Cell phones are necessary and useful at different times in everyday life. However, when the technology starts to have negative effects on the body, it may be a sign of a cell addiction. It is already agreed that the excessive use of technology harms health. People are getting sick from over-connectivity and becoming dependent on cell phones.
Some everyday attitudes can arouse a compulsion for the device. For example, take smartphones everywhere and be extremely nervous when you forget your device at home or at work. On the other hand, being aware and judicious when using the device can help prevent cell phone addiction.
We know that there is no turning back in the development of technology. Only you can turn on the warning sign and understand that the risks of exaggeration are serious. So come with us to better understand what cell phone addiction is, how to identify and avoid this problem and how to treat it.
Smartphones, apps, social networks, smartwatches, video games, tablets and notebooks are more addictive than we think. We are experiencing a transformation that some compare to the discovery of fire 2 million years ago. To witness such a profound change in society is exciting, but it is also a problem. That’s because we don’t know how to deal with what the world is offering us.
Worse, we don’t stop to think about what we are becoming. Because it is very recent, the human being is still dazzled by everything that technology can do. There is the positive part, of course. Technology assists in the development of science, medicine, agriculture, industry and the dissemination of knowledge.
However, there is the other side of the coin. The abusive use of the cell phone begins to manifest itself in the body and reveals some mental disorders. Anxiety and nervousness can transform a natural addict into a pathological addict.
Are you one of the 68% who picks up their cell phone as soon as they open their eyes, according to a survey by Time magazine? Or of the same 68% that activate the device while asleep, according to a survey? If your answer is yes, you are certainly succumbing to the temptation to be connected to the weather, and you may be developing a cell phone addiction.
“While we are busy, we also feel inefficient. We are connected, but we are lonely. The technology that gives us freedom also works as a prison – the more we get stuck, the more often we wonder who is really in control. The result is paralyzing tension,” says American journalist Catherine Price in the book “Cellphone: How to Give Time.”
The line between abuse and use is a tenuous one. Even if the cell phone is used a lot, it does not characterize the addiction. In pathological dependence, overuse is linked to an anxiety disorder, such as panic or social phobia.
In fact, a name was created to describe the fear of being without a cell phone. It is nomophobia, which comes from the English term “no mobile phobia.” The main symptoms of the syndrome are distress and a feeling of discomfort when one is off the phone and behavioral changes, such as isolation and lack of interest in other activities. This may indicate that the person has a problem that needs to be investigated.
Several surveys show that being 100% online helps in the emergence of diseases such as anxiety, depression, stress, attention deficit and even obsessive-compulsive disorder. Recent studies point out that the changes caused in the brain by the abuse in the use of the web are similar to the effects of chemical drugs, such as alcohol and cocaine. The dependence on technology is behavioral, the others are chemical, but it causes the same wear at the tip of the neuron as drugs.
A survey by Motorola in partnership with Nancy Etcoff, a psychologist specializing in cognitive behavior at Harvard University, found that 41.5% of young kids are addicted to their phones. However, many do not realize that, without a balanced use, they could suffer serious consequences.
A study conducted by professors at the University of Seoul says that those who have become dependent on smartphones have lower levels of the glutamate-glutamine cycle. This cycle is composed of a series of mental events responsible for energizing neurons. In addition, addicts have higher levels of Gaba, a neurotransmitter that inhibits neurons. Result: nervousness, insomnia and lack of focus.
A survey on the use of cell phones in our daily life, for example, shows that 2 out of 3 parents say they believe that their children use their smartphones too much. More than half of those in a relationship see excesses on the part of their partners, and 33% admit to going online at dawn to watch social media.
The main symptoms of addiction to cell phones, the internet and other technologies are:
To characterize the addiction, these symptoms must last for a period longer than six months.
You can do some tests online to assess your kids’ cell phone addiction level. The relationship with technology can be classified as conscious use when the virtual does not interfere with real-life; abusive use, when online activities are prioritized over offline ones; and dependent abuse, when the virtual gets in the way of the real, and there is loss of control.
The more interactive your kids’ cell phone is, the greater is their potential for addiction. In order to save them from cell phone addiction, experts recommend moderation, even if the smartphone or the internet is essential for certain activities. One way that helps parents introduce a balanced screen use to their kids is the cell phone parental controls offered by advanced apps such as FamilyTime. The app allows parents to schedule auto screen locks on kids’ devices while being able to monitor their app usage and web history etc. With that, they can see what apps or web pages keep their kids hooked. The app also offers the option to apply internet filters to ensure kids’ safe browsing and enable parents to block all addictive apps and unwanted web pages using FamilyTime’s parent Dashboard. There are many other helpful features offered by the FamilyTime app, such as Contact Monitoring, SMS monitoring, Call log monitoring, Location tracking, SOS alerts and more. To try these features yourself, give this app a try for free. You can get the trial version of the app by visiting the app store now.
The advice here is that kids stay at least a few hours a day away from their cell phones and disable automatic email and social media notifications. It is also essential to maintain outdoor activities, with face-to-face meetings with other people.
Cell phones offer benefits that go beyond basic communication. Some people often organize their daily professional and personal chores with the aid of this device. Mobile phones make it easy to get in touch with family, friends, customers, suppliers, boss and co-workers, whether by voice or video calls.
Smartphones allow the user to be connected at all times. In addition to updating social networks, you can check movie schedules and ticket reservations, make dinner reservations, send emails and check directions. People also use cell phones in emergency situations to call the police, call a tow truck or let the family know where they are. These devices offer a real safety net.
Hence, experts recommend limiting screen use rather than prohibiting it for your kids.
We hope that this article helps you keep your kids safe from screen abuse and allow you to limit their screen time smartly. Let us know if it helped in the comment section below. Happy parenting!
This is a collaborative post.
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