in female students (48%) than male (33%). Self-control overall was 31%, more in males (...

Journal of behavioral addictions

Juan José Zacarés

Background and aims Despite many positive benefits, mobile phone use can be associated with harmful and detrimental behaviors. The aim of this study was twofold: to examine (a) cross-cultural patterns of perceived dependence on mobile phones in ten European countries, first, grouped in four different regions (North: Finland and UK; South: Spain and Italy; East: Hungary and Poland; West: France, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland), and second by country, and (b) how socio-demographics, geographic differences, mobile phone usage patterns, and associated activities predicted this perceived dependence. Methods A sample of 2,775 young adults (aged 18-29 years) were recruited in different European Universities who participated in an online survey. Measures included socio-demographic variables, patterns of mobile phone use, and the dependence subscale of a short version of the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire (PMPUQ; Billieux, Van der Linden, & Rochat, 2008). Results The young adu...

Frontiers in Psychology

Mariano Chóliz

Jasmyn Cole

Maya Blau , Maayan Zhitomirsky-Geffet

Smartphone addiction has been widely researched in recent years, and the effects of various demographic , personality-linked, psychological, and emotional variables, have been found. Our research goal was to examine this phenomenon from the cross-generational perspective and compare the factors that can predict smartphone addiction for different age groups. We conducted a study with 216 Israeli smartphone users, representing three generations of smartphone users: Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z, who filled in an 80-item questionnaire. The factors examined included the social environment pressure to use smartphone, emotional gain from smartphones, personality, daily usage time, various mobile apps and user needs. The main finding of the study is that a significantly higher level of addictive behavior was found for Generation Y compared to the other two generations. The strongest predictive factors in the computed hierarchical regression model for all three generations were social environment pressure and emotional gain. Interestingly, emotional gain from smartphone use, which reflects users' enjoyment and positive emotions along with relief of negative emotions and psychological states, was significantly higher for generation Z than for the older generations. In addition, neuroticism and the daily usage time appeared as predictive factors for the younger generations, and for Generation Z alone the WhatsApp app usage was found as a significant predictive factor as well. This study contributes to understanding the factors of smartphone addictive behavior for different generations, which might lead to more effective educational measures and explanatory campaigns on technology effects on psychological well-being.

Journal of technology in behavioral science

Alex Sumich

Contemporary technological advances have led to a significant increase in using mobile technologies. Recent research has pointed to potential problems as a consequence of mobile overuse, including addiction, financial problems, dangerous use (i.e. whilst driving) and prohibited use (i.e. use in forbidden areas). The aim of this study is to extend previous findings regarding the predictive power of psychopathological symptoms (depression, anxiety and stress), mobile phone use (i.e. calls, SMS, time spent on the phone, as well as the engagement in specific smartphone activities) across Generations X and Y on problematic mobile phone use in a sample of 273 adults. Findings revealed prohibited use and dependence were predicted by calls/day, time on the phone and using social media. Only for dependent mobile phone use (rather than prohibited), stress appeared as significant. Using social media and anxiety significantly predicted belonging to Generation Y, with calls per day predicted bel...

Mark D Griffiths

Despite the many positive outcomes, excessive mobile phone use is now often associated with potentially harmful and/or disturbing behaviors (e.g., symptoms of deregulated use, negative impact on various aspects of daily life such as relationship problems and work intrusion). Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) has generally been considered as a behavioral addiction that shares many features with more established drug addictions. In light of the most recent data, the current paper reviews the validity of the behavioral addiction model when applied to PMPU. On the whole, it is argued that the evidence supporting PMPU as an addictive behavior is scarce. In particular, it lacks studies that definitively show behavioral and neurobiological similarities between mobile phone addiction and other types of legitimate addictive behaviors. Given this context, an integrative pathway model is proposed that aims to provide a theoretical framework to guide future research in the field of PMPU. This model highlights that PMPU is a heterogeneous and multi-faceted condition.

Current Addiction Reports

Journal of Behavioral Addictions

sayma jameel

Background and aims Smartphone use has increased markedly over the past decade and recent research has demonstrated that a small minority of users experience problematic consequences, which in extreme cases have been contextualized as an addiction. To date, most research have been quantitative and survey-based. This study qualitatively examined the components model of addiction for both “addicted” and “non-addicted” users. Methods A screening tool comprising 10 dichotomous items was administered to 40 college students. Of these, six addicted and six non-addicted participants were identified on the basis of their score on the screening tool and were asked to participate in a semi-structured interview. The interview questions were based on the components model of addiction comprising six domains (i.e., salience, withdrawal, conflict, relapse and reinstatement, tolerance, and mood modification). Directed content analysis was used to analyze the transcribed data and subthemes as well as...

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Essay on Mobile Addiction in English for Children and Students

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Mobile addiction essay: Everyone these days is hooked to his/her mobile phone. While we may dismiss this as a common behaviour in the current times, the truth is that it has deep behavioural and social impacts. Mobile addiction is a real problem and a cause of great concern. It impacts our health, relationships as well as work. People suffering from mobile addiction suffer from nomophobia which is the fear of being without or unable to use your mobile phone for some reason or the other.

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Long and Short Essay on Mobile Addiction in English

Here are long and short essay on mobile addiction to help you with the topic in your exam or other competitions.

These mobile addiction essay have been written in simple language to convey the facts on mobile addiction.

After going through the essay you would be able to know what is mobile phone addiction, signs and symptoms of mobile phone addiction; impacts/effects of mobile phone addiction and treatment of mobile phone addiction etc.

Also Read: Essay on Computer Addiction

Short Essay on Mobile Addiction 200 words

Mobile phones offer the freedom to instantly connect with just about anyone around the world. They enable us to find any information we require and are a great source of entertainment. While this invention was aimed at empowering us, sadly it is turning out to be something that is overpowering us. Most mobile users these days are suffering from mobile addiction.

One can do so much on a mobile phone. Our mobile phones enable us to indulge in gaming, gambling and online shopping. They connect us with people around the world, allow us to watch movies, click pictures, listen to music, surf the internet and enjoy various other activities. It is hard not to get addicted to this power house of entertainment.

However, it is essential not to fall prey to it. This is because its repercussions could be damaging. Mobile addiction causes several serious problems such as headache, weakened eyesight, sleep disorders, depression, social isolation, stress, aggressive behaviour, financial problems, ruined relationships and no or low professional growth.

Mobile phones have been created for our convenience. We must limit their usage to take charge of our lives. If you feel, you are getting addicted to your mobile phone then look for ways to get rid of it. You should also take it as your responsibility to help your loved ones get rid of this addiction.

Also Check: Essay on Addiction

Essay on Mobile Addiction 300 words – Signs and Symptoms

Mobile addiction is a growing concern. It is easy to get addicted to mobile phones but hard to overcome it. Numerous people around the world are addicted to their mobile phones. The behaviour pattern of mobile addicts is more or less the same. There are certain signs and symptoms that clearly show that a person is addicted to his/ her mobile phone.

Signs and Symptoms of Mobile Addiction

Here are some of the signs and symptoms of people suffering from mobile addiction:

• Display Withdrawal Symptoms: Mobile phone addicts get anxious and angry if their mobile phone battery gets low or dies. They also display anxiety and appear extremely restless, on misplacing their mobile phone. They are almost on the verge of getting a panic attack in such a situation.
• Hallucinate: Some mobile phone addicts even hear their mobile phone ring or vibrate even when it’s actually not the situation.
• Prefer Connecting With People Online: Mobile addicts prefer connecting with people online rather than talking to those, they are surrounded with. They will be on their phone continually even during social gatherings, family dinners or outing with friends.
• Check Mobile Phone Frequently: Mobile addicts check their mobile phones almost every minute even if there is nothing important to do. They simply scroll through the apps to check notifications or view who is online and indulge in other such useless activities on their mobile. They are so addicted to their mobile phones that they do not hesitate checking them even while driving, taking shower and in the middle of an important meeting.
• Lose Sense of Time: Another sign of mobile addiction is a lost sense of time. A person who is addicted to mobile phone loses complete sense of time. He is often late to work and delays important tasks giving priority to his mobile phone.

Also Check: Essay on TV Addiction

People addicted to mobile phones show all or some of the above mentioned symptoms. It is important to take these signs seriously and help your loved ones suffering from mobile addiction.

Essay on Solutions for Mobile Addiction 400 words

How to Get Away/Overcome from Mobile Addiction

It would not be wrong to say that humans have become a slave of the technology. We have particularly grown addicted to our mobile phones. Most people in the current times suffer from severe mobile addiction. It is as if their world revolves around their mobile phones and they cannot do without it even for an hour. It is important to overcome this addiction in order to lead a healthy, wealthy and peaceful life.

Here is how you can overcome mobile addiction:

As is the case with other types of addictions, you cannot overcome mobile addiction unless you do not want to seriously give up on it. Once, you determine, you wish to get over mobile addiction, you can do so by following the below mentioned tips:

• Set Time for Mobile Use

Restrict your mobile usage by setting the number of hours you aim to spend on mobile each day. Assign a fixed amount of time for each activity such as social media, texting, gaming or watching videos. There are apps that help you calculate the time you spend on different apps. Use these apps to work this out.

• Indulge in Other Activities

Involve yourself in activities such as painting, dancing, playing indoor/outdoor games, completing household tasks and the likes to stay occupied. This will lower your urge to check your cell phone frequently.

Help From Loved Ones

Your loved ones always have your back and will be happy to help you get rid of mobile addiction. Spend time talking to your parents, playing with your kid or helping your spouse with work rather than trying to connect with an unknown person online. You will soon notice how much more fun these activities are. Likewise, you may call your friends over to your place and indulge in various fun activities to get your mind off the mobile as you try to get rid of this addiction.

Professional Help

If you aren’t able to cope up with mobile addiction on your own and do not think your loved ones can help you much either then it is time to seek professional help. There are therapists who specialise in mobile addiction therapy. They offer individual as well as group therapy to help get rid of this addiction.

Mobile addiction can ruin our life if it is not stopped on time. Getting rid of this habit may be difficult but it is not impossible. With some effort and support from the loved ones, you can overcome this problem over the time. If this does not help, you should not hesitate to seek professional help.

Also Check: Essay on Technology Addiction

Essay on Impact of Mobile Addiction 500 words

Our mobile phone is meant to ease things for us. It helps us connect with our near and dear ones almost instantly. Communicating with our relatives and friends living in distant lands has become extremely easy with the introduction of mobile phones. A mobile phone with a high speed internet connection serves numerous purposes.

It helps us order food, shop online, look for just about any information online, read e-books, enjoy gaming and what not. But alas, while a mobile phone should be a value addition to our lives, it is turning out to be something that is degrading it. Mobile phones are becoming more and more addictive with the introduction of newer applications each day. Mobile addiction is taking a toll on our lives.

Impact of Mobile Addiction

More than half of the mobile users around the world are addicted to their mobile phones. Mobile addiction is impacting us on different levels.

• Impulsive and Aggressive Behaviour

People addicted to mobile phones are known to show impulsive and aggressive behaviour. They keep checking their mobile phone every few minutes and cannot do without it. New messages and notifications give them a high. Lack of these can make them angry and depressed.

Anger and aggression is particularly seen among those who spend most time playing violent games on their mobile.

• Decreased Attention Span

People addicted to cell phones aren’t able to concentrate on work for long. Too much screen time impacts the brain adversely and decreases the ability to focus. Besides, mobile addicts have a continuous urge to check their cell phones. Thus, they cannot focus on the work in hand.

• Poor Eyesight and Headache

Mobile addicts often complain of headache. They develop migraine issues over the time. Viewing the screen for a long time also hurts the eyes and affects the eyesight.

• Sleep Disorders and Depression

Mobile addicts use their mobile phones until late at night and often develop sleep disorders. The impact of sleep disorders is known to all. It can hamper our work and impact our health badly. Mobile addicts often cut ties from the real world. They are mostly busy connecting with people online, gaming and watching videos. Lack of human contact is the first step to moving towards depression.

• Brain Cancer

Studies reveal that people who talk on their mobile phone for several of hours a day have a high chance of developing brain cancer. This is because mobile phones emit radio waves that damage the brain cells. However, many scientists and medical practitioners do not agree with this finding.

Continual use of mobile phones also impacts our nervous system adversely.

Phubbing is the term used to refer to the habit of constantly checking your mobile even when you are surrounded by people. Mobile addicts develop this habit and it is not good for their personal relationships. As they try to connect with people online, they distance themselves from their loved ones who crave their love and attention. Mobile addicts thus suffer from severe relationship issues.

As much as we neglect it, mobile addiction has become a big problem today. It is hampering our professional life and ruining our personal relationships. Mobile phones are causing more harm than good. People experiencing the problem of mobile addiction must make an effort to get rid of it and return to the real world.

Also Check: Essay on Addiction of Gadgets

Long Essay on Mobile Addiction 600 words – A Common Problem

Mobile addiction is growing by the day. With the introduction of newer and more attractive apps, people are spending more and more time on their mobile phones rather than concentrating on their real life. People have become delusional. They have created a new world for themselves with their mobile phones being central to their lives. It is sad to see how mobile addiction is robbing people of their real lives.

You may have heard about hydrophobia, acrophobia and claustrophobia but have you heard of nomophobia? This is a new kind of fear that is seen in huge number of humans. Nomophobia is “no mobile phone, phobia”. It is the fear of being without one’s mobile phone. It may seem funny to some, but it is an actual fear that grips more than half of the mobile users across the globe. The human race has grown so addicted to their mobile phones that they have developed this new type of fear. The problem is serious and needs attention.

People suffering from nomophobia show the following signs:

• They get easily angered or irritated when they cannot access their phone.
• They panic when they do not find their mobile phone.
• They take their mobile phone everywhere they go including the washroom, dining table and other places where it should not be used.
• They stress when the battery is low.
• They check their mobile phones almost every minute.
• They avoid places that do not have Wi-Fi connections.

Mobile Addiction among Teens

A mobile phone serves as an escape from the problems of real life. People of every age group suffer from mobile addiction. However, teenagers are most likely to develop this addiction.

Teenagers are in that phase of their life where they are discovering and exploring new things. They have numerous questions and their mobile phones have the answers. A mobile phone with an internet connection can answer almost any question they have.

They also have a lot to share but are often hesitant to talk about the same with their parents or teachers. This is because most parents these days are so engrossed in their work that they do not have time to talk to or listen to their kids. Secondly, many things they may want to discuss may be rather embarrassing. Their mobile phones can connect them with numerous people around the world. They make online friends and comfortably share their feelings with them.

Teenagers also like to brag about any new development in their life as it makes them feel superior to others. It is a way to gain popularity in school/ college and win over more friends. Their mobile phones enable them to do so by way of social media platforms.

Teens addicted to mobile phones are the worst. They cannot concentrate on their studies. Mobile addiction bars their ability to focus and lowers their ability to grasp things. Those addicted to mobile phones also have a higher risk of developing habits such as smoking, drinking and taking drugs. They also grow socially awkward as they are constantly on their mobile phone. So, their future is at stake.

Parents must ensure that they do not give smart phones to their teenage kids. It is time for them to concentrate on their studies and explore their interest in other useful activities. They should explore the world the right way and not by means of a mobile phone.

Mobile addiction is more serious than what we think. We must help our loved ones going through this problem. We can help them by talking to them about this problem without being judgemental. Express empathy and be open to their negative reactions. It is difficult to cope up with this problem, but the support from family and friends, can be really helpful in overcoming mobile addiction.

FAQs on Mobile Addiction

What are the symptoms of mobile addiction.

Symptoms include excessive screen time, feeling anxious without the phone, neglecting responsibilities, and constantly checking the phone even without notifications.

How does phone addiction affect your brain?

Phone addiction can reduce attention span, increase stress levels, disrupt sleep, and even alter brain areas linked to decision-making and emotional processing.

How can I reduce my phone usage?

To reduce phone usage, set screen time limits, use grayscale mode, keep phones out of the bedroom, designate tech-free times, and prioritize face-to-face interactions.

What are the bad effects of mobile phones?

Excessive mobile use can lead to eye strain, disrupted sleep, increased stress, decreased face-to-face social interaction, and physical ailments like text neck.

What is the healthy screen time?

Healthy screen time varies by age. For adults, it's advisable to limit recreational screen time to 2 hours daily, while ensuring regular breaks.

Is mobile addiction a serious problem?

Yes, mobile addiction is a growing concern as it can negatively impact mental and physical health, relationships, and overall well-being.

What is the main cause of mobile addiction?

The main cause is the instant gratification phones provide through social media, games, and constant connectivity, which can trigger dopamine release, reinforcing the habit.

What is mobile phone addiction?

Mobile phone addiction is an over-reliance on smartphones, leading to excessive screen time and the inability to reduce usage despite its negative consequences.

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Smartphone Addiction Problem Statement Essay

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Introduction

Evaluation of solutions.

Recent progresses in Internet-based smartphones have created changes in the contemporary society. The smartphone has computing applications with advanced features of the Internet connectivity. It also has multimedia player, digital camera, GPS tracking systems, and video camera among other features.

Latest smartphones have high-resolution touch screens, browsers, and high-speed Internet accessibility. Smartphones have brought about convenience to users as well as addiction problems, which are similar to those experienced by Internet users (Greenfield, 1999). The fact that smartphones are mobile has aggravated the problem of addiction. Smartphone addiction causes both physical and psychosocial challenges among users.

A study by Leslie Perlow about the use of smartphones among 1,600 managers and professionals revealed varying degrees of usages (Davis, 2012). It showed that:

• 70 percent checked their smartphones within the first hour after getting up
• 56 percent checked their smartphones within one hour before going to bed
• 48 percent checked their gadgets during weekends and nights
• 51 percent did so during vacation
• 44 percent would suffer anxiety if they lost their smartphones and failed to replace them within the week (Davis, 2012, p.1)

The latest use of the term addiction applies to Internet, gambling, behavioural problems, gaming, and smartphone usages. There are people who use their smartphones while driving or crossing roads, which may result into road accidents. Children show addiction to smartphone games while learners have concentration problems during lectures. Specific problems may include the following.

First, smartphone causes users to have daily life balance challenges. Users may find it hard to concentrate, keep appointments, or miss planned schedules. Some may experience blurred vision, dizziness, wrist pain, and sleeping problems.

Second, some scholars have noted that some smartphone users believe that friends from the cyberspace are important than real-life friends. Such people feel lost when they are unable to connect with their cyberspace friends.

Third, there is also uncontrolled use of smartphones. Users prefer to use their smartphones for references rather than consult their friends.

Finally, smartphone users who tried to withdraw from smartphone addictions experienced withdrawal challenges. For instance, Kwon and colleagues observed that smartphone users became “impatient, fretful, and intolerable without their smartphones” (Kwon et al., 2013).

Daily life balance challenges require users to enhance awareness of events in their immediate environments and concentrate on such events to increase concentration. Still, reduced usages shall eliminate physical challenges users experienced. Users should engage their real-life through social activities frequently than their cyberspace friends.

Uncontrolled use of smartphone requires users to review the need to respond to smartphone alerts, deactivate the alerts, and consult their colleagues rather than the phone because such actions can reduce anxiety. Withdrawal challenges require users to practice gradual withdrawal rather than abrupt in order to reduce cases of anxiety.

Enhanced awareness and concentration give users opportunities to restore balance in their daily lives and concentrate on important matters. This solution can be effective if users follow it. Reducing usages is a perfect solution to eliminating physical problems. Engaging real-life friends is effective solution to the belief that cyberspace friends are important than real-life friends.

Deactivating alerts and consulting friends is effective for reducing uncontrolled usages and anxiety. Gradual withdrawal can be effective way of reducing withdrawal challenges.

Smartphone addiction is a source of physical and psychosocial problems among users. Solutions to these problems include enhancing concentration, reducing usages, engaging in social activities with real-life friends, consulting colleagues, deactivating alerts and practising gradual withdrawal.

No scientific study has proved effectiveness of these solutions. However, they can be highly effective if users practice self-discipline.

Davis, S. (2012). Addicted to Your Smartphone? Here’s What to Do . Web.

Greenfield, D. (1999). Virtual Addiction: Help for Netheads, Cyber Freaks and Those Who Love Them. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Kwon, M., Joon-Yeop, L., Wang-Youn, W., Jae-Woo, P., Jung-Ah, M.,…Dai-Jin, K. (2013). Development and Validation of a Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). PLoS One, 8 (2), 1-7.

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Smartphone Addictions: A Review of Themes, Theories and Future Research Directions

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What is smartphone addiction?

Causes and effects of smartphone and internet addiction, signs and symptoms of smartphone addiction, self-help tips for smartphone addiction, modify your smartphone use, step-by-step, treatment for smartphone and internet addiction, helping a child or teen with smartphone addiction, smartphone and internet addiction.

Worried about your phone or internet use? These tips can help you break free of the habit and better balance your life, online and off.

While a smartphone, tablet, or computer can be a hugely productive tool, compulsive use of these devices can interfere with work, school, and relationships. When you spend more time on social media or playing games than you do interacting with real people, or you can’t stop yourself from repeatedly checking texts, emails, or apps—even when it has negative consequences in your life—it may be time to reassess your technology use.

Smartphone addiction, sometimes colloquially known as “nomophobia” (fear of being without a mobile phone), is often fueled by an internet overuse problem or internet addiction disorder. After all, it’s rarely the phone or tablet itself that creates the compulsion, but rather the games, apps, and online worlds it connects us to.

Smartphone addiction can encompass a variety of impulse-control problems, including:

Virtual relationships. Addiction to social networking , dating apps, texting, and messaging can extend to the point where virtual, online friends become more important than real-life relationships. We’ve all seen the couples sitting together in a restaurant ignoring each other and engaging with their smartphones instead. While the internet can be a great place to meet new people, reconnect with old friends, or even start romantic relationships, online relationships are not a healthy substitute for real-life interactions. Online friendships can be appealing as they tend to exist in a bubble, not subject to the same demands or stresses as messy, real-world relationships. Compulsive use of dating apps can change your focus to short-term hookups instead of developing long-term relationships.

Information overload. Compulsive web surfing, watching videos, playing games, or checking news feeds can lead to lower productivity at work or school and isolate you for hours at a time. Compulsive use of the internet and smartphone apps can cause you to neglect other aspects of your life, from real-world relationships to hobbies and social pursuits.

Cybersex addiction. Compulsive use of internet pornography, sexting, nude-swapping, or adult messaging services can impact negatively on your real-life intimate relationships and overall emotional health. While online pornography and cybersex addictions are types of sexual addiction, the internet makes it more accessible, relatively anonymous, and very convenient. It’s easy to spend hours engaging in fantasies impossible in real life. Excessive use of dating apps that facilitate casual sex can make it more difficult to develop long-term intimate relationships or damage an existing relationship.

Online compulsions, such as gaming, gambling, stock trading, online shopping, or bidding on auction sites like eBay can often lead to financial and job-related problems. While gambling addiction has been a well-documented problem for years, the availability of internet gambling has made gambling far more accessible. Compulsive stock trading or online shopping can be just as financially and socially damaging. eBay addicts may wake up at strange hours in order to be online for the last remaining minutes of an auction. You may purchase things you don’t need and can’t afford just to experience the excitement of placing the winning bid.

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While you can experience impulse-control problems with a laptop or desktop computer, the size and convenience of smartphones and tablets means that we can take them just about anywhere and gratify our compulsions at any time. In fact, most of us are rarely ever more than five feet from our smartphones. Like the use of drugs and alcohol, they can trigger the release of the brain chemical dopamine and alter your mood. You can also rapidly build up tolerance so that it takes more and more time in front of these screens to derive the same pleasurable reward.

Heavy smartphone use can often be symptomatic of other underlying problems, such as stress , anxiety, depression , or loneliness . At the same time, it can also exacerbate these problems. If you use your smartphone as a “security blanket” to relieve feelings of anxiety, loneliness, or awkwardness in social situations , for example, you’ll succeed only in cutting yourself off further from people around you. Staring at your phone will deny you the face-to-face interactions that can help to meaningfully connect you to others, alleviate anxiety, and boost your mood. In other words, the remedy you’re choosing for your anxiety (engaging with your smartphone), is actually making your anxiety worse.

Smartphone or internet addiction can also negatively impact your life by:

Increasing loneliness and depression. While it may seem that losing yourself online will temporarily make feelings such as loneliness, depression, and boredom evaporate into thin air, it can actually make you feel even worse. A 2014 study found a correlation between high social media usage and depression and anxiety. Users, especially teens, tend to compare themselves unfavorably with their peers on social media, promoting feelings of loneliness and depression.

Fueling anxiety. One researcher found that the mere presence of a phone in a work place tends to make people more anxious and perform poorly on given tasks. The heavier a person’s phone use, the greater the anxiety they experienced.

Increasing stress. Using a smartphone for work often means work bleeds into your home and personal life. You feel the pressure to always be on, never out of touch from work. This need to continually check and respond to email can contribute to higher stress levels and even burnout .

Exacerbating attention deficit disorders. The constant stream of messages and information from a smartphone can overwhelm the brain and make it impossible to focus attention on any one thing for more than a few minutes without feeling compelled to move on to something else.

Diminishing your ability to concentrate and think deeply or creatively. The persistent buzz, ping or beep of your smartphone can distract you from important tasks, slow your work, and interrupt those quiet moments that are so crucial to creativity and problem solving. Instead of ever being alone with our thoughts, we’re now always online and connected.

Disturbing your sleep. Excessive smartphone use can disrupt your sleep , which can have a serious impact on your overall mental health. It can impact your memory, affect your ability to think clearly, and reduce your cognitive and learning skills.

Encouraging self-absorption. A UK study found that people who spend a lot of time on social media are more likely to display negative personality traits such as narcissism . Snapping endless selfies, posting all your thoughts or details about your life can create an unhealthy self-centeredness, distancing you from real-life relationships and making it harder to cope with stress.

There is no specific amount of time spent on your phone, or the frequency you check for updates, or the number of messages you send or receive that indicates an addiction or overuse problem.

Spending a lot of time connected to your phone only becomes a problem when it absorbs so much of your time it causes you to neglect your face-to-face relationships, your work, school, hobbies, or other important things in your life. If you find yourself ignoring friends over lunch to read Facebook updates or compulsively checking your phone in while driving or during school lectures, then it’s time to reassess your smartphone use and strike a healthier balance in your life.

Warning signs of smartphone or internet overuse include:

Trouble completing tasks at work or home . Do you find laundry piling up and little food in the house for dinner because you’ve been busy chatting online, texting, or playing video games? Perhaps you find yourself working late more often because you can’t complete your work on time.

Isolation from family and friends . Is your social life suffering because of all the time you spend on your phone or other device? If you’re in a meeting or chatting with friends, do you lose track of what’s being said because you’re checking your phone? Have friends and family expressed concern about the amount of time you spend on your phone? Do you feel like no one in your “real” life—even your spouse—understands you like your online friends?

Concealing your smartphone use . Do you sneak off to a quiet place to use your phone? Do you hide your smartphone use or lie to your boss and family about the amount of time you spend online? Do you get irritated or cranky if your online time is interrupted?

Having a “fear of missing out” (or FOMO) . Do you hate to feel out of the loop or think you’re missing out on important news or information if you don’t check you phone regularly? Do you need to compulsively check social media because you’re anxious that others are having a better time, or leading a more exciting life than you? Do you get up at night to check your phone?

Feeling of dread, anxiety, or panic if you leave your smartphone at home , the battery runs down or the operating system crashes. Or do you feel phantom vibrations—you think your phone has vibrated but when you check, there are no new messages or updates?

Withdrawal symptoms from smartphone addiction

A common warning sign of smartphone or internet addiction is experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you try to cut back on your smartphone use. These may include:

• Restlessness
• Anger or irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sleep problems
• Craving access to your smartphone or other device

There are a number of steps you can take to get your smartphone and internet use under control. While you can initiate many of these measures yourself, an addiction is hard to beat on your own, especially when temptation is always within easy reach. It can be all too easy to slip back into old patterns of usage. Look for outside support, whether it’s from family, friends, or a professional therapist .

To help you identify your problem areas, keep a log of when and how much you use your smartphone for non-work or non-essential activities. There are specific apps that can help with this, enabling you to track the time you spend on your phone. Are there times of day that you use your phone more? Are there other things you could be doing instead? The more you understand your smartphone use, the easier it will be to curb your habits and regain control of your time.

Recognize the triggers that make you reach for your phone. Is it when you’re lonely or bored? If you are struggling with depression, stress, or anxiety, for example, your excessive smartphone use might be a way to self-soothe rocky moods . Instead, find healthier and more effective ways of managing your moods, such as practicing relaxation techniques.

Understand the difference between interacting in-person and online. Human beings are social creatures. We’re not meant to be isolated or to rely on technology for human interaction. Socially interacting with another person face-to-face—making eye contact, responding to body language—can make you feel calm, safe, and understood, and quickly put the brakes on stress . Interacting through text, email or messaging bypasses these nonverbal cues so won’t have the same effect on your emotional well-being. Besides, online friends can’t hug you when a crisis hits, visit you when you’re sick, or celebrate a happy occasion with you.

Build your coping skills. Perhaps tweeting, texting or blogging is your way of coping with stress or anger. Or maybe you have trouble relating to others and find it easier to communicate with people online. Building skills in these areas will help you weather the stresses and strains of daily life without relying on your smartphone.

Recognize any underlying problems that may support your compulsive behavior. Have you had problems with alcohol or drugs in the past? Does anything about your smartphone use remind you of how you used to drink or use drugs to numb or distract yourself?

Strengthen your support network. Set aside dedicated time each week for friends and family. If you are shy, there are ways to overcome social awkwardness and make lasting friends without relying on social media or the internet. To find people with similar interests, try reaching out to colleagues at work, joining a sports team or book club, enrolling in an education class, or volunteering for a good cause. You’ll be able to interact with others like you, let relationships develop naturally, and form friendships that will enhance your life and strengthen your health.

For most people, getting control over their smartphone and internet use isn’t a case of quitting cold turkey. Think of it more like going on a diet. Just as you still need to eat, you probably still need to use your phone for work, school, or to stay in touch with friends. Your goal should be to cut back to more healthy levels of use.

• Set goals for when you can use your smartphone. For example, you might schedule use for certain times of day, or you could reward yourself with a certain amount of time on your phone once you’ve completed a homework assignment or finished a chore, for instance.
• Turn off your phone at certain times of the day, such as when you’re driving, in a meeting, at the gym, having dinner, or playing with your kids. Don’t take your phone with you to the bathroom.
• Don’t bring your phone or tablet to bed. The blue light emitted by the screens can disrupt your sleep if used within two hours of bedtime. Turn devices off and leave them in another room overnight to charge. Instead of reading eBooks on your phone or tablet at night, pick up a book. You’ll not only sleep better but research shows you’ll also remember more of what you’ve read.
• Replace your smartphone use with healthier activities. If you are bored and lonely, resisting the urge to use your smartphone can be very difficult. Have a plan for other ways to fill the time, such as meditating , reading a book, or chatting with friends in person.
• Play the “phone stack” game. Spending time with other smartphone addicts? Play the “phone stack” game. When you’re having lunch, dinner, or drinks together, have everyone place their smartphones face down on the table. Even as the phones buzz and beep, no one is allowed to grab their device. If someone can’t resist checking their phone, that person has to pick up the check for everyone.
• Remove social media apps from your phone so you can only check Facebook, Twitter and the like from your computer. And remember: what you see of others on social media is rarely an accurate reflection of their lives—people exaggerate the positive aspects of their lives, brushing over the doubts and disappointments that we all experience. Spending less time comparing yourself unfavorably to these stylized representations can help to boost your mood and sense of self-worth.
• Limit checks. If you compulsively check your phone every few minutes, wean yourself off by limiting your checks to once every 15 minutes. Then once every 30 minutes, then once an hour. If you need help, there are apps that can automatically limit when you’re able to access your phone.
• Curb your fear of missing out. Accept that by limiting your smartphone use, you’re likely going to miss out on certain invitations, breaking news, or new gossip. There is so much information available on the internet, it’s almost impossible to stay on top of everything, anyway. Accepting this can be liberating and help break your reliance on technology.

If you need more help to curb your smartphone or internet use, there are now specialist treatment centers that offer digital detox programs to help you disconnect from digital media. Individual and group therapy can also give you a tremendous boost in controlling your technology use.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy provides step-by-step ways to stop compulsive behaviors and change your perceptions about your smartphone and the internet. Therapy can also help you learn healthier ways of coping with uncomfortable emotions—such as stress, anxiety, or depression—that may be fueling your smartphone use.

Marriage or couples counseling. If excessive use of internet pornography or online affairs is affecting your relationship, counseling can help you work through these challenging issues and reconnect with your partner.

Group support. Organizations such as Internet Tech Addiction Anonymous (ITAA) and On-Line Gamers Anonymous offer online support and face-to-face meetings to curb excessive technology use. Of course, you need real-life people to benefit fully from any addiction support group. Online support groups can be helpful in finding sources of assistance, but it’s easy to use them as an excuse to spend even more time on your smartphone. Sex Addicts Anonymous can be a place to try if you’re having trouble with cybersex addiction.

Any parent who’s tried to drag a child or teen away from a smartphone or tablet knows how challenging it can be to separate kids from social media, messaging apps, or online games and videos. Youngsters lack the maturity to curb their smartphone use on their own, but simply confiscating the device can often backfire, creating anxiety and withdrawal symptoms in your child. Instead, there are plenty of other ways to help your child find a healthier balance:

Be a good role model. Children have a strong impulse to imitate, so it’s important you manage your own smartphone and internet use. It’s no good asking your child to unplug at the dinner table while you’re staring at your own phone or tablet. Don’t let your own smartphone use distract from parent-child interactions.

Use apps to monitor and limit your child’s smartphone use. There are a number of apps available that can limit your child’s data usage or restrict texting and web browsing to certain times of the day. Other apps can eliminate messaging capabilities while in motion, so you can prevent your teen using a smartphone while driving.

Create “phone-free” zones. Restrict the use of smartphones or tablets to a common area of the house where you can keep an eye on your child’s activity and limit time online. Ban phones from the dinner table and bedrooms and insist they’re turned off after a certain time at night.

Encourage other interests and social activities. Get your child away from screens by exposing them to other hobbies and activities, such as team sports, Scouts, and after-school clubs. Spend time as a family unplugged.

Talk to your child about underlying issues. Compulsive smartphone use can be the sign of deeper problems. Is your child having problems fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress? Is your child suffering with other issues at school or home?

Get help. Teenagers often rebel against their parents , but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen. Try a sports coach, doctor, or respected family friend. Don’t be afraid to seek professional counseling if you are concerned about your child’s smartphone use.

Support groups

On-Line Gamers Anonymous  – Help and support for problems caused by excessive game playing. (OLGA)

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous  – 12-step programs for sexual addictions. (SLAA)

More Information

• Risky Business: Internet Addiction - Help for recognizing and dealing with smartphone and internet addiction. (Mental Health America)
• Internet Gaming - Symptoms of gaming disorder. (American Psychiatric Association)
• Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time - How using a smartphone can deliver a release of dopamine, reinforcing your behavior. (Harvard University)
• Take Control - Things you can do right now to build a healthier relationship with your smartphone. (Center for Humane Technology)
• Yu, S., & Sussman, S. (2020). Does Smartphone Addiction Fall on a Continuum of Addictive Behaviors? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(2), 422. Link
• Conditions for Further Study. (2013). In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. American Psychiatric Association. Link
• Internet Gaming. (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2021. Link
• Sohn, S. Y., Rees, P., Wildridge, B., Kalk, N. J., & Carter, B. (2019). Prevalence of problematic smartphone usage and associated mental health outcomes amongst children and young people: A systematic review, meta-analysis and GRADE of the evidence. BMC Psychiatry, 19(1), 356. Link
• Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time. (2018, May 1). Science in the News. Link
• Canale, N., Vieno, A., Doro, M., Rosa Mineo, E., Marino, C., & Billieux, J. (2019). Emotion-related impulsivity moderates the cognitive interference effect of smartphone availability on working memory. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 18519. Link
• Twenge, Jean M., Thomas E. Joiner, Megan L. Rogers, and Gabrielle N. Martin. “Increases in Depressive Symptoms, Suicide-Related Outcomes, and Suicide Rates Among U.S. Adolescents After 2010 and Links to Increased New Media Screen Time.” Clinical Psychological Science 6, no. 1 (January 1, 2018): 3–17. Link
• Lin, L. yi, Sidani, J. E., Shensa, A., Radovic, A., Miller, E., Colditz, J. B., Hoffman, B. L., Giles, L. M., & Primack, B. A. (2016). Association between Social Media Use and Depression among U.S. Young Adults. Depression and Anxiety, 33(4), 323–331. Link
• Kross, Ethan, Philippe Verduyn, Emre Demiralp, Jiyoung Park, David Seungjae Lee, Natalie Lin, Holly Shablack, John Jonides, and Oscar Ybarra. “Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults.” PLOS ONE 8, no. 8 (August 14, 2013): e69841. Link

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Mobile Phone Use and Mental Health. A Review of the Research That Takes a Psychological Perspective on Exposure

The purpose of this study was to carry out a review of observational studies that consider links between mobile phone use and mental health from a psychological or behavioral perspective. Systematic literature searches in PubMed and PsycINFO for articles published until 2017 were done. Exclusion criteria included: papers that considered radiofrequency fields, attention, safety, relational consequences, sexual behavior, cyberbullying, and reviews, qualitative, and case or experimental studies. A total of 4738 papers were screened by title and abstract, 404 were retrieved in full text, and 290 were included. Only 5% had any longitudinal design. Self-reporting was the dominating method of measurement. One third of the studies included children or youth. A majority of adult populations consisted of university students and/or self-selected participants. The main research results included associations between frequent mobile phone use and mental health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms and sleep problems. Mobile phone use at bedtime was associated with, e.g., shorter sleep duration and lower sleep quality. “Problematic use” (dependency) was associated with several negative outcomes. In conclusion, associations between mobile phone use and adverse mental health outcomes are found in studies that take a psychological or behavioral perspective on the exposure. However, more studies of high quality are needed in order to draw valid conclusions about the mechanisms and causal directions of associations.

1. Introduction

Mobile phones have over only a few decades revolutionized how we communicate, interact, search for information, work, do chores, and pass time. The development of the smartphone with its multitude of functions, increased memory capacity and speed, and constant connectedness to the internet, has increased the time spent using the phone, implying a near ubiquitous usage. This fast development with changed exposure patterns has raised questions about potential health effects of the exposure [ 1 , 2 ]. The mobile phone communicates through emission of radio signals, and the exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields has been proposed to be a health risk. There are today few indications that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields associated with mobile phones have any major health effects [ 3 ]. The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently undertaking a health risk assessment of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, to be published as a monograph in the Environmental Health Criteria Series [ 4 ]. However, in addition to physiological aspects of the exposure, there is a growing research literature that takes a psychological or behavioral perspective on potential health effects of mobile phone use. The purpose of this literature review was to supplement the work of the WHO expert group by carrying out a literature review of quantitative observational studies that consider links between mobile phone use and mental health from a psychological or behavioral perspective. A formal systematic critical review with quality assessment of the papers was not done due to the large amount of included studies. The report presents an overview of the studies and examples of the main results. It does not include a comprehensive account of all included papers.

2. Materials and Methods

Two skilled university librarians performed systematic literature searches in PubMed and PsycINFO on 2 May 2016, with supplemental searches on 19 March 2018. The final search strategies ( Table 1 ) aimed to identify scientific publications from 1993 to 31 December 2017 that included quantitative analyses of mobile phone use in relation to mental health outcomes and other psychological factors. Altogether, 4738 papers were identified, after automatic removal of duplicates. These were screened by title and abstract. Papers that considered radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF), attention or safety (while driving, working, or studying), consequences for relationships, sexual behavior (e.g., sexting), cyberbullying, as well as papers that were qualitative, case or experimental studies, literature reviews, or duplicates (not previously identified), were excluded. This left 404 articles to be retrieved in full text for evaluation. Another 114 papers were removed in accordance with the previously mentioned exclusion criteria, or if no mental health-related outcome could be distinguished, if mobile phone use could not be identified as a separate variable (e.g., was included in a composite variable such as “digital media” or “screen time”), if focused only on specific smartphone applications (e.g., Tinder, Facebook, camera) or phone loss scenarios, or were not in English. This left 290 studies [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , 142 , 143 , 144 , 145 , 146 , 147 , 148 , 149 , 150 , 151 , 152 , 153 , 154 , 155 , 156 , 157 , 158 , 159 , 160 , 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 , 165 , 166 , 167 , 168 , 169 , 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 , 174 , 175 , 176 , 177 , 178 , 179 , 180 , 181 , 182 , 183 , 184 , 185 , 186 , 187 , 188 , 189 , 190 , 191 , 192 , 193 , 194 , 195 , 196 , 197 , 198 , 199 , 200 , 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , 207 , 208 , 209 , 210 , 211 , 212 , 213 , 214 , 215 , 216 , 217 , 218 , 219 , 220 , 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 , 225 , 226 , 227 , 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 232 , 233 , 234 , 235 , 236 , 237 , 238 , 239 , 240 , 241 , 242 , 243 , 244 , 245 , 246 , 247 , 248 , 249 , 250 , 251 , 252 , 253 , 254 , 255 , 256 , 257 , 258 , 259 , 260 , 261 , 262 , 263 , 264 , 265 , 266 , 267 , 268 , 269 , 270 , 271 , 272 , 273 , 274 , 275 , 276 , 277 , 278 , 279 , 280 , 281 , 282 , 283 , 284 , 285 , 286 , 287 , 288 , 289 , 290 , 291 , 292 , 293 , 294 ] for closer scrutiny ( Appendix A . PRISMA Flow Chart).

Search strategies in PubMed and PsycINFO 2018-03-19.

The identified studies ( n = 290) mainly dealt with frequency or duration of mobile phone use in relation to mental health symptoms (such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia), mobile phone use and sleep habits, and “problematic mobile phone use” (dependency/addiction). The number of published papers greatly increased during the time-period, especially the last five years ( Table 2 ).

Number of included papers ( n = 290) by publication year.

1 Six papers were dated 2018 but had been published online previously and were categorized as 2017.

3.1. Study Designs and Populations

A massive majority of the retrieved studies had cross-sectional design. Only 14 studies, i.e., about 5% [ 26 , 65 , 95 , 123 , 132 , 144 , 148 , 156 , 184 , 249 , 268 , 269 , 274 , 286 ], were identified as having any form of longitudinal design, test-retest reliability studies excepted.

About one third of the studies were based on child or adolescent populations, mostly administered through schools. Of the more than 190 adult population studies, relatively few studies seemed to contain random or representative samples of adult populations. The majority were based on university or college student populations (>60%), or with students together with other groups (an additional 5%). Otherwise, participants were mainly recruited through advertisements, postings on websites (e.g., Mechanical Turk), mailing lists, or personal appeal, or were carried out in specific work places or health care units. Some papers lacked a description of the selection process of study participants altogether. The number of study participants varied from 40 to 120,115. Studies were performed on all continents.

3.2. Measurements

The vast majority of the studies were based on self-reported exposures and outcomes, mostly through pen-and-pencil or web questionnaires, but sometimes also through telephone or face-to-face interviews. For younger children, parental reports about the child’s mobile phone use and health outcomes were used. The quantity of mobile phone use was mainly given in frequency and duration of calls and text messaging. However, with an increase of studies about smartphone usage, frequency and time spent on different apps and functions, including general screen time, were also examined. Many studies also included, for example, the type of phone, number of phones, from what age one had used a mobile phone, presence of a phone in the bedroom, what time the phone was used (e.g., time slots over the day, evening/nighttime use), and the size of the phone bill. A majority of the studies included scales or measurements of excessive or problematic mobile phone use (dependency/addiction), discussed further below.

Twelve studies could be identified as using objective measures for the quantity of mobile phone use. Three studies (conducted in the same population) used operator data for a subgroup of the participants [ 84 , 237 , 248 ]. The remaining studies used an app that was installed on the participants’ phones to log usage [ 49 , 53 , 91 , 174 , 175 , 176 , 200 , 239 , 258 ]. Two studies included a procedure where participants responded to questions about activity, including mobile phone use, several times per day on a given signal [ 26 , 95 ].

Additional measurement methods for mental health variables included structured psychiatric interviews [ 49 , 126 , 177 , 196 , 197 ], actigraphy for sleep [ 83 , 205 ], and sleep diaries [ 5 , 83 , 144 , 205 ]. Two studies included magnetic resonance imaging of the participants’ brains [ 110 , 283 ]. Further measurement methods occurred (e.g., body composition measurements, pedometers for physical activity, etc.), but did not pertain to mental health or psychological outcomes.

3.3. Main Research Findings

This section presents summaries and examples of the main findings in the included papers. The results have been clustered into three sections: (a) frequency/duration of mobile phone use and mental health outcomes, (b) bedtime mobile phone use, and (c) problematic mobile phone use. The main findings of each section are summarized in Table 3 , Table 4 and Table 5 . Table 6 summarizes the psychological factors that were most commonly associated with mobile phone use (all aspects).

Frequency/duration of mobile phone use: summary of main results.

L = Longitudinal, CS = Cross-sectional, NA = Negative association. In crude, but not in adjusted, analyses: reference 53, 149. In subgroup of older women: reference 140.

Bedtime mobile phone use: summary of main results.

L = Longitudinal, CS = Cross-sectional.

Problematic mobile phone use: summary of main results.

L = Longitudinal, CS = Cross-sectional, NA = Negative association.

Summary of the psychological factors most commonly associated with mobile phone use (all aspects).

NA = Negative association.

3.3.1. Frequency/Duration of Mobile Phone Use and Mental Health Outcomes

Among the studies of children and adolescents, a longitudinal study with 126 US adolescents found that more time spent on mobile phone use at baseline was associated with increased depression, measured with Becks Depression Inventory for Primary care at the one-year follow-up, while controlling for baseline depression [ 26 ]. In another longitudinal study, adolescents who owned a smartphone compared to non-owners slept less and had more sleep problems at baseline. Following up after two years, there were no differences in sleep problems between smartphone owners, new owners, and non-owners, but those who had owned a smartphone since baseline, compared to those who still did not own a smartphone, had shorter sleep duration on weekdays [ 249 ]. Cross-sectional associations were seen between quantity of mobile phone use and depressive symptoms in a study with 2785 Japanese adolescents [ 113 ], a study with 1328 Spanish adolescents/young adults [ 244 ], and a study with 7292 Finnish adolescents [ 139 ]. Overall mobile phone use of more than 5 h per day among Japanese adolescents was not associated with depression after adjusting for confounders, while using the mobile phone for more than 2 h per day for social networking services or online chatting was [ 264 ]. In a large British study with 120,115 adolescents, smartphone use on the weekends was negatively associated with mental well-being, while the associations for weekday use was non-linear, in that only use above an extreme cut-off was negative for mental well-being [ 227 ]. In an Israeli study of 185 children, daily time spent on a smartphone was not associated with psychopathological outcomes [ 250 ]. Regarding sleep outcomes, a longitudinal study of Japanese adolescents found mobile phone use of 2 h per day to be associated with new insomnia onset at the two-year follow-up [ 274 ]. A cross-sectional German study with 7533 adolescents found associations between higher mobile phone use and sleep problems among the girls in the crude analysis, but these were not statistically significant when controlling for confounders [ 149 ]. In a study with 6247 Chinese schoolchildren, time spent on texting, playing games, or surfing the internet on the mobile phone was associated with later bedtimes, shorter sleep duration, difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep, and daytime tiredness [ 117 ]. Time spent on the mobile phone was associated with shorter sleep duration and tiredness also among Japanese adolescents [ 113 ], and with poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in adolescents in Hong Kong [ 187 ]. In a Finnish study, mobile phone use was associated with deteriorated sleep habits and daytime tiredness in 12–14 years old girls and boys, and in 16–18 years old girls [ 228 ].

Among the studies on adult populations, a prospective study with 1127 Swedish university students found frequent mobile phone use at baseline to be a risk factor for sleep problems and depressive symptoms at the one-year follow-up in the men, and prolonged stress in the women [ 268 ]. This study, however, did not account for any confounding factors. Another prospective cohort study with 4159 Swedish young adults which, besides sex, accounted for educational level, occupation, and relationship status, showed similar results: Frequent mobile phone use was a risk factor for new cases of sleep problems in men, and for depressive symptoms in both men and women at the one-year follow-up [ 269 ]. Among the cross-sectional studies, frequency and duration of mobile phone use, logged by an app on the participants’ phones, was associated with depressed mood [ 239 ]. In another app log study, smartphone screen time was associated with depressed mood, but only before adjusting for confounders [ 53 ]. Cross-sectional associations were further seen between the frequency of calls and texts and perceived stress, sleep problems, and depressive symptoms among Swedish young adults [ 269 ]. A study that focused on work-related mobile phone use found that intensive mobile phone use among employees who had been provided by with a smartphone by the employer was associated with more work–home interference, less relaxation, less psychological detachment from work, and more exhaustion [ 65 ]. In other studies, time spent on the mobile phone was associated with anxiety [ 162 ], while the number of texts was associated with anxiety [ 29 , 162 ] and depressed mood [ 29 ]. A Finnish study with 6121 working-age participants, which examined mental symptoms in relation to the use of new technology, found associations between mobile phone use and depression in females 51–60 years, only [ 140 ]. Furthermore, in a US study with 308 adults, smartphone use frequency was negatively associated with depressive symptoms [ 74 , 75 ], and a Chinese study with 514 adults found that higher mobile use for calls was associated with higher mental well-being and positive affect [ 37 ].

Regarding personality, in one study, in which an app registered incoming and outgoing calls and text messages over five weeks among 49 German university students, associations between the number of calls and extraversion were seen, while no clear associations were found for the number of text messages and personality variables [ 200 ]. Another app log study found that smartphone use for calls was negatively associated with social anxiousness and loneliness [ 91 ]. One study concluded that lonely persons preferred to make voice calls rather than text messaging, while socially anxious persons preferred to text [ 231 ]. In a longitudinal study, increased mobile phone use over time was associated with decreased self-esteem and coping ability [ 286 ]. However, a one-week diary study that measured modes of social interaction found that meaningful text-based communication had a positive effect on self-esteem, compared to face-to-face communication and mobile phone voice communication [ 95 ]. Other studies found associations between time spent on mobile calls and extraversion [ 34 ] and low agreeableness [ 34 , 73 ], while text messaging was associated with neuroticism [ 34 , 73 ], extraversion [ 34 ], low self-esteem [ 73 ], low agreeableness [ 34 ], and low conscientiousness [ 34 ]. Time spent on mobile game playing was associated with low agreeableness [ 220 , 253 ].

3.3.2. Bedtime Mobile Phone Use

At least 35 studies addressed mobile phone use in the evening or at night: i.e., prior to bedtime, in bed, after “lights out”, awakening at night because of the phone, or even just the presence of a phone in the bedroom. About two thirds of these studies were based on children or adolescent populations.

A longitudinal Australian study that included 1101 adolescents found cross-sectional associations between nighttime phone use, poor sleep behavior, and depressed mood [ 286 ], but in longitudinal analyses, changes in nighttime phone use was not directly associated with subsequent changes in depressed mood. However, changes in sleep behaviors acted as a mediator between night-time phone use and subsequent depressed mood [ 286 ]. Another longitudinal study found cross-sectional associations between nighttime awakenings by the phone and sleep problems, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms in young adults, but no statistically significant prospective associations were seen at the one-year follow-up [ 269 ]. A diary study of work-related smartphone use at night showed subsequent lower sleep quantity, which in turn was associated with greater fatigue the next morning and less engagement during the work day [ 148 ].

In cross-sectional studies with children, as well as with adults, bedtime mobile phone use (in the broad definition, above) was associated with later bedtimes [ 16 , 22 , 31 , 82 , 85 , 88 , 93 , 223 , 263 ], longer sleep onset latency [ 53 , 79 , 112 , 223 , 293 ], shorter sleep duration [ 14 , 15 , 22 , 36 , 71 , 82 , 86 , 148 , 161 , 202 , 210 ], insomnia or sleep problems [ 5 , 14 , 79 , 85 , 97 , 144 , 199 , 202 , 205 , 235 , 269 , 293 ], reduced sleep quality or sleep efficiency [ 5 , 32 , 53 , 71 , 79 , 82 , 83 , 167 , 202 , 205 ], and reduced daytime functioning or tiredness [ 79 , 86 , 93 , 112 , 121 , 202 , 223 , 242 , 248 , 277 , 293 ]. In one study, keeping the phone close, rather than placing the phone at a distance from the bed, was associated with less sleep problems [ 235 ].

Almost all of the referred studies used self-reported sleep outcomes. However, two studies examined sleep by actigraphy in relation to self-reported mobile phone use [ 83 , 205 ]. Receiving night-time notifications on the phone predicted global sleep problems, subjective poor sleep quality, and sleep disruptions [ 205 ], and media use in bed or being awakened by the mobile phone at night negatively affected sleep efficiency [ 83 ].

Besides sleep outcomes, “bedtime” mobile phone use was associated with reduced mental health, suicidal feelings and self-injury [ 210 ], depressive symptoms [ 161 , 242 , 269 , 286 ], anxiety and stress [ 242 ], low self-esteem [ 286 ], and reduced cognitive performance in one study [ 235 ], but not in another [ 248 ].

3.3.3. Problematic Mobile Phone Use

Approximately 70% of the papers in this literature review addressed what can be termed “excessive” or “problematic” mobile phone use. They explored health outcomes of excessive mobile phone use, predictors for excessive use, such as personality or other psychological factors, or were reliability and validity studies of scales. Research about overuse, excessive, dependent, addictive, problematic, or pathological mobile phone use has emerged in parallel with the increased mobile phone usage. The constructs are commonly referred to as behavioral addictions and are likened with other non-substance addictions such as gambling addiction. As such, it seems to be a case of impaired ability to regulate one’s mobile phone use and can be associated with general symptoms of dependency, such as tolerance, withdrawal, escape, craving, using the mobile phone even when it is unsafe or prohibited, or functional consequences, such as financial or relational problems [ 295 ] (review, not included). A relationship can be seen with the concept of internet addiction, which was proposed as a specific psychiatric disorder in the 1990s by Young [ 296 ], who applied Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-criteria for pathological gambling to internet use. Other constructs that have emerged include nomophobia and phubbing. Nomophobia is an abbreviation of “no mobile phone phobia” and refers to a phobia of not having access to a mobile phone [ 297 ]. It includes four dimensions: not being able to communicate, losing connectedness, not being able to access information, and giving up convenience [ 298 ]. The term “phubbing” comes from merging the words “phone” and “snubbing” and refers to when an individual is looking at or attending to his or her phone while in a conversation with others [ 124 ]. Yet another construct is “ringxiety”, or “phantom ringing”, which refers to perceiving that the phone rings even when it does not [ 260 ].

Excessive or problematic mobile phone use is usually associated with a high quantity of mobile phone use, while a high quantity of use does not necessarily imply problematic use. One of the papers concluded that mobile dependency was better predicted by personality factors (such as low self-esteem and extraversion) than actual phone use [ 108 ]. In one-month log data from 79 engineering students in Taiwan, a logarithm that combined frequency, duration, and frequency trend over time successfully predicted “smartphone addiction” [ 174 , 175 ]. Non-use patterns also predicted smartphone addiction [ 176 ]. Among functions that have been associated with excessive or problematic use are playing games [ 21 , 39 , 49 , 59 , 110 , 116 , 178 ] and the use of social networking sites (SNS) [ 33 , 39 , 49 , 116 , 183 , 209 , 224 , 285 , 288 ]. Another log data study showed that dependent participants, besides games and SNS, also used the phone more for web surfing, shopping, and entertainment, and less for talking and texting, than non-dependent participants [ 49 ].

A whole array of scales (>50) were used for examining problematic use in the papers. The great number is partly due to the fact that some scales existed in several versions, and that different names for what appear to be the same scales occurred, perhaps due to translations between languages. Several of the scales follow diagnosis criteria from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) or DSM for pathological gambling or substance dependence, and some scales are direct adaptations of Young’s Internet Addiction Test [ 296 ], applied to mobile phones. Two of the most commonly referred to scales were the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS) [ 25 ] and the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) [ 146 ]. The MMPUS contains 27 items inspired from the addiction literature and covers areas such as tolerance, withdrawal, escape, craving, and negative consequences, giving a global score of problem use [ 25 ]. The SAS contains 48 items in six subscales: daily-life disturbance, positive anticipation, withdrawal, cyberspace-oriented relationship, overuse, and tolerance [ 146 ]. Several shortened versions of the scales were also used.

The prevalence of problematic mobile phone use varied greatly in the studies, which can be expected because the measures, definitions, and study populations varied. Most of the studies were cross-sectional. Among the exceptions was a longitudinal study with 1877 Korean adolescents that used three yearly measurements [ 123 ]. The study found bidirectional relationships between mobile phone addiction and depressive symptoms over time [ 123 ]; i.e., mobile phone addiction had an influence on depressive symptoms, and depressive symptoms influenced mobile phone addiction, over time. Another study in the same population showed that high mobile phone addiction was associated with an increase in incidence of poor sleep quality over time [ 156 ]. In a Swedish study, subjective overuse of the mobile phone at baseline was a prospective risk factor for sleep disturbances at the one-year follow-up in female young adults [ 269 ].

In addition, cross-sectional associations were seen between excessive or problematic use and depression [ 7 , 18 , 39 , 42 , 62 , 80 , 89 , 90 , 94 , 98 , 100 , 105 , 123 , 130 , 131 , 168 , 180 , 184 , 185 , 189 , 214 , 244 , 251 , 256 , 267 , 269 , 282 , 290 ]. Conversely, in four studies, depression was negatively associated with problematic use [ 50 , 57 , 74 , 75 ]. Furthermore, associations were seen with anxiety [ 7 , 39 , 42 , 50 , 62 , 67 , 68 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 80 , 89 , 100 , 108 , 115 , 135 , 157 , 180 , 184 , 189 , 198 , 214 , 245 , 267 ] (but, a negative association between text message dependency and anxiety in Reference [ 185 ]), sleep problems or insomnia [ 7 , 32 , 115 , 269 ], reduced sleep quality [ 38 , 39 , 62 , 80 , 110 , 195 , 240 ], shorter sleep duration [ 110 , 130 , 179 , 289 ], eveningness [ 64 , 229 , 273 ], stress [ 18 , 46 , 89 , 105 , 106 , 116 , 131 , 143 , 180 , 243 , 269 , 280 , 285 ], lower general mental wellbeing [ 20 , 23 , 76 , 80 , 127 , 237 ], PTSD [ 55 , 56 ], suicidal thoughts [ 131 , 282 , 289 ], impulsivity or less self-control [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 33 , 46 , 56 , 67 , 68 , 102 , 110 , 116 , 119 , 120 , 130 , 137 , 166 , 233 , 234 , 256 , 283 , 288 , 292 ], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-symptoms [ 252 ], productivity loss at work [ 72 ], and perceived phantom ringing [ 142 , 260 ]. Moreover, problematic use was associated with other behavioral addictions (e.g., internet addiction [ 12 , 19 , 43 , 45 , 50 , 52 , 63 , 100 , 105 , 118 , 127 , 145 , 146 , 154 , 178 , 186 , 198 , 217 , 236 , 266 ], shopping addiction [ 12 , 118 , 188 ], gambling addiction [ 78 , 245 ], and general addiction proneness [ 126 , 245 ]). Two studies examined participants with magnetic resonance imaging; when comparing mobile phone dependent subjects with non-dependent participants, differences in white matter integrity of the brain were seen [ 110 , 283 ].

Regarding psychological factors, several cross-sectional studies found associations between problematic mobile phone use and loneliness [ 24 , 91 , 98 , 129 , 133 , 158 , 270 , 279 ]. A longitudinal study with 288 participants 13–40 years of age examined causal relations between problematic use, loneliness, face-to-face-interaction, and the need for social assurance [ 132 ]. It found that loneliness predicted problematic use, while problematic use did not predict loneliness at the follow-up after four months. However, the authors concluded that loneliness increases problematic use, which in turn reduces face-to-face interactions and thus does not gratify increased needs for social assurance, and consequently, this process eventually leads to increased loneliness [ 132 ]. Other studies found associations with, e.g., shyness or social anxiousness [ 24 , 58 , 91 , 102 , 159 ], extraversion [ 12 , 13 , 18 , 25 , 46 , 64 , 81 , 108 , 255 , 256 , 261 ], fear of missing out [ 52 , 74 , 153 , 209 , 287 ], neuroticism [ 13 , 46 , 73 , 81 , 90 , 111 , 142 , 147 , 198 , 218 , 261 , 294 ], less self-esteem [ 13 , 25 , 100 , 108 , 256 , 281 , 289 , 291 ], low agreeableness [ 12 , 147 ], less openness [ 12 , 111 , 147 , 218 , 261 ], less conscientiousness [ 13 , 34 , 92 , 111 , 142 , 147 , 169 , 170 ], alexithymia [ 89 ], and less self-efficacy [ 99 ].

4. Discussion

The literature search showed that there is a vast—and increasing—amount of studies that explore links between mobile phone usage and mental health from a psychological or behavioral point of view. A high quantity of mobile phone use was associated with a wide range of mental health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms and sleep problems, in both children and adults. A relatively large proportion of the studies examined mobile phone use in relation to sleep habits; mobile phone use at bedtime or at night was associated with, e.g., shorter sleep and reduced quality of sleep. A dominating research field was excessive or problematic use, i.e., where intense mobile phone use is described as a behavioral addiction and/or pathological. A large amount of instruments to measure excessive or problematic use occurred, and problematic use was associated with several adverse outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, and sleep problems.

Only a few percent of the included studies had any form of longitudinal design. Cross-sectional studies limit the possibilities to draw valid conclusions about causal directions of associations. The found associations may thus be due to reversed causality, i.e., the outcome is causing what seems to be the risk factor, or the associations may be bi-directional or caused by common confounding factors not accounted for. For example, most of the studies on bedtime phone use and sleep variables were cross-sectional. In a longitudinal study with Canadian students [ 299 ] (not in the review due to the fact that mobile phone use was not analyzed separately), it was sleep problems that predicted media use and not the opposite. The researchers concluded that young adults used digital media to deal with sleep problems. Moreover, a study with 844 Belgian adults [ 300 ] (also not in the review) concluded that media, including mobile phones, was commonly used as a sleep aid.

Further, a majority of the papers were based on self-reporting, which implies that both exposures and outcomes may be subject to misclassification, recall difficulty, recall bias, and response-style bias. It is previously known that there is rather low agreement between self-reported mobile phone use for calling or texting compared to logged data (e.g., [ 301 ]), and this applies also to smartphone usage [ 297 ]. However, it seems that applications that log smartphone usage are becoming more available, and thus are increasingly used in research.

Strikingly, many of the studies on adult populations were done on university students or self-selected participants. This compromises generalizability of the results. Another observation was that in many studies, the found associations, although statistically significant, were small.

The current literature review focused on studies with mobile phone use as a specific entity. Broadening the search to include more general terms such as “screen time”, “media use”, “technology use”, or “social media”, would lead to a higher quantity of studies with results that probably could apply also to mobile phone usage. Several different technologies (such as computers, tablets, or other hand-held devices) are used for the same activities and in the same contexts, and results from studies that include other technologies are seen to show similar results. However, a broader definition of the exposure was outside the scope of this review.

Intense or frequent mobile phone usage is seen to be associated with a broad array of mental health related symptoms, behaviors, and psychological factors. Plausible behavioral and/or psychological mechanisms for the associations can be found in the review, such as impact on sleep habits, dependency/addiction issues, and individual personality traits. The extent to which mobile phone use interferes with the restorative functions of sleep can, of course, contribute to deteriorated health. Besides sleep being postponed, replaced, or disturbed by messages or calls at night, it is also conceivable that quantity as well as content of use can generate higher levels of psychological stress and physiological arousal. Higher levels of arousal can have a negative impact on sleep and recovery [ 302 ] and in other ways contribute to stress and ill health. In addition, there are studies [ 303 , 304 ] (not in the review) pointing to the fact that blue light emitted from screens may have an impact on melatonin levels and thus affect sleep and wakefulness.

It is also conceivable that the time spent on devices takes time from other activities and health-related behaviors, such as physical activity, supportive social interactions, or staying on task at work or school. In the current review, several relevant aspects were excluded in the literature search, for example, the impact of mobile phone use on attention, consequences for relationships, cyberbullying, cyber sexual behaviors, and physical health outcomes, all aspects likely to potentially have an impact on mental health. Furthermore, this report does not account for all factors analyzed in the included papers.

This review was done to supplement a systematic review of the potential health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from mobile phones. In light of this, it can be noted that there are several psychological and behavioral aspects that should be taken into consideration when assessing studies that examine health effects with RF-EMF exposure as the hypothesis. This is especially true given that many of the studies with an RF-EMF-perspective measure the exposures in the same manner as studies taking a psychological or behavioral perspective, i.e., with self-report.

5. Conclusions

Associations between mobile phone use and adverse mental health outcomes are found in studies that take a psychological or behavioral perspective on the exposure. However, more studies of high quality are needed—with longitudinal design, objective measurements, and well-defined study populations—in order to draw valid conclusions about mechanisms and causal directions of associations.

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to Eva Hessman and Magnus Holmberg, research librarians at the University of Gothenburg Biomedical Library, for performing the literature searches and for giving valuable supervision on search strategies and management of search results.

This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Home — Essay Samples — Information Science and Technology — Cell Phones — Cell Phone Addiction And Its Impact On Health

Cell Phone Addiction and Its Impact on Health

• Categories: Cell Phones Impact of Technology Negative Impact of Technology

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Published: Feb 8, 2022

Words: 935 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Works Cited

• Homayoun, Ana. “Is Your Child a Phone 'Addict'?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/well/family/is-your-child-a-phone-addict.html.
• Carlton, Lindsay. “Teen Cellphone Addiction: How Bad Has It Gotten?” Fox News, FOX News Network, www.foxnews.com/health/teen-cellphone-addiction-how-bad-has-it-gotten.
• Walton, Alice G. “6 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 3 Oct. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-effects-on-our-mental-health/#69e1446f2e5a.
• “What Would the World Be Like If Social Media Didn't Exist?” Brandignity, www.brandignity.com/2015/08/what-would-the-world-be-like-if-social-media-didnt-exist/.
• “Are Our Kids ‘Addicted’ To Social Media?” The Fix, 26 Jan. 2017, www.thefix.com/are-our-kids-addicted-social-media.
• Alaa. “How Would Life Be Without Social Media?” Life Hacks, Life Hacks, 20 Oct. 2018, lifehacks.io/life-without-social-media/    

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