While the total dependence of the population on smartphones doesn’t yet provoke the same level of anxiety and rejection in society as, for example, gaming or drug addiction, scientists warn that smartphone addiction can be just as destructive for individuals.
Currently, mobile phone addiction is not officially recognized by specialists as a distinct mental disorder. However, recent studies indicate that more than a quarter of the world’s population suffers from it. In China and Saudi Arabia, this figure reaches as high as 70 percent.
Experts have identified five key signs of this addiction.
You Spend Increasing Amounts of Time on Your Phone
According to researchers, there is no specific number of hours of daily phone use that crosses the line into addiction. However, that doesn’t mean the time you regularly spend on your device is insignificant.
Just as a drug addict needs an increasing dose to feel high, the same happens with smartphone addiction.
Professor Mark Griffiths, a leading expert on internet addiction at Nottingham Trent University (UK), noted, “The time you spend on this activity can gradually increase.” For instance, you might start with a 30-minute scroll through Instagram during lunch, but soon you’ll notice that this pastime is consuming a lot of your time.
An increase in the time spent on your phone poses a risk of transitioning from casual use to full-blown addiction, the expert warns.
Your Phone Replaces Other Areas of Your Life
One of the key signs of true smartphone addiction is how it correlates with other areas of life. “You might spend eight hours a day on your smartphone, but at the same time, you have no children, partner, or job,” Professor Griffiths explained, discussing the typical consequences of such addiction.
In this context, psychologists point to two factors: significance and conflict. Significance means that the smartphone has become the most important thing in your life, while conflict indicates that the device starts to interfere with other aspects of life, particularly personal relationships, education, and career.
Your Smartphone Provides Pleasure Similar to Drugs
Professor Griffiths reminded us that addicts seek out their dependencies to change their mood. This is also true for those who are fanatically attached to their phones. The device helps these individuals feel uplifted, excited, or stimulated, or conversely, calm, relieve stress, and relax.
Interestingly, one of the most common complaints about social media companies is that their apps are designed to exploit these states of excitement.
Some researchers suggest that social media helps our brains produce the pleasure hormone (joy) – dopamine.
Your Phone Affects Your Mental Health
Scientists have confirmed that smartphone addiction significantly impacts a person’s mental health. A study published this year by researchers from King’s College London examined the connection between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and the mental health of teenagers.
The researchers found that teenagers aged 16-18 who reported having PSU were twice as likely to experience anxiety and nearly three times more likely to suffer from depression.
Signs of harm to mental health can include feeling gloomier, more irritable, and more frustrated when one does not have access to their smartphone/iPhone. Such manifestations indicate the presence of addiction, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Your Physical Health is at Risk Because of Your Phone
“On a physiological level, you may experience symptoms such as nausea, sweaty palms, and stomach cramps – symptoms typical of more traditional addictions,” Professor Griffiths warned those who have yet to fully grasp the dangers of smartphone fanaticism.
If a person is addicted to their smartphone, they may find that it begins to negatively affect their well-being. Professor Griffiths’ research has shown that teenagers with internet use problems often experience periodic back and head pain. Several other studies have demonstrated a link between smartphone addiction and deteriorating sleep quality. Meanwhile, a lack of sleep poses an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke.
Thus, a decline in physical health can be a key indicator that you are becoming dependent on your phone.