SMARTPHONES ARE BECOMING AS ADDICTIVE AS DRUGS
Over 13 Billion smartphones have been sold to end users worldwide to date according to Statista, a German online portal for statistics. Statistics reveal that an average person checks their phone 47 times a day. 80% of parents blame themselves for their children’s smartphone addiction. Over 70% smartphone users use their smartphones before sleeping.
Today we are going to discuss about smartphone addiction but before that, here is a fast fact.
Did you know: Nomophobia is the fear of being without a phone.
As the rule of thumb goes “Too much of something is poison”. Well with modern technology that’s not far from the truth. Most of the time when we talk about addiction most of us often think of substance abuse, but it’s way beyond that. Smartphones can be as addictive as drugs.
Giving your child a smartphone is “like giving your child a gram of cocaine” a top addiction expert warns. Speaking alongside other experts in technology addiction and adolescent development, Harley Street, rehab clinic specialist Mandy Saligari claimed screen time was too often overlooked as a potential vehicle for addiction in young people.
Day by day more and more young people are pulled and trapped in the smartphone addiction entanglement not realising anything and they think everything is normal. At the end of the day all backfires and they feel depressed and insecure, not to forget with a load of mental health disorders.
Definition of Smartphone Addiction
According to psychiatry.org, Addiction is a complex condition, a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences. While a smartphone is a mobile phone that performs the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, Internet access, and an operating system capable of running downloaded apps. Therefore smartphone addiction is a disorder involving compulsive overuse of the mobile device.
DANGERS OF SMARTPHONE ADDICTION
Smartphones have proved to be a valuable asset in our household for making communication easier, but aside from all that, there is a lurking danger in overusing them, stretching from physical to mental. Smartphone addiction cause a variety of disorders.
Transient Smartphone Disorder
Commonly referred to as Transient Smartphone Blindness (T.S.B). It’s a phenomenon that affects vision. It particularly occurs by temporary monocular vision loss associated with smartphone usage in the dark.
Depression and Loneliness
A study found a correlation between high social media usage and depression and anxiety. Most young adults often and desperately compare themselves to their peers on social media which end up in loneliness and depression.
Inability to Concentrate
The constant appearance of your smartphone screen at the back of your brain can distract you from an important activity, causing inability to think creatively, hence poor concentration.
Poor Sleep
Mostly overlooked but this is the most dangerous part of smartphone addiction, nearly every smartphone addictive suffers insomnia, this is due to frequent staring of smartphone screen exposing the iris to the emitted light which severe the eyesight, it may appear normal at first but with time it gets even worse.
SYMPTOMS OF SMARTPHONE ADDICTION
Nomophobia, the irrational fear of being without a mobile phone. This is caused by frequent internet overuse. Most often it is the compulsive usage of games and smartphone apps, and the virtual worlds that don’t actually exist.
Most victims of smartphone addiction keep on checking their smartphones without any clear reason whatsoever. People who are addicted to smartphones find it hard to participate in social activities hence less sociable.
HOW YOU CAN FIGHT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION
Unlike any malady there is always a cure, or some preventive measure to take to stop getting things worse.
Limiting Smartphone Usage
The surest way of quitting smartphone addiction is to limit your usage. Make a timetable and follow it, it might be harder in the first place if you are a nerd but trust me with time you’ll get by it.
Avoid Going to Bed with Your Smartphone
Now here is the part where most of us get trapped. By avoiding going to bed with your smartphone will prevent the temptations of waking up in the middle of the night for a sneak peek on your screen, this will also help prevent T.S.B.
Turn OFF Push Notification
Remember, apps are designed to hook you up 24/7/365 and nothing is as tempting as that beeping sound when you get a new notification, so the best way is to turn OFF push notifications.
And above all, you should always remember, most of those apps were designed using AI which does not understand human feelings. Elon Musk once said “AI is more dangerous than nuclear weapons”.
