Cell Phone Addiction
As time goes on, cell phones improve more and more. New addictive games are being invented and staying connected to everyone has become very important to the younger generation which can have a negative effect because it sets unrealistic standards for young teens. Phone addiction has become a serious issue to people around the world. What is the cause? How can we solve it?
Technology is something people use everyday. A survey that took 5,000 polls from 8 countries shows that 84% of people worldwide couldn’t go a day without their phones. The study also found that 1 in 4 people check their phones every 30 min and 1 in 5 people check their phones every 10 minutes. I decided that I am going to take on the challenge to see how often I check my phone. I checked how many times I unlocked/used my phone for 3 hours. In those 3 hours, I checked my phone 9 times with a wide range of min in between the usage of my phone time. I am not very surprised about my results but definitely need to make improvements. Phones are addictive because when you get a text, email or really any notification, it releases a dopamine. A dopamine controls the part of the brain that allows one to feel pleasure. There are many signs that you may suffer addiction. These symptoms include following…
- using cellphones during a time that could become dangerous for example, when you are driving.
- Impulses to check your phone
- The feeling of urgency to be connected
- Needing to respond immediately to your notifications
- Anxiety when unable to check the device
Digital detoxes can be very necessary when experiencing the symptoms of addiction. There are ways to help with this habit. A study showed that only 33% of teenagers and only 50% of adults try to improve their bad habit. One of my personal solutions is I turned off my notifications for my main notification sources (snapchat and instagram) so I only receive the alert when my phone is unlocked. Another idea is to check your phone at certain times like when you wake up, lunch time or, before you drive somewhere. It isn’t the best idea to check your phone before bed because it will make it more difficult to fall asleep. A study showed positive effects a person can have from a digital detox such as better sleep, less stress and, feeling happier.
Although there are many negative effects from the usage of cell phones, there are also positive effects. Cell phones are very helpful when in an emergency. Setting reminders on your phone can be very beneficial to stay on task and always being prepared. In school, my cell phone can be very helpful because I use an app on my phone to see where my classes are since our rooms change everyday. I also use my phone to take pictures of what my teacher has on the screen/board so I can easily access the information to put into my notes. Being able to access directions easily makes everyones lives so much easier especially in the aspect that it can help people make it places on time.
As of tomorrow(April 16) I will be doing a 24 hour social media detox. In doing this I hope that it will help me not feel the need to check my phone as often as I do now. This could go in two ways, I will either not feel really any anxiety or I will. I don’t think I will feel much of anxiety because I will still have my phone with me to use just in case someone is trying to get ahold of me. One of the big reasons for cell phone addiction is the need to be connected and to be aware of what is going on 24/7. With being connected 24/7 can cause people to feel overwhelmed and even stressed. For example someone may be feeling stressed because they feel like they are missing out on an event.
Waking up in the morning without checking my phone I was able to start my day a lot faster and felt more energized because on a regular bases I would be on my phone before I go to bed so, waking up in the morning would make me want to fall back asleep in the sense of muscle memory. While I was getting ready, I checked the time on my phone and had the impulse to go onto snapchat but luckily I moved all my social media apps to a different spot on my phone so I wouldn’t forget about the experiment. Throughout my day I noticed that I had a better time focusing and paying attention on class. I also noticed that I had better focus at home while doing my homework, I was able to do it without any distractions. At the end of my day I had 70% battery and on a usual day it would be under 20%. This shows how much I really am using social media on a daily basis. I only really used my phone that day when someone was trying to get ahold of me or just listening to music. Another result I found was that it I had a easier time falling asleep because I didn’t have any distractions and technology makes it harder for your body to settle down to sleep. This experiment had so many positive effects and I am going to start using social media less.
After all my research and experimenting, something I learned is that cell phones are important to have when it comes to emergencies, and keeping track of things such as time, things and people. With all of these pros, there are also cons like social media. Over time social media has become a priority when it shouldn’t be. Especially since it messes with people’s mental health. That’s why it is important to take breaks from those things. In the future I will definitely try to do more social media clenses.
