A peer-reviewed study published Tuesday in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that 40 percent of college students were addicted to their smartphones and had poor sleep quality.
Smartphones are making Americans addicts. Nearly half of all Americans believe their smartphone is their most valuable item, and fewer than 20% of Americans would feel comfortable going out without a smartphone nearby. Furthermore, smartphones help release dopamine in the way addictive drugs do.
Nearly 55 percent of U.S. teens admit they are addicted to smartphones, and two-thirds of parents express concern, the Pew Research Center reports. We may be glued to smartphones because of our evolutionary drive to communicate rather than our technological reliance on them, a new study suggests.
Problematic smartphone use has been suggested by some researchers as a form of psychological or behavioral mobile phone addiction, closely related to other forms of digital media overuse such as social media addiction or Internet addiction. Smartphone addiction, sometimes referred to colloquially as “nomophobia” (fear of being without a mobile phone), is often fueled by excessive internet use or internet addiction disorder.
Smartphone addiction is defined as the lack of control over the use of a smartphone despite negative consequences, including harmful financial, psychological and physical and social consequences for users.
Smartphone Addiction Is a Substantial Problem
Smartphone addiction seems like a trivial problem compared to using drugs or other dangerous substances. Smartphones not only affect our memory and attention, but studies show that they are addictive to the point that they can be a drug that makes users more vulnerable to other addictions.
Because popular smartphone apps and social networking sites are designed to activate the brain’s pleasure center, users with underlying psychological problems are at risk of developing a behavioral addiction to smartphones. In addition to the way mobile apps are developed, there is a cultural factor that contributes to the spread of behavioral addiction to smartphones and social media. One of the reasons smartphones are so effective at delivering small doses of enjoyment to their users has to do with access to the innovations they provide.
Recognizing the addictive nature of smartphones and the impact their use has on our attentional abilities should make it clear that overuse of these technologies is a barrier to living a fulfilling life. The use of smartphones and other devices is associated with various negative effects and research should continue; however, in order to accurately and effectively address the associated problems and treat them, they should not be misdiagnosed as a consequence of addiction.
Smartphone Addiction Differs from Drug Addiction
While the media may resort to terminology such as “addiction” because it seems to be the closest metaphor to the technology-related behavioral problems we see in today’s society, we believe that the responsibility for using more accurate language and diagnostic terms lies with on scientists.
So far, the study does not support the claim that drug addiction is the correct term for problems associated with smartphone use. Other researchers have stated that behavioral addiction terminology in relation to smartphone use may cause additional problems in both research and user stigmatization, suggesting that the term is evolving towards problematic smartphone use.
The behaviors observed in the study could be better labeled as problematic or inappropriate smartphone use, and its consequences do not match the severity levels of those caused by addiction.
The study clearly points to “excessive and psychosocially dysfunctional smartphone use”, which is usually measured by the firm acceptance of statements such as “I have difficulty concentrating in class, doing homework or at work due to smartphone use”, and I feel impatient and irritable when I’m not holding a smartphone in my hands” – this can be very similar to other types of addiction and have serious negative consequences for physical and mental health.
Smartphone Addiction Arises form Social Expectations
Rather, it is suggested that smartphone use is a social expectation and reward for connecting with other people and trying to learn from others that cause and maintain smartphone addiction. While smartphones take advantage of the normal and healthy need to communicate, Professor Weissier agrees that the speed and degree of hyperconnection pushes the brain’s reward system into over-functioning, which can lead to unhealthy addictions.
Whether someone exhibits smartphone addiction symptoms around a partner or family member, it is clear that an increasing number of smartphone users are choosing to surf the web or take selfies rather than spend time with people.
Addiction to social media, dating apps, texting and messaging can spread to the point where virtual and online friends become more important than real life relationships. Cash says the smartphone is a natural means of relieving or relieving a degree of anxiety or depression, and when the need to socialize is mitigated by declining social skills and increased screen time, these habits can get in the way of people’s lives. Dr. Anna Lembke says our smartphone addiction can fuel addictive behaviors as well as isolation and disconnection.
Screen Time Leads to Depression
There is a link between increased screen time and depression, according to cell phone addiction statistics that studied data on more than 500,000 teens. The link was especially strong among those who said they used their phones to escape boredom and negative emotions, suggesting that smartphone addicts may have experienced emotional problems. Psychological symptoms that smartphone addicts may experience include depression, social isolation, low self-esteem, and anxiety.
Some researchers say that smartphones may simply be a vehicle for a particular group of addictive behaviors—an umbrella within the broader internet addiction umbrella. For people for whom social media is particularly useful, attractive, or empowering, it will be their drug, but there are people who obsessively watch the news and play video games in a convincing manner.
No wonder people find it hard to give up their smartphones and lose sleep as a result. While smartphones are integrated into every aspect of our lives, don’t forget how these handheld devices affect our health.
The reason why it can be so hard to stop addictive behavior, even something as simple as controlling our smartphones, is because right after we check it out and get a small dose of dopamine, our brain overcorrects and puts us in a state of dopamine deficiency. and we experience the universal symptoms of withdrawal from any addictive substance: anxiety, irritability, restlessness, slight depression, and great mental anxiety about using it again.
