short essay on cell phone addiction

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Cell Phone Addiction: Signs, Symptoms, And Treatment

What Is Cell Phone Addiction?

Is cell phone addiction real.

• Signs Of Smartphone Addiction

Cell Phone Addiction And Mental Health

Cell phone addiction and substance abuse.

• Cell Phone Addiction Vs. Drug Addiction
• Risk Factors
• Recommended Treatment Options
• Find Treatment For Cell Phone Addiction

Cell phone addiction is a nonmedical term used to describe a pattern of excessive phone use that can result in significant impairment or distress. People with this issue may also struggle with other types of addictions, such as drug or alcohol addiction.

According to Pew Research Center, 97 percent of Americans own a cell phone. Mobile phones, particularly smartphones, have become for many an essential tool for daily life.

Unfortunately, for some people, cell phone use can become a compulsive habit that can lead to excessive use, negative health consequences, and interference with general way of life.

Find out more about the causes and treatment options for behavioral addictions

Cell phone addiction, also known as smartphone addiction, is a nonclinical term used to describe problematic phone use, or excessive phone use that interferes with health or daily life.

According to some research, an estimated 10 to 20 percent of people report feeling addicted to their phones, and experiencing distress or impairment as a result.

Terms related to cell phone addiction include:

• compulsive phone use: when a person feels compelled to use their cell phone in excess
• nomophobia: fear of going without your phone
• textaphrenia: fear of being unable to receive or send texts

The existence of cell phone addiction is a topic that has been hotly debated by mental health and addiction experts.

Cell phone addiction is not currently recognized as a type of disorder or addiction. However, there are reports of compulsive cell phone use, particularly with smartphones.

Cell phone addiction is a colloquial term used to describe problematic phone use, compulsive phone use, or a type of technological addiction.

Signs And Symptoms Of Smartphone Addiction

Being addicted to a cell phone is not the same as using it very often.

People who have an addiction—such as addiction to alcohol or drugs—experience significant distress as a result of their behavior, and generally feel unable to control or limit it.

You might have a cell phone problem if you:

• spend the majority of time on your phone (outside of work or academic use)
• experience significant distress or impairment as a result of your phone use
• have unsuccessfully tried to limit phone use
• neglect friends, family, and other relationships due to phone use
• frequently feel your phone alerting you when it’s not (i.e. phantom vibrations)
• continue to use your phone in excess despite negative effects on health, work, academic performance, or relationships
• feel unable to reduce or control phone use

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Research shows that problematic phone use can often co-occur with various mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and stress.

People who have underlying mental health issues may use their smartphone as a sort of coping tool, to numb, escape, or manage mental health symptoms.

This is common with substance addictions and behavioral addictions. With co-occurring mental health concerns, it may be helpful to seek mental health counseling or psychiatric services.

Substance abuse, formally diagnosed as substance use disorders, affects more than 20 million Americans.

It’s not uncommon for people with a drug or drinking problem to also have a behavioral addiction, including an addiction to gambling, the internet, or technologies like smartphones.

Is Cell Phone Addiction Like Drug Addiction?

Behavioral addictions, also known as process addictions, are often influenced by biological, environmental, and interpersonal vulnerabilities—similar to drug and alcohol addiction.

Substances like drugs or alcohol can affect the brain in ways that can reinforce repetitive substance use, even to the detriment of a person’s health, relationships, and way of life.

Some research shows that cell phones may affect the brain in similar ways, by boosting “feel good” hormones like dopamine.

Unlike drug addiction, excessive phone use is unlikely to cause physical dependence or withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, vomiting, or heart complications with stopped use.

Risk Factors For Cell Phone Addiction

Research has found that some people, particularly teens and young adults, may be at a higher risk of developing a cell phone addiction than others.

Cell phone addiction is more common in people with:

• low self-esteem
• high impulsivity
• extraversion

Effects Of Cell Phone Addiction

Becoming addicted to an object or behavior can have harmful consequences. If a person is experiencing consequences related to their phone use, this can be a sign of a problem.

Consequences of smartphone addiction might include:

• social withdrawal
• difficulty sleeping
• family conflict (especially with teens)
• relationship troubles
• financial problems
• reduced work or academic performance
• motor vehicle accidents

Behavioral addictions are often progressive. This means that the consequences of a problematic behavior—such as excessive phone use—may get worse over time.

Excessive phone use may disrupt someone’s social life, their relationships with loved ones, mental health, and potentially cause signs of physical distress, such as headaches or stomach pain—both common signs of stress and anxiety.

Recommended Treatment Options For Cell Phone Addiction

Using a cell phone excessively or compulsively can become a way to escape reality, fill a void, or manage stress or anxiety.

Using a smartphone in this way may indicate an underlying mental health concern, and can be a risk factor for turning to drugs or alcohol to cope.

For these concerns, a doctor may recommend behavioral therapy, mental health counseling, or family therapy for teens and young adults. Self-help groups may also be beneficial.

Dual Diagnosis Rehab For Cell Phone Addiction And Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is a serious health problem that may require additional treatment. When substance abuse co-occurs with another addiction, this may be referred to as a dual diagnosis.

Dual diagnosis is also a term used to describe a type of treatment for people who have two or more mental health and substance use disorders.

Dual diagnosis treatment may involve:

• detoxification
• inpatient rehabilitation
• behavioral therapy
• motivational interviewing
• dual diagnosis group therapy
• mindfulness techniques

Dual diagnosis treatment is the most effective way to treat co-occurring mental health and substance use issues. This can help a person heal physically, mentally, and psychologically.

Find Treatment For Cell Phone Addiction Today

If you’re concerned about a loved one’s cell phone or substance use, we may be able to help.

Call our helpline today to learn more about treatment for cell phone addiction and how to find a dual diagnosis program for substance abuse and cell phone addiction.

Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff

Addiction Resource aims to provide only the most current, accurate information in regards to addiction and addiction treatment, which means we only reference the most credible sources available.

These include peer-reviewed journals, government entities and academic institutions, and leaders in addiction healthcare and advocacy. Learn more about how we safeguard our content by viewing our editorial policy.

• American Psychological Association—Cell-phone addiction: A review https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-59781-001
• Pew Research Center—Demographics of Mobile Device Ownership and Adoption in the United States https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
• U.S. National Library of Medicine—Cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health in adolescents https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449671/
• U.S. National Library of Medicine—Is smartphone addiction really an addiction? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6174603/
• U.S. National Library of Medicine—NOMOPHOBIA: NO MObile PHone PHoBIA https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6510111/
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I’m Addicted to My Phone. How Can I Cut Back?

Whether smartphone overuse constitutes a true addiction is still up for debate, but experts say there are ways to scale down.

Credit... Aileen Son for The New York Times

Supported by

By Annie Sneed

• Published Feb. 8, 2022 Updated Feb. 9, 2022

Q: I have my phone with me at all times and check it hundreds of times a day. Are there any proven ways to treat screen addiction?

Our work, social lives and entertainment have become inextricably tied to our devices, and the pandemic has made matters worse. One Pew Research Center survey conducted in April, for instance, found that among the 81 percent of adults in the United States who used video calls to connect with others since the beginning of the pandemic, 40 percent said they felt “worn out or fatigued” from those calls, and 33 percent said they’ve tried to scale back the amount of time they spent on the internet or on their smartphones.

Not all smartphone use is bad, of course. Sometimes, smartphones “make us happier, enriched and connect us to other people,” said Adam Alter, a marketing and psychology professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. But many people want to cut back, and experts say there are effective ways to do it.

Is it really possible to be addicted to a smartphone?

Smartphone overuse can manifest in many ways. Maybe you regularly stay up late scrolling through Instagram or TikTok. Or the allure of your smartphone makes it difficult to be fully present for yourself, your work or those around you.

Phone or screen overuse isn’t officially recognized as an addiction (or a substance use disorder, as experts call it) in the American Psychiatric Association’s official manual of mental disorders. But “there is a growing number of mental health specialists who recognize that people can get addicted to their smartphones,” said Dr. Anna Lembke, an addiction expert and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.

Dr. Lembke noted that an addiction is partially defined by the three C’s:

Control: Using a substance or performing a behavior (like gambling) in ways that would be considered out of control, or more so than intended.

Compulsion: Being intensely mentally preoccupied with and using a substance (or performing a behavior) automatically, without actively deciding to do so.

Consequences: Continued use in spite of negative social, physical and mental consequences.

Many of us can recognize some of these behaviors in our own phone use.

Dr. Alter, on the other hand, doesn’t consider smartphone or screen overuse as a true addiction, and both he and Dr. Lembke noted that there is disagreement within the health community about this. “I don’t think it rises to the level of a medical addiction,” Dr. Alter said. “To me it’s more of a cultural malady than anything.”

Regardless of how you define it, both experts say there are ways to reduce your phone use.

Take a ‘screen fast.’

One approach Dr. Lembke has found to be highly effective in her clinical practice is to completely avoid using all screens, not just phones, for anywhere from a day to a month. This strategy hasn’t been formally studied in screen overuse patients in particular, she said, but the evidence for its use with other types of addictions, like alcoholism, suggests it can be effective.

How long you decide to fast will depend on your level of use, Dr. Lembke said. The average person might start with a 24-hour fast, for example, while someone with a more severe case of screen overuse may want to avoid screens for longer. Of course, a true fast may not be practical for many people, whether because of work or personal reasons, but the goal is to get as close to full avoidance as possible.

Dr. Lembke warned that many people — even those with milder screen overuse — may notice withdrawal symptoms initially, like irritability or insomnia, but that over time they’ll start feeling better. In her 25 years of seeing patients, Dr. Lembke has noticed that by the end of a one-month fast, the majority of her patients usually “report less anxiety, less depression, sleeping better, more energy, getting more done, as well as being able to look back and see in a more cleareyed way exactly how their screen use was affecting their lives,” she said. Those who fast for less than a month will still see benefits, she said, though they likely won’t be as dramatic.

After abstaining from screens for a period, she recommended reflecting on how you want your relationship with your devices to look like going forward.

Set rules around your daily smartphone use.

Besides a screen fast, Dr. Lembke and Dr. Alter recommended finding other, less stringent, ways to distance yourself from your phone each day. That might mean allotting times of the day or days of the week when you don’t use your phone at all, such as before and after work. It may also mean leaving your phone in the other room, keeping it out of your bedroom or putting everyone’s phone in a box outside of the kitchen during dinnertime.

“It sounds trivial, like an old-fashioned analog solution. But we know from decades of psychology that things closest to us in physical space have the biggest effect on us psychologically,” Dr. Alter said. “If you allow your phone to join you in every experience, you’re going to be drawn to it and you’re going to use it. Whereas if you can’t physically reach it, you’re going to use it less.”

Make your smartphone less appealing.

You can also make your phone less visually engaging, by changing the screen to grayscale or turning off notifications, for example. Dr. Alter suggested periodically rearranging the apps on your phone so that they become harder to find and less likely to lure you into a mindless loop of checking and rechecking simply out of habit.

Both experts advised deleting certain types of apps — especially the ones you know that you have a hard time avoiding (or if you don’t want to delete those apps, you can move them to the last screen on your phone to make them less accessible).

“Use apps that enrich your life, that add value and meaning or that you need for work, not ones that take you down a rabbit hole,” Dr. Lembke said. And if the apps that add value to your life are the same ones that you feel addicted to, Dr. Lembke recommended creating some space using the tips above.

“The big question to ask yourself with screens is: ‘What else could I be doing right now? Is there something I could be doing that would be better for me?’” Dr. Alter said. “That’s important now more than ever because of how much time we’ve been forced to spend on screens during the pandemic.”

Annie Sneed is a science journalist who has written for Scientific American, Wired, Public Radio International and Fast Company.

How to Make Your Smartphone Better

These days, smartphones include tools to help you more easily connect with the people you want to contact — and avoid those you don’t. Here are some tips .

Trying to spend less time on your phone? The “Do Not Disturb” mode can help you set boundaries and signal that it may take you a while to respond .

To comply with recent European regulations, Apple will make a switch to USB-C charging for its iPhones. Here is how to navigate the change .

Photo apps have been using A.I. for years to give you control over the look of your images. Here’s how to take advantage of that .

The loss of your smartphone can be disruptive and stressful. Taking a few simple steps ahead of time can make things easier if disaster strikes .

Many default settings make us share superfluous amounts of data with tech companies. Here’s how to shut those off .

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How To Break Cell Phone Addiction

Here's what makes cell phones so addictive and how to outsmart your smartphone.

People worldwide use cell phones for various tasks like communication, gaming, and self-care. Excessive phone use can be problematic, causing issues with attention and mood. However, there are ways to break cell phone addiction, like keeping track of how much screen time you engage in and turning off notifications. Here's what you need to know.

Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

Why Are Cell Phones Addictive?

Cell phones can easily become addictive because of an application's features, the rewarding feeling of using a phone, and the emphasis on getting users' attention within an app.

App Designs Promote Addictive Behaviors

Nearly every app on your phone has been expertly engineered to produce responses regarding brain chemistry manipulation to elicit addictive behaviors . The apps may have features such as:

• Endless scrolling or streaming: Having continuous access to what you're watching
• Exposure to likable things for app users: Seeing what you're most interested in on a feed
• Mere-exposure effect: Using an app to the point where it's hard to leave it alone
• Social comparison or reward: Engaging and expecting positive social feedback
• Social pressure: Engaging in quick interactions with other users of an app
• Zeĭgarnik effect/Ovsiankina effect: Tendency to remember interrupted tasks easier than completed tasks

Phone Use Is Rewarding

Psychologists have a term for that irresistible feeling of unpredictability and sudden anticipation whenever you pick up your phone: intermittent rewards.

Slot machines encourage addictive behaviors by preying on the sense that something exciting could happen at any moment.

Smartphones are basically slot machines we keep in our pockets, Catherine Price , award-winning health journalist and author of the book " How To Break Up With Your Phone ," told Health .

Social Media "Sells" Attention

Social media can be fun—but Price pointed out that it's important to remember that those apps are about more than just sharing selfies.

"Have you ever wondered why social media apps are all free?" asked Price. "It's because we are not actually the customers and the social media platform itself is not the product. Instead, the customers are advertisers. And the product being sold is our attention. This is a really big deal because our attention is the most valuable thing we have. When we decide what to pay attention to in the moment, we are making a broader decision about how we want to spend our lives."

Symptoms of Cell Phone Addiction

Different signs that a person might be addicted to their cell phone may include:

• Cell phone use as boredom resolution
• Cell phone use most of the time
• Feelings of anxiety, depression , or irritability when they don't have their phone
• Inability to limit cell phone usage
• Problematic use in dangerous situations
• Relationship loss
• Repeated familial, mental, physical, social, or work interruptions

Cell phone addiction itself isn't recognized as an official diagnosis in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), the mental health professionals' guide for diagnosing disorders. However, some features of cell phone addiction can resemble other behavioral addictions that are listed in DSM-5-TR.

Side Effects

Smartphone overuse affects mental and physical health, social interactions and engagement, and cognitive processing.

Cognitive Effects

Using smartphones can result in more interruptions, cognitive interference, and distraction. Distractions themselves may lead to increased habitual smartphone use.

The cluttered landscape of links and ads and short attention bursts required by scrolling, swiping, and tweeting result in a contradiction: "an intensely focused state of distraction."

While that distraction seems like it should be temporary, its effects can be long-term. "This type of frequent, focused distraction isn't just capable of creating long-lasting changes in our brains; it is particularly good at doing so," explained Price.

Also, when someone casually checks texts during a conversation, it's known as phubbing—as in phone snubbing. Phubbing happens quickly as attention shifts from a physical person to a virtual person or account. One study found that phubbing has been associated with:

• Feelings of ostracism
• Negative mood
• Threatened fundamental needs

The same study also found that the effects were worse when phubbing occurred three times compared to just once.

Physiological Effects

One review identified several health issues associated with excessive phone use by adolescents and young adults, including:

• Decreased sleep duration and quality
• Eye problems
• Headaches and migraines
• Problems falling asleep

Psychological Effects

Phone addiction can also affect your actions, emotions, or thoughts. Research has associated this type of phone use with the following conditions:

• Alcohol use disorder
• Anxiety, including generalized and social anxiety
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Depression or depressed mood
• Impulsivity
• Low mental and psychological wellbeing
• Low self-esteem
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

How To Stop Cell Phone Addiction

You can start by determining a baseline for how attached you are to your phone.

Try the Smartphone Compulsion Test , developed by David Greenfield, PhD , of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. According to Greenfield, a "yes" answer to more than five of the 15 questions indicates that a person likely has a problematic relationship with their mobile device.

You might also want to consider the following, which can include:

• Going into your settings and turn off your phone's notifications
• Downloading a tracking app, like IOS Screen Time for iPhone and Digital Wellbeing for Android, that can show you the amount of screen time you've had
• Removing your phone from your bedroom to help you sleep

Researchers have also found that engaging in moderately intense exercise and seeking help from a mental health professional for behavioral modification is beneficial.

A Quick Review

Signs that you may be addicted to your phone might include using your phone because you're bored, feeling anxious without your phone, or being unable to cut your phone usage down.

Cell phone addiction may have cognitive, physical, and psychological side effects. However, you can manage cell phone addiction by, for example, controlling your notifications and monitoring your screen time.

Montag C, Lachmann B, Herrlich M, Zweig K. Addictive features of social media/messenger platforms and freemium games against the background of psychological and economic theories .  IJERPH . 2019;16(14):2612. doi:10.3390/ijerph16142612

Fabio RA, Stracuzzi A, Lo Faro R. Problematic smartphone use leads to behavioral and cognitive self-control deficits .  Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2022;19(12):7445. doi:10.3390/ijerph19127445

De-Sola Gutiérrez J, Rodríguez de Fonseca F, Rubio G. Cell-phone addiction: a review . Front Psychiatry . 2016;7. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00175

Shoukat S. Cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health in adolescents . EXCLI J . 2019;18:47-50.

Throuvala MA, Pontes HM, Tsaousis I, Griffiths MD, Rennoldson M, Kuss DJ. Exploring the dimensions of smartphone distraction: development, validation, measurement invariance, and latent mean differences of the smartphone distraction scale (SDS) .  Front Psychiatry . 2021;12:642634. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.642634

Knausenberger J, Giesen-Leuchter A, Echterhoff G. Feeling ostracized by others’ smartphone use: the effect of phubbing on fundamental needs, mood, and trust .  Front Psychol . 2022;13:883901. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883901

Wacks Y, Weinstein AM. Excessive smartphone use is associated with health problems in adolescents and young adults . Front Psychiatry . 2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.669042

Liu H, Soh KG, Samsudin S, Rattanakoses W, Qi F. Effects of exercise and psychological interventions on smartphone addiction among university students: A systematic review .  Front Psychol . 2022;13:1021285. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1021285

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Review Article

Cell phone addiction in adolescents: a narrative review.

Tiffany Field*

University of Miami/Miller School of Medicine, Fielding Graduate University, USA

Corresponding Author

Tiffany Field, University of Miami/Miller School of Medicine, Fielding Graduate University, USA.

Received Date: March 06, 2020;   Published Date: March 31, 2020

This narrative review on cell phone (smart phone) addiction in adolescents is based on papers published during the years 2014-2020 that appeared on PubMed and PsycINFO. The prevalence of cell phone addiction has varied widely across countries as have the scales for that addiction. Cell phone addiction effects include psychological problems (loneliness, depression, social anxiety), physical problems (sleep disturbance, hypertension) and problematic behaviors (sexting, substance use). Risk factors/predictors include parental cell phone addiction, Internet addiction, gaming, and fear of missing out. Methodological limitations include the lack of a standard cell phone addiction classification and the reliance on self-report questionnaires that often do not include time spent on cell phones and the nature of cell phone use (texting, scrolling, chatting) as well as potential underlying mechanisms such as social anxiety. Further, most of the studies are cross-sectional, not longitudinal, so that the direction of effects cannot be determined. Researchers, nonetheless, have arbitrarily assigned behaviors as outcome or predictor variables when they may be more validly considered comorbid activities.

• Introduction

Cell phone addiction in adolescents: a narrative review

For this narrative review, a literature search was conducted on PubMed and PsycINFO for the years 2014-2020. Exclusion criteria included non-English papers, case studies, under-powered samples and non-juried papers. Following exclusion criteria, 61 papers were included. Although most of the adolescent cell phone addiction papers during these years have focused on negative effects of and risk factors for excessive use by adolescents, this review also includes brief summaries on the prevalence noted in different countries and the different scales that have been developed for assessing cell phone addiction. Only one intervention study was found. This review is accordingly divided into sections on prevalence, effects, risk factors/predictors and an intervention for cell phone addiction.

Prevalence of cell phone addiction

The papers reviewed here, approximately a third used the term smartphone addiction another third referred to it as mobile phone addiction and the most recent papers labeled it cell phone addiction. This variety of terms reflects the diversity of studies across multiple countries, the relative lack of consensus about how to define cell phone addiction and the use of six different scales that have been developed or adapted as abbreviated scales or as culturally relevant measures. The Oxford English dictionary definition of addiction is a “condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing or activity”. Medically it is a “chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive seeking, continued use despite harmful consequences and long-lasting changes in the brain”.

Like internet addiction, the prevalence of cell phone addiction has widely varied (2-89%) depending on the scale used and the location of the research (Table 1). And, in some countries, smart phones are continuously connected to the internet (for example, 89% time in a sample of Turkish tenth grade students) (N=609) [1]. Moving from west to east in Europe and then Asian countries, the prevalence rates, the effects and the risk factors have significantly varied. The U.S. is not included in this review of prevalence data inasmuch as no U.S. cell phone addiction prevalence papers appeared in this recent literature. In a study using the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale, British secondary school students (N=1026) completed questionnaires, and the prevalence of mobile phone addiction was said to be 10% [2].

Table 1: Prevalence of cell phone addiction in adolescents and first authors.

The problem was greater among adolescents between 11 and 14 years of age and the risk factors were: studied in a public school, considering oneself to be an expert user of technology, and students who attributed the same use to their peers. For Hispanic cultures, the prevalence varied by study. For example, in Barcelona, problematic use of mobile phones was only 2% (and gaming was 6% and Internet problematic use was 14%) [3]. In this sample, problematic mobile phone use was associated with substance use. In a sample of several different Spanish-speaking countries, 50% of the adolescents (N=1276) presented problems with the Internet, mobile phones, video games, instant messaging and social networks [4].

Moving over to Switzerland, in a convenience sample of students from Swiss vocational school classes (N=1519), 17% of the students presented smartphone addiction [5]. In this sample, smartphone addiction was associated with the following risk factors: longer duration of smartphone use on a typical day, a shorter time until first smart phone use occurred during morning hours and reporting that social networking was the most personally relevant smart phone function. Students who engaged in less physical activity and reported greater stress also experienced problematic smart phone use.

Two different groups have studied mobile phone addiction or problematic cell phone use in Italy. One group reported that problematic cell phone use for text messaging increased from 14% in sixth grade to 16% in seventh grade and 20% in eighth grade [6]. A logistic regression suggested that being drunk at least once and excessive energy drink consumption increased the odds of problematic use. Lower odds of problematic use were associated with reading, better academic performance and longer hours of sleep. In a study from Rome, 26% of the Italian students (N=1004) were abusers of mobile phones, while the prevalence of Internet abuse was approximately 15%, and 20% were abusers of both the internet and mobile phones [7].

Three different studies from Turkey appeared in the recent literature on adolescent problematic smartphone use. In one study, problematic smartphone use was detected in 51% of the adolescents (N=150) [8]. In this study, the factors that most predicted problematic smartphone use were somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and hostility. In another Turkish sample 89% of the students (N=609) were connected to the Internet continuously with their smart phones [1]. Male adolescents with high levels of Internet addiction also had high levels of smartphone addiction. In a study that addressed nomophobia (fear of losing one’s cell phone), the data showed that 9% of Turkish adolescents were severely nomophobic, 72% were moderately nomophobic and 20% were mildly nomophobic [9].

In India, the prevalence of mobile phone addiction ranged from 6-49%. The lowest prevalence (6%) was reported in a systematic review [10]. In this review, problematic phone use was associated with feeling insecure, staying up late at night, impaired parentchild relationships, impaired school relationships, compulsive buying, pathological gambling, low mood, tension and anxiety, leisure boredom, hyperactivity, conduct problems and emotional symptoms. This prevalence rate may have been lower than most because of the inclusion of children in the sample.

In a sample of Mumbai adolescents, cell phone dependence was found in as many as 31% of eighth, ninth and 10th grade students (N=415) [11]. In this study, dependence was associated with male gender, type of mobile phone used, average time per day spent on the phone and years of mobile phone usage. An even higher range was reported in a systematic review and meta-analysis on Indian adolescents (39-44% in a sample of 1304) [12]. This meta-analysis suggested that smartphone addiction could lead to dysfunctional interpersonal skills and negative health risks. In a study by the same group of investigators on the phubbing phenomenon (snubbing someone in favor of a mobile phone) in a sample of adolescents from India (N=400), the prevalence was 49% [13]. The predictors of phubbing were Internet addiction, smartphone addiction, fear of missing out and the lack of self-control. The effects of phubbing included depression and distress as well as relationship problems.

South Korea has also been the source of several studies on cell phone use in adolescents. In one study on middle school students (N=370), the prevalence of smartphone addiction was 14% [14]. The addiction group as compared to the non-addiction group had higher scores on “online chat”. They also had higher scores on habitual use, pleasure, communication, games, stress relief, and not being left out. In a regression analysis, the significant risk factors were female gender, preoccupation and conflict. Further, the addiction group had higher scores on parental punishment. This study was unique in elaborating not only the prevalence but the types of use and parental attitudes regarding the adolescents’ smartphone use.

In a larger sample of middle school students in South Korea (N=1261), a greater prevalence was noted for smartphone addiction (31%), likely because an at-risk group was included in the sample [15]. Here, too, they elaborated on the type of use, indicating that mobile messaging was the most prevalent followed by Internet surfing, gaming and social networking. The risk factors for smartphone addiction were daily smart phone use, social networking, duration of use and overuse of gaming.

In an even larger sample of South Korean adolescents (N=1796), the prevalence of at-risk users was 15% for boys and 24% for girls [16]. Those who were at greater risk for smart phone addiction were female, consumed alcohol, had lower academic performance, did not feel refreshed in the morning and initiated sleep after 12 AM.

In still another study from South Korea, middle school students (N=555) were divided into four categories including Internet plus smartphone problem users (50%), problematic Internet users (8%), problematic smartphone users (32%) and healthy users (11%) [17]. The dual-problem users (Internet and smartphone) scored highest on the Addictive Behavior Scale. Problematic Internet use was more prevalent in males and problematic smart phone use was more prevalent in females. In a large sample study (N=10,775) from Taiwan, the focus was specifically on mobile gaming addiction [18]. Problematic mobile gaming was 21% among junior high school students and 19% among senior high school students. The Problematic Mobile Gaming Questionnaire revealed three factors of addiction including compulsion, tolerance and withdrawal.

Gender differences have also been noted on the prevalence of cell phone addiction in adolescents [19]. In a study from Taiwan, adolescent females showed a greater degree of smartphone dependence than adolescent males [20]. This gender difference in prevalence may relate to the negative correlations noted between smartphone dependence and vitality/mental health specifically in males which may have discouraged cell phone dependence in males. In a study from Japan on a sample of high school students (N=195), female adolescents spent more hours a day on smart phones than males [21]. Forty four percent of females and 23% of males spent three hours a day on smart phones. Gender differences also emerged on the type of smartphone use. Females spent longer hours on Internet browsing, on social networking sites and on online chat. Online chat, in turn, was associated with depression. Males spent more time playing games, but their smart phone use was not correlated with depression, a finding that is inconsistent with the inverse relationship between cell phone dependence and mental health just noted in Taiwanese male adolescents.

It is unclear why the prevalence of cell phone addiction has varied so widely (2-89%) across countries and even within countries given that no cross-cultural comparisons have appeared within studies in this literature. The sources of prevalence data have varied on so many other factors that could affect the prevalence rates such as urban versus rural location, survey versus school sampling, younger versus older adolescents, gender distribution of the samples, and type of cell phone addiction scale used.

Scales for cell phone addiction

Table 2: Scales for cell phone addiction and first authors.

Several scales have been developed to assess cell phone addiction in adolescents. These include the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Form, the Smart Phone Addiction Proneness Scale, the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale, the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale and the Nomophobia Questionnaire (Table 2).

In a sample of Hong Kong children and adolescents (N=1901), factor analysis was conducted on the Smart Phone Addiction Scale- Short Form [22]. The convergent validity of the scale was also assessed using sleep, social support and depression scales. These analyses revealed a three-factor model including dependency, the incidence of a problem, and time spent on the cell phone. The scores on the short version scale were positively correlated with the sleep and depression scales and negatively correlated with the social support scale. A linear regression suggested that female adolescents who had highly educated caregivers and spent more time on cell phones during the holidays showed greater vulnerability to becoming addicted. In another study on the Smart Phone Addiction-Short Form, South Korean adolescents (N=540) completed the scale [23]. In this case, the internal consistency and concurrent validity of this 10-item scale were verified with a Cronbach’s alpha of 91.

In another study on South Korean students (N=795), the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale was developed [24]. This 15-item scale was comprised of four subscales including disturbance of adaptive functions, virtual life orientation, withdrawal and tolerance. This scale also had good psychometric properties. Still another scale was shortened from 27 to 10 items following a survey of Swiss students(N=412) [25]. A principal components analysis revealed five factors related to addiction symptoms including loss of control, withdrawal, negative life consequences, craving and peer dependence. In a study on Turkish high school students (N=950), the psychometric properties of the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale were assessed [26]. In this case, a factor analysis revealed three factors: interference with negative affect, compulsion/ persistence and withdrawal/tolerance. The scores for the scale were correlated with depression and loneliness scale scores.

A scale has also been developed for nomophobia (“no mobile phone phobia”) to assess the fear of being without a mobile phone [27]. In this study, the 20-item scale was completed by 3216 Iranian adolescents and the psychometric properties were confirmed. The reliability of adolescent’s ratings on the self-report scales, however, has been called into question by at least one study that assessed both parents’ and adolescents’ ratings on the Smartphone Addiction Scale [28]. The results of this study suggested that the prevalence of smart phone addiction was greater based on the parents versus the adolescent’s ratings. And the parents’ ratings were correlated with the average minutes of weekday/holiday smartphone use. The authors suggested that clinicians might want to consider both adolescents and parents smartphone addiction scores for underestimation or over-estimation.

These scales are also highly variable in several ways. The same original scale has been abbreviated or adapted in different ways by researchers from different countries. The scales vary on the number of items, the factors resulting from factor analyses or at least the terms applied to the factors and the variables that are related to their scores. Tolerance and withdrawal are the only factors that are common to a few of the scales. And peer dependence only appears on one of the scales. Some scales also seem to be tapping proneness to addiction and others are measuring addiction. By their titles they reflect different degrees of cell phone use including proneness, problematic use and addiction. And, correlation analyses suggest that they are related to different negative effects. For example, in one study, the scale score was related to loneliness and depression and in another study, the scale sore was associated with sleep problems and depression. It is not surprising, then, that loneliness, depression and sleep disturbances are among those most frequently studied effects of cell phone addiction.

Effects of cell phone addiction

As in internet addiction, cell phone addiction has been associated with several negative effects. These include loneliness, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression and problematic behaviors including sexting and suicide [29,30] (Table 3).

Table 3: Effects of cell phone addiction and first authors.

Emotional problems: Spiritual well-being has been assessed in a group of adolescents who were high risk for smartphone addiction as compared to those who were not [31]. Although the findings suggested that the high-risk group had lower levels of spiritual well-being, the sample sizes of the groups were significantly different, raising question about the statistical power of this data analysis. The uniqueness of a study on spiritual wellbeing in this cell phone addiction literature is noteworthy

Loneliness has also been assessed as an effect of mobile phone addiction, although it could also be considered a risk factor given that it was studied in a cross-sectional sample, making directionality impossible to determine [32]. In this study, the Cell Phone Overuse Scale was administered along with the Los Angeles Loneliness Scale to Iranian adolescents (N=554). The results of the study suggested that 78% of the adolescents were at risk for addiction to mobile phones and 17% of them were addicted to their use. In addition, a significant relationship was noted between addiction to mobile phones and loneliness. Lower self-esteem, more depressive symptoms and greater interpersonal anxiety were related to excessive cell phone use in a South Korean sample (N=595) [33]. Fear of missing out (FOMO) as well as social networking intensity were also noted to lead to psychopathology including depression and anxiety in a sample of Spanish-speaking adolescents (N=1468) [34].

Sleep disturbances: Several studies have implicated sleep problems resulting from mobile phone addiction. In a study on South Korean adolescents (N=1125), cell phone addiction increased the risk of poor sleep quality but not short sleep duration [35]. In a sample of high school students from Iran (N=1034), frequency of daily messages and being awakened at night for mobile phone use were significantly associated with poor mental health, and poor mental health was noted in 63% of the students [36]. In a study on Indonesian students (N=1074), smart phone use at night was entered as an independent variable and sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms as the dependent variables [37]. Positive relationships were noted between smart phone use at night and sleep disturbances as well as depressive symptoms.

Sleep disturbances, in turn, have been associated with problematic behaviors. In a systematic review of 94 publications since 2006, cell phones were the most popular New Age technology and excessive use was noted to have several negative effects including sleep quality, body composition, mental well-being and problematic behaviors including sexting and pornography [38].

Physical health problems: The excessive use of smart phones has also lead to health problems. In a cross-sectional survey of middle and high school students (N=686), structural equation modeling suggested that sleep quality mediated the relationship between problematic smartphone use and negative health symptoms [39]. In a literature review, excessive cell phone use was associated with sleep disturbances and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease [40]. These included high blood pressure, obesity, low HDL cholesterol, poor stress regulation (i.e. high sympathetic arousal and cortisol dysregulation) and insulin resistance. Other physical health effects included impaired vision and reduced bone density. Psychological effects included internalizing and externalizing behavior, depressed and suicidal behavior. Further support for smartphone addiction being a risk factor for hypertension comes from a study on Chinese Junior high school students (N=2639) [41]. The prevalence of smartphone addiction in that sample was 23% and the prevalence of hypertension was 16%. Obesity, poor sleep quality, and smartphone addiction were significantly and independently associated with hypertension.

As already mentioned, many of the variables that have been labeled effects were arbitrarily entered as outcome variables in regression analyses rather than entered as predictors/risk factors. And, in some cases in this literature, variables have been considered both effects and risk factors. For example, depression has been treated as both an outcome of cell phone addiction and as a risk factor/predictor variable for cell phone addiction. Given that the effects were explored in cross-sectional studies, directionality cannot be determined. Directionality could only be determined in the longitudinal studies. That the effects were derived from correlation studies in most cases suggests that they might more validly be labeled comorbidities or correlates instead of effects. And, surprisingly, although a number of studies were multi-variable, multiple addictions that are thought to be comorbid with cell phone addiction, e.g. sexting, cyberbullying and internet addiction, were typically not assessed within the same studies [42].

Risk factors/predictors of cell phone addiction

Cell phone addiction is significantly related to internet addiction, although it has a distinct user profile. For example, it occurs more frequently in females [30] and especially those with low self-esteem [43]. Other risk factors include gaming, fear of missing out (FOMO), depression and parental addiction and lack of parental monitoring (Table 4).

Female gender: In several studies already reviewed, the prevalence of cell phone addiction was greater in female than male adolescents. This was noted in Asian countries including Korea, Taiwan and Japan. In two studies on German adolescents reported in the same paper, female gender was a significant predictor of smart phone addiction [44]. In the first of these two studies, the Smartphone Addiction Proneness scale was given to younger adolescents (N=342) and in study two the Smartphone Addiction Scale was given to older adolescents (N=208). Both samples were given sleep measures. The two significant predictors of smartphone addiction were female gender and evening types. Surprisingly, sleep duration on weekends and the midpoint of sleep on weekdays and weekends did not predict smart phone addiction on either scale.

Table 4: Risk factors for cell phone addiction and first authors.

Internet addiction and gaming: The frequent use of the internet and gaming have been significant predictor variables of cell phone addiction in adolescents. In a study from Japan, females used the smart phone primarily for social networking and males favored gaming via the Internet [45]. In this study, the Smartphone Addiction Scale scores were higher in females. And, those with higher scores on the Smartphone Addiction Scale also showed a greater risk for the hikikomori trait (severe social withdrawal). In another study on Korean children and adolescents, multiple regression analyses revealed that scores on the Internet Addiction Test were predictive of smartphone addiction [46,47]. And, smart phone gaming was a significant predictor variable for smart phone addiction in a study from Taiwan [48]. This result was not surprising given that the majority of the adolescents in the sample were males.

2.5.3. Parental variables: Parental variables have been significant risk factors including parental addiction, control, neglect and maltreatment. In a South Korean national survey that included family environment, self-control and friendship quality as predictors of smartphone addiction in adolescents, parental addiction was a significant variable after controlling for the other variables [49]. This was particularly true for adolescents with lower levels of self-control and friendship quality.

In a study on adolescents in Spain (N=845), 42% were considered problematic smartphone users [50]. That group as compared to non-problematic smartphone users differed on gender (females engaging in greater use) and parental control outside the home (less control). The problematic users also had higher scores on a questionnaire that tapped cognitive emotion regulation strategies including having higher self-blame, rumination and catastrophizing.

In a study on adolescents from middle schools in rural China, parental attachment negatively predicted mobile phone addiction [51]. This effect was partially mediated by depression. In a survey of students from middle schools in four regions of South Korea (N=1170), parental neglect was a significant predictor of smartphone addiction [52]. In this multiple mediator model, parental neglect was not associated with problematic peer relations and, surprisingly, problematic relations with peers negatively influenced smartphone addiction. Further, relationship problems with teachers partially mediated the relationship between parental neglect and smartphone addiction. The authors argued that programs were needed to improve relationships with parents and teachers. This was a unique study for its assessment of adolescent’s relationships with peers, parents and teachers and for its very complex findings.

In another multiple mediation model, childhood emotional maltreatment was directly and indirectly associated with problematic smart phone use [53]. The significant mediators were body image dissatisfaction, depression, body image dissatisfactionrelated depression and body image dissatisfaction-related social anxiety. This study on Turkish adolescents (N=443) is unique in its assessment of body image dissatisfaction and social anxiety as potential mediators of problematic smartphone use. The body image dissatisfaction would seem like a pet variable as it has not appeared anywhere else in this literature. And, although social anxiety would appear to be a key reason for social networking on a cell phone, this variable has rarely appeared in this literature.

Fear of missing out (FOMO) and phubbing: Fear of missing out (FOMO) has been defined as anxiety about missing rewarding experiences [54]. And, it is considered a motive for staying aware of what others are doing on social media. It is such a frequent phenomenon that a scale has been created for its assessment. In a study on Turkish adolescents, a significant relationship was noted between scores on scales for FOMO and problematic mobile phone use [55]. A regression analysis suggested that FOMO predicted as much as 28% of the variance in scores on the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale. In a study on Belgian adolescents (N=2663), fear of missing out was a significant predictor of excessive use of social media platforms that are private, e.g. Facebook and Snapchat, and it also predicted phubbing behavior both directly and indirectly by its relationship with problematic smartphone use.

The phubbing phenomenon refers to the habit of snubbing someone while using a smartphone. In a study on 400 adolescents in India, the prevalence of phubbing was as high as 49%. The significant predictors associated with phubbing were Internet addiction, smart phone addiction, fear of missing out and the lack of self-control. Phubbing was also noted to have negative effects on social health and relationship health and was related to depression and stress.

2.5.5. Self-esteem: Self-esteem has been a risk factor or a mediator in a couple studies. In a sample of Chinese adolescents (N=768), mediation analysis suggested that self-esteem partially mediated a link between student-student relationships and smartphone addiction [56]. The mediated path was weaker for adolescents with less need to belong. The authors suggested that self-esteem could be a protective factor against smart phone addiction, especially for adolescents who have a strong need to belong.

In another study on a group of Chinese middle school students (N=637), self-esteem was negatively associated with problematic smartphone use [57]. In this study, low self-esteem was a risk factor for problematic smartphone use, but depression mediated the relationship between low self-esteem and problematic smartphone use. Notably, self-esteem was a significant factor in both studies, but the two different research groups chose to treat them as different types of variables, with one group treating self-esteem as a mediating variable and the other group entering it as a risk factor. This is an arbitrary decision given that directionality could not be determined in these cross-sectional studies.

2.5.6. Depression: Depression has been considered a risk factor for cell phone addiction in a few studies. In one study on Taiwanese adolescents (N=10,191), those who had significant depression were more likely to have four or more symptoms of problematic cell phone use including making more cell phone calls, sending more text messages and spending more time on cell phones [58].

In a rare longitudinal study, depressive symptoms were predictive of mobile phone addiction in South Korean adolescents (N=1794) [59]. In this study, depression could be considered a valid predictor as it was assessed at an earlier period than mobile phone addiction. However, both depression and mobile phone use should have been measured at both baseline and follow-up assessments to definitively show depression was a predictor of mobile phone addiction rather than the reverse. In this sample, as in many other samples in this literature, the female adolescents used their mobile phones more often and were at greater risk for both mobile phone addiction and depressive symptoms.

In still another study on South Korean students (N=4512), 8% were considered addicted to smartphone use [60]. In this case, both depression and anxiety were significant predictors of smartphone addiction. In addition, female gender, smoking and alcohol use were significant risk factors. In a sample of Chinese adolescents (N=2016), both social support and positive emotions were buffers for depression in students suffering from mobile phone addiction [57]. In their mediation data analysis, positive emotions had a mediating effect on the relationship between social support and depression.

Experiential avoidance may be an escape from depression. In a study on adolescent technological addictions, experiential avoidance was referred to as a self-regulatory strategy to control or escape from negative thoughts or feelings of distress [61]. Linear regressions suggested that experiential avoidance explained significant variance in the addictive use of mobile phones. In this sense, the “withdrawal” factors on each of the cell phone addiction scales and the “interference with negative affect” on the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale may be in part capturing the experiential avoidance phenomenon.

Unfortunately, both the studies on effects and the research on predictors of cell phone addiction have relied on self-report on the addiction scales. As was noted, parental scores on the addiction scale have suggested greater addiction than the adolescents’ selfreports, raising questions about the reliability of adolescent selfreport. Unlike the literature on other adolescent addictions, e.g. the Internet addiction and the gaming research, the cell phone literature is lacking empirical studies that include observations of that behavior that could support the self-report findings.

Except for the reports of gender differences on cell phone use suggesting that female adolescents use cell phones more often for social networking and males for gaming, it’s not clear which types of cell phone use are more addictive or more predictive of cell phone addiction including texting, gaming, Facebook, chat rooms, internet surfing etc. Also, unlike the other research on other adolescent addictions, this literature lacks physiological data such as heart rate variability and fMRI scans as well as biochemical measures including stress hormones and immune data to support the selfreports on physical health problems.

Depression has been frequently entered as a presumed predictor of cell phone addiction in regression analyses. However, Depression as a predictor was only validly assessed in one longitudinal study and even that study has questionable validity inasmuch as depression was only assessed at the baseline period and cell phone addiction at the follow-up rather than assessing both variables at both periods. The other seemingly important predictors appeared in only a couple studies. For example, FOMO was treated as a risk factor in two studies, the need to belong in one study, and social anxiety in one study.

Strikingly few studies assessed relationships with peers, parents or teachers as risk factors. Although parental addiction, neglect and maltreatment appeared in this literature as risk factors for cell phone addiction, relationships with parents were not assessed either by self-report or by observation. Relationships would presumably be negatively affected by cell phone addiction just as they have been by Facebook addiction [62]. Relationships are difficult to study anonymously, but at the very least, relationship questionnaires could be included in the anonymous surveys.

Intervention

Only one intervention study could be found in this literature on smartphone addiction in adolescents. In that study from South Korea, 14% of the sample (N=335 middle school students) had smartphone addiction [63]. Those adolescents engaged in a homebased daily journaling of smartphone use for two weeks. By the end of the intervention period, the adolescents had lower smart phone addiction scores and there was an increase in the scores on parents’ concerns about their adolescents’ smart phone activities.

Surprisingly, unlike the recent research on other adolescent addictions which includes several intervention studies, the cell phone addiction literature was limited to this one intervention study. The effectiveness of the journaling smartphone use intervention for both reducing adolescents’ cell phone use and increasing parental monitoring highlights the importance of intervention research. Self-use of cell phones could be routinely monitored given that many cell phones now graph daily use automatically. The only other research on buffers for cell phone addiction suggested that positive emotions, social support and self-esteem may be effective buffers.

• Limitations and Future Directions

Cell phone addiction has varied widely across countries (2- 89%) and even within countries, but no cross-cultural comparisons have been conducted in this literature to address this phenomenon. Many confounding variables could affect the prevalence rates including the location of the study (urban versus rural), the type of sampling (survey versus school sampling), age of sample (younger versus older adolescents), gender distribution of the samples (some samples being only one gender), the specific cell phone addiction scale used and the different ways the different scales have been adapted in the different countries.

The cell phone addiction scales are highly variable including the number of items, the factors resulting from factor analyses, the terms applied to the factors and the effects and predictors that relate to the scores on the scales. The only factors that are common to the scales are withdrawal and tolerance. And peer dependence that is seemingly an important variable, only appears on one of the scales. The scales also differ on the dimension of tapping proneness to addiction or addiction. The titles of the different scales suggest different degrees of cell phone use including proneness, problematic use and addiction. And, correlation analyses suggest that they are related to different negative effects and predictors. For example, in one study, the cell phone addiction score was related to loneliness and depression and in another study, cell phone addiction was related to sleep problems and depression. Those results relate to one research group focusing on loneliness and the other on sleep problems. And, loneliness, depression and sleep disturbances are among the most frequently studied negative effects of cell phone addiction.

As already mentioned, many of the variables were arbitrarily entered as outcome variables in regression analyses rather than entered as predictors/risk factors. And, in this literature, some variables have been considered both effects and risk factors. For example, depression was entered as an outcome of cell phone addiction in some studies and as a risk factor/predictor variable for cell phone addiction in other studies. Directionality/causality cannot be determined in these cross-sectional studies, highlighting the need for longitudinal studies. Many variables may be considered correlates or comorbidities instead of effects or predictors given that they have derived from correlation analyses.

Another surprising aspect of this recent research is that although a number of studies were multi-variable, multiple addictions that are thought to be comorbid with cell phone addiction were not assessed within the same studies., e.g. sexting, cyberbullying and internet addiction. Another methodological limitation is that both the studies on effects and the research on predictors of cell phone addiction have relied on self-report. As was already noted, parental scores on these scales revealed greater addiction than that reported by the adolescents, raising the question of the reliability of adolescent self-report. The cell phone addiction literature is needing empirical studies that include observations of that behavior.

It is also not clear which types of cell phone use are more addictive or more predictive of cell phone addiction including texting, gaming, Facebook, chat rooms, internet surfing, etc. The only exception is the report on gender differences on cell phone use suggesting that female adolescents use cell phones more often for social networking and males for gaming. Unlike the research on other types of adolescent addiction, the cell phone addiction literature lacks physiological data like heart rate variability and fMRI scans and biochemical measures including stress hormones and immune data.

Depression was clearly a valid predictor for cell phone addiction in one longitudinal study, but the results are tenuous given that depression was only assessed at the baseline period and cell phone addiction at the follow-up period rather than both variables being assessed at both periods. The other seemingly important predictors appeared in only a couple studies. For example, FOMO was treated as a risk factor in two studies, the need to belong in one study, and social anxiety in one study.

Unfortunately, very few studies assessed relationships with peers, parents or teachers as risk factors. Parental addiction, neglect and maltreatment were assessed in this literature as risk factors for cell phone addiction, but relationships with parents were not assessed either via surveys or observation methods. Negative relationships with peers, parents and teachers would seemingly be important predictors of cell phone addiction.

Intervention studies are missing from the cell phone addiction literature. Only one intervention study highlighted the effectiveness of journaling smartphone use both for reducing adolescents’ cell phone use and increasing parental monitoring. Many cell phones now graph daily use so that self-use could be easily monitored routinely. Positive emotions, social support and self-esteem may be effective buffers that could be further studied.

Despite these multiple methodological limitations of the recent literature on cell phone addiction in adolescents, the research has highlighted the prevalence, the negative effects and the predictors/ risk factors for the problem. Further research is needed to identify risk profiles for cell phone addiction to help inform prevention and intervention efforts.

Acknowledgement

• Conflict of Interest

No conflict of Interest.

Table 1: Characteristic of the patients with AED withdrawal (n=162).

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• DOI: 10.33552/OAJAP.2020.03.000568
• Volume 3 - Issue 4, 2020
• Open Access

Tiffany Field. Cell Phone Addiction in Adolescents: A Narrative Review. Open Access J Addict & Psychol. 3(4): 2020. OAJAP. MS.ID.000568.

Addiction, Adolescents, Physical Problems, Psychological Problems, Anxiety, Methodological Limitations, Nomophobic, Hyperactivity, Pathological Gambling, Low Mood, Health Risks, Addictive Behavior, Mental Health, Depression, Sleep Disturbances, High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Low HDL Cholesterol, Poor Stress, Parental Addiction, Phubbing Behavior

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License .

• Facebook Addiction
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• Positive Factors
• Potential Underlying Mechanisms
• Limitations of The Literature and Future Directions
• Acknowledgment

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Smartphone use can be addictive? A case report

Attila körmendi.

1 Department of Personality and Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary

Zita Brutóczki

2 Faculty of Education and Psychology, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary

Bianka Petra Végh

3 Institute of Psychology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary

Rita Székely

Background and aims.

The use of mobile phones has become an integral part of everyday life. Young people in particular can be observed using their smartphones constantly, and they not only make or receive calls but also use different applications or just tap touch screens for several minutes at a time. The opportunities provided by smartphones are attractive, and the cumulative time of using smartphones per day is very high for many people, so the question arises whether we can really speak of a mobile phone addiction? In this study, our aim is to describe and analyze a possible case of smartphone addiction.

We present the case of Anette, an 18-year-old girl, who is characterized by excessive smartphone use. We compare Anette’s symptoms to Griffiths’s conception of technological addictions, Goodman’s criteria of behavioral addictions, and the DSM-5 criteria of gambling disorder.

Anette fulfills almost all the criteria of Griffiths, Goodman, and the DSM-5, and she spends about 8 hr in a day using her smartphone.

Anette’s excessive mobile phone usage includes different types of addictive behaviors: making selfies and editing them for hours, watching movies, surfing on the Internet, and, above all, visiting social sites. The cumulative time of these activities results in a very high level of smartphone use. The device in her case is a tool that provides these activities for her whole day. Most of Anette’s activities with a mobile phone are connected to community sites, so her main problem may be a community site addiction.

Introduction

The media constantly emphasize the idea that life would be unimaginable without mobile phones. As mobile phones are constantly becoming “smarter” and more modern, mobile phone advertisements suggest that our social or intergroup status is determined by the brand of our phones. Current manufacturers’ main marketing strategy is that they supply phones with functions and accessories such that they are in easy reach in every situation and are able to solve every kind of problems (with nationwide network/Internet coverage, GPS, huge/expandable memory, external batteries, waterproof bags, camera accessories, music player accessories, solar charger, and flashlight). With the use of the Internet, the number of applications available to download on your phone is limitless, it can be newspaper or book reading, installing games, or even locating friends.

The most important reason for using a mobile phone is to keep in touch with people, followed by its function as a status symbol and as a useful tool for safety reasons (to be reachable in the case of emergency) ( Balakrishnan & Raj, 2012 ). Leung and Wei ( 1999 ) identified seven factors, which make possessing and using mobile phones appealing to individuals: fashion/status, affection/sociability, relaxation, mobility, immediate access, mediation, and reassurance. In their research with U.S. college students, Aoki and Downes ( 2003 ) identified the leading reasons for purchasing a mobile phone: a sense of security (e.g., when night driving), continuous storage of information (phone numbers, SMSs, and files), social interactions with friends and family, and maintaining a private life.

Leung and Wei’s ( 1999 ) research found that mobile phone users are younger, richer, and better educated than non-users, suggesting that mobile phones may indeed function as status symbols; therefore, the lack of an appropriate device may lead to social exclusion ( Charlton, Panting, & Hannan, 2002 ; Ling, 2000 ; Pavis, Hubbard, & Platt, 2001 ). However, it is worth noting that this research has become less relevant over the years, due to the accelerated social changes, and the availability and necessity of phones, nearly everyone owns a mobile phone. Nowadays, it is rather the possession of a newer or older model, which may show similar social differences.

Smetanuik ( 2014 ) examined predictions regarding problematic cell phone use. Depression, extraversion, and age predicted a high score on the Adapted Cell Phone Addiction Test. Similarly, in an another study, results show that extroverts use their mobiles far more, but not necessarily in situations when they are in public view ( Turner, Love, & Howell, 2008 ). Neurotic individuals need to be in a large open space while talking on the phone, but no direct relationship was found between the regularity of use and neuroticism. Nevertheless, neurotics become distracted much more easily and tend to react more roughly in such situations than extroverts.

Haug et al. ( 2015 ) identified indicators of smartphone addiction using a short version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale for Adolescents in Switzerland. Smartphone addiction occurred in 256 of the 1,519 students, mainly in younger adolescents (15–16 years) compared with young adults (19 years and older), and in persons reporting lower physical activity.

Demirci, Akgönül, and Akpinar ( 2015 ) found that the Smartphone Addiction Scale scores of females were higher than those of males; furthermore, positive correlations were found between the Smartphone Addiction Scale scores and levels of anxiety and depression.

According to Cassidy ( 2006 ), smartphone usage among the young is considered a positive, rather than a negative, addiction. This is because the social advantages derived from usage (e.g., to be reachable and as a sign of higher social status, especially when owning a new model) usually compensate for the disadvantages (e.g., financial problems and problems with teachers and parents). To measure the prevalence of possible problem users, Bianchi and Phillips ( 2005 ) made a Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS). MPPUS is a unifactorial tool, which contains 27 items. Another tool is the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire in which the 30 items are loaded into four factors (dangerous use, prohibited use, dependence symptoms, and financial problems) ( Billieux, Van der Linden, & Rochat, 2008 ).

Our aim in this study is to describe and discuss a possible case of smartphone addiction. We try to fit the case to the criteria of behavioral addiction using Griffiths’s ( 2000 ) and Goodman’s ( 1990 ) conceptions and the DSM-5 criteria of gambling disorder ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ).

Case Report

Anette is an 18-year-old girl who lives with her mother. Her parents are divorced; her mother has experienced depressive symptoms; her father suffered from alcohol and gambling addiction, and he harassed them regularly. He had a strong aptitude for suicide and made two suicide attempts. Anette did not have a good relationship with her father, saying “we were like strangers living under the same roof.” Her father accepted their shallow relationship, and it hurt her that her father did not want to bring about any change in their relationship.

Anette was sent to us by her mother, who had taken part in a presentation about excessive mobile phone usage. She was cooperative all the time; she did not consider her excessive phone usage. She told us that she could give up her cell phone usage if she really wanted to, but in that case she would be abandoned by her friends and therefore she did not want to do so. During the conversations, she filled out the Beck Depressive Questionnaire, which indicated a mild depression. Currently, she is in her second year at a business trade school and is studying to become a salesclerk. She does not care about her schooling. Six years earlier, when she was 12, she received her first smartphone. At first, she rarely used it; however, as smartphone functions became more comprehensive, she spent more and more time with it. Currently, she uses her cell phone 6–7 hr per day. This usage is not continuous; however, she feels a gradually growing pressure to use her mobile phone approximately every 15 min. She manages everything with her smartphone and uses plenty of applications, for example, photo editor, music recognition, or public sites. Interestingly, she rarely makes phone calls, and the monthly fee that can be used for phone calls is not used up entirely for every month. Anette knows that she ought to use her smartphone less often; however, she rarely manages to do this. She is in the inchoative stage of problem admission. On a cognitive level, she has understood that she needs to use her cell phone less often; however, this idea has not yet turned into action. She feels that she always has to be available for her acquaintances, which is why she checks her cell phone continuously. If she finds herself without her cell phone, she borrows or steals one from one of her friends in her social group and uses it.

Currently, her relationships with her peers have become shallow; in her social life, she wants to have everybody’s attention and make friends. However, these friendships usually last for 2–3 weeks. She meets lots of boys, but her relationships with them are not long-lasting. She often chooses her smartphone over her peers, and when going out with them she often uses her smartphone there too. Her friends tolerate this behavior, and although she does not take part in most of the social interactions, she is not excluded. It has occurred that when she was on a holiday with her peers, she stayed in the apartment 50% of time and used her mobile phone while her peers were at the beach. On the other hand, in most of the cases, she stays in touch with her friends via phone and public sites. She added “If my smartphone is not turned on, I will feel that I will miss something, but if my smartphone is on, I also check it continuously.” After using the smartphone, she feels a short period of relaxation followed by a gradually growing distress, which can be reduced only by another session with the phone. The use of a cell phone is a negative reinforcement for her, and she said “it is not a satisfactory feeling, but it does not hurt, and I am not so often anxious.”

During the therapy, which lasted approximately 2 years, the psychoanalytic approach and methods were used. Anette had difficulties dealing with her negative emotions; instead of facing them she denied, repressed, and projected them. This is why the focus of the therapy was to work with the defense mechanisms, to identify her emotions, and to provoke in her a need for relationships. Anette quit the therapy several times; however, she always decided to continue it after a short break. Leaving the therapy was a way for her to escape her negative emotions and to avoid reliving her original trauma. She left the therapy several months ago, saying “I want to discuss something with myself.”

An essential question is whether we can talk about mobile phone addiction in Anette’s case or whether another diagnosis is more appropriate when describing her behavior. Anette fits to the addiction criteria conceptualized by Goodman ( 1990 ) in a format similar to that of DSM-III-R ( American Psychiatric Association, 1987 ), as shown in Table  1 . These criteria are general terms and not restricted by reference to a particular behavior; they are capable of determining whether a given behavioral syndrome (excessive smartphone use in this case) is an addictive disorder.

Smartphone addiction as a behavioral addiction according to Goodman’s criteria ( 1990 , p. 1404)

Griffiths ( 2000 ) described mobile phone addiction as a “technological addiction” that involves human–machine interaction. Within this model, problematic mobile phone use can be described by components, such as preoccupation, mood modification, salience, tolerance, withdrawal, and relapse. Anette fulfills all the components of this model too. Mood modification presents because Anette’s anxiety decreases during smartphone usage. Salience occurs because she always charges her phone before leaving home and her cognition revolves around smartphones all time. If she does not use her phone, she feels a craving. With her frequent usage, she often disrupts social norms. During her addictive career, she experienced tolerance; from a daily 1-hr phone use, she reached a daily level of 7- to 8-hr phone use. She feels a gradually growing pressure (“anxiety or some urge”) to use her mobile phone about every 15 min, which constitutes withdrawal symptoms. She has not experienced relapse yet because she has not tried to stop or reduce her cell phone usage.

Finally, we will try to fit Anette’s symptoms to the gambling disorder criteria in the DSM-5 ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 , p. 585). One of the criteria cannot be adapted to smartphone usage: “After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (chasing one’s losses),” because chasing losses is a behavior, which is a special characteristic of gamblers.

The DSM-5 criteria of a gambling disorder are persistent and recurrent problematic behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as indicated by the individual exhibiting four (or more) of the following in a 12-month period:

• 1. Needs to use a mobile phone for increasing amounts of time in order to achieve the desired excitement . – From a daily 1-hr phone use, Anette reached a daily level of 7- to 8-hr phone use over 6 years.
• 2. Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop smartphone usage . – Her stress and aggression level increases when attempting to cut down or stop smartphone usage.
• 3. Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop smartphone usage .– Anette has not tried to reduce the time she spends on using her phone yet, but she thinks it would be necessary.
• 4. Is often preoccupied with smartphone use . – Anette always checks the Internet for new applications, prepares batteries to last all day, and searches for information regarding new smartphone models.
• 5. Often uses a smartphone when feeling distressed . – When Anette feels an increasing level of stress or depression, she often uses her phone to reduce this.
• 6. Lies to conceal the extent of involvement with smartphone use . – Anette often lies to her mother about her smartphone use frequency.
• 7. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of mobile phone usage . – Due to mobile usage, her relationships with her peers have become shallower and many times she avoids meetings to deal with her phone.
• 8. Relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by mobile phone usage . – This criterion do not fit Anette because she does not use her phone for calls, but for other free functions and applications.

Anette fulfills almost all the criteria of the DSM-5 gambling disorder.

As we have seen previously, Anette’s symptoms fit to Goodman’s ( 1990 ) and Griffiths’s ( 2000 ) criteria of behavioral addictions and also fit to the criteria of addiction as described in the DSM-5, which indicate that she may suffer from smartphone addiction. But before stating this, we must examine whether we could call Anette a mobile phone addict or whether she is addicted to an application or some function, which is provided by the cell phone (e.g., addicted to social networks or games). According to Anette, the average daily use is the following: at least 3–4 hr for social networking, 1.5 hr for surfing on the Internet, 1 hr for watching movies or series (in the evenings), 1 hr for games, 0.5 hr for listening to music, and 1 hr for taking and editing photos. The cumulative time of these activities results in a very high level of smartphone use. The most frequently used function (3–4 hr of social networking) can be called average among 18-year-olds; however, the 1-hr-long photo editing is also associated with social networking too, because she uploads the pictures there. Internet surfing may also be connected to social networking sites, because, according to Anette, the content and information she has gathered are often shared with friends. The other activities are not classified as social networking, but her mobile phone activity is organized mostly around community sites. We think that the social network addiction is a better concept to describe Anette’s case than the cell phone addiction. The cell phone provides Anette unlimited availability in the case of various behaviors. We can regard the mobile phone as a tool, which can be a source of addictions because of its mobility. Due to the mobile phone, she is able to do these activities anywhere, for example, at a bus station, during lessons, or while having her meals. Availability is a cardinal key in the inchoative stage of addictions, as it increases the probability of the development of addictive behavior.

Furthermore, there are believed to be some psychological problems besides her excessive mobile phone usage. The mild depression indicated by the Beck Questionnaire ( Beck, Steer, & Carbin, 1988 ) is debilitating, so for Anette it becomes very important to take part in social life, which she accomplishes via her mobile phone, and her relationships are shallow. Her mother can be characterized by depressive symptoms, and her father has made suicide attempts. The cell phone makes her feel relaxed; she feels that with the phone she is available and this way the level of her anxiety decreases. Her negative emotions (anger and shame) are mainly related to her father. Breaking up with her boyfriends so frequently is the repetition of her relationship with her father. She makes herself relive the original trauma and after the break-up she expects the boy to look for her, just as she expects her father to do the same. She also has an ambivalent relationship with her mother; she feels that her mother never understands her feelings. She uses her mobile phone as a compensation for the lack of satisfying relationships in her life.

Anette wants to be always available for her friends. This social aspect is not a characteristic of addictions, but it is important that this availability occurs using social sites and not phone calls.

Anette thinks that she would be abandoned by her friends if she could give up her cell phone usage and therefore insists on constantly checking and using her smartphone. This cognitive distortion may be one of the roots of her excessive smartphone usage and frequent community site visits (she said “without my phone I will be abandoned by my friends”). On the other hand, this means that her feelings depend on the availability of the social sites, which are provided by the smartphone. Presumably, the frequent use of a mobile phone is a coping mechanism for her, helping her to struggle with the anxiety deriving from maladaptive thoughts. There is an inconsistency in Anette’s case; however, as we mentioned above, she often chooses her smartphone over her friends but wants to be available for these same friends. The fear of intimacy and the repression of emotions dominate in her relationships. She explains her cell phone addiction with the need to relate to people, but at the same time she also uses her mobile phone excessively when she is in a group. In conclusion, she has a need for relationships, but her need for love is repressed and she compensates for it with addiction.

Preferring the Internet or smartphones over friends is a characteristic of technological addictions (see Demetrovics, Szeredi, & Nyikos, 2004 ). In general, we think – based on Anette’s case – that there are other possible addictive behaviors (e.g., social site addiction, video game addiction, and Internet addiction) behind most of the cases of excessive mobile phone use, and smartphones are just tools that provide a high availability and accessibility of the object of the addiction (social sites, video games, or the Internet). Our case report also supports Griffiths’s ( 2012 ) and Billieux’s ( 2012 ) suggestions that there may be more particular activities behind a possible smartphone addiction which may be considered by researchers and clinical psychologists. During the therapy for cell phone addiction, we are facing similar problems as in other addictions, such as the denial of the addiction. The most common defense mechanisms are projection and repression, which are used to avoid facing the negative emotions involved. Leaving the therapy is also very common in the case of patients who suffer from addictions.

Authors’ contribution

AK contributed to analysis and concept; RSZ contributed to analysis; ZB and BPV contributed to concept.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding Statement

Funding sources: This research was supported by the European Union and the State of Hungary, co-financed by the European Social Fund in the framework of TÁMOP 4.2.4. A/2-11-1-2012-0001 “National Excellence Program.”

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Essay on Phone Addiction

Students are often asked to write an essay on Phone Addiction in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Phone Addiction

What is phone addiction.

Phone addiction means spending too much time on your phone, so much that it starts to harm your daily life. Like when you can’t stop checking your phone, even if you’re talking to friends, eating, or supposed to be sleeping.

Why Do Phones Hook Us?

Phones grab our attention because they have games, social media, and messages that make us want to keep looking. It’s like a magnet that pulls us in and makes it hard to put the phone down.

Problems from Too Much Phone Use

Staring at your phone all the time can lead to less sleep, fewer face-to-face chats with others, and can even make you feel sad or anxious. It’s important to balance phone time with other activities.

Breaking the Habit

To beat phone addiction, set time limits for using your phone. Find fun things to do that don’t involve screens, like sports, reading, or playing outside. This helps your brain reset and enjoy other parts of life.

250 Words Essay on Phone Addiction

Phone addiction is when someone can’t stop using their phone. It’s like a strong need that keeps them glued to the screen, checking messages, playing games, or scrolling through social media. People with this problem find it hard to put their phones down, even when they should be doing other things.

Why Do People Get Addicted?

Phones are fun and have lots of things to do on them. They let us talk to friends, watch videos, and play games anywhere we go. Because they are so enjoyable, some people start using them too much. They might feel happy or excited when they get likes or messages, which makes them want to use their phone even more.

Signs of Phone Addiction

You might be addicted to your phone if you can’t stop looking at it, even when you’re with friends or family. If you feel upset or worried when you can’t use your phone, that’s another sign. Also, if you’re using your phone late at night and it’s making you tired the next day, that could be a problem.

How to Fix the Problem

To break free from phone addiction, try setting limits for yourself. Decide on certain times when you won’t use your phone, like during meal times or before bed. Find other fun activities to do, like playing sports or reading books. If it’s very hard to stop, talking to a parent or teacher can help. They can give you advice and support to overcome the addiction. Remember, using a phone is okay, but it’s important to enjoy other parts of life too!

500 Words Essay on Phone Addiction

Phone addiction is when someone can’t stop using their smartphone. It’s like having a strong need to check the phone all the time, even if it’s not necessary. This habit can interfere with daily life, making it hard to focus on other things like school, work, or spending time with family and friends.

Why Do People Get Addicted to Phones?

Phones are designed to grab our attention. They have bright screens, lots of apps, and they beep or vibrate to tell us about new messages or updates. This can make us feel like we’re missing out if we don’t check our phones. Games and social media apps are especially good at keeping us hooked because they’re fun and let us connect with others.

Someone might be addicted to their phone if they:

1. Spend more time on their phone than with people in real life. 2. Feel anxious or upset when they can’t use their phone. 3. Use their phone in risky situations, like while driving or crossing the street. 4. Have trouble finishing homework or chores because they’re on their phone. 5. Lose sleep because they’re up late using their phone.

Effects of Phone Addiction

Being too attached to a phone can lead to problems. It can hurt our eyes and give us headaches from staring at the screen too much. It can also make us less active and cause weight gain. Plus, it can make us feel lonely or sad if we compare our lives to what we see on social media.

How to Break Free From Phone Addiction

To beat phone addiction, try these tips:

1. Set times when you can use your phone and stick to them. 2. Turn off notifications for apps that aren’t important. 3. Find hobbies that don’t involve screens, like playing sports or reading books. 4. Keep your phone away from your bed so it doesn’t disturb your sleep. 5. Spend more time with friends and family doing fun activities that don’t involve phones.

Phone addiction is a real problem that can affect anyone. It’s important to be aware of how much time we spend on our phones and make sure it’s not getting in the way of our lives. By following the tips above, we can enjoy our phones without letting them control us. Remember, phones are tools to help us, not gadgets to take over our lives. Let’s use them wisely and live a balanced life.

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Home — Essay Samples — Information Science and Technology — Smartphone — Smartphone addiction in our life

Smartphone Addiction in Our Life

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Published: Oct 31, 2018

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Cell Phone Addiction is Becoming

This essay will discuss the growing concern around cell phone addiction. It will explore the psychological implications of excessive cell phone use, including its impact on mental health, social interactions, and daily life. The piece will offer insights into recognizing addiction symptoms and strategies for managing excessive cell phone use. On PapersOwl, there’s also a selection of free essay templates associated with Addiction.

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Cell Phone addiction is becoming a big problem in today’s society. In past generations, parents would think of an addiction to be drugs, but today drugs are not the only addiction that one would have to worry about. Now it is cell phone addiction.

Cell phone addiction is so common that it becomes hard to overcome because cell phones are becoming so essential in life. It is important to become aware of the signs causes and effects of cell phone addiction. It has been scientifically documented and stated that the increasing rate of cell phone addiction is becoming a problem in today’s society. Without people becoming knowledge on what cell phone addiction can really do, it can have an extremely significant impact on this generation and future generations to come. In the past few years, children have been receiving phone at earlier ages than ever which is only making their addiction worse. The topic of cell phone addiction is quickly rising with more teens becoming addicted to their phones and is causing mental health issues which have been proven by statistics, and is also drastically changing today’s society.

There are many signs that can indicate that someone is addicted to their cell phone. These symptoms and signs are mainly found through someone behavior and can consist of them worrying about their cell phone battery0life, excessive use of their cell phone on a day to day basis. The moods that signify cell phone addiction can be expressed by; anger tension, restlessness and even depression. After one becomes addicted to their cell phone there are various consequences that can cause possible permanent health issues. The main physical problem that occurs with the overuse of cell phones is problems with the eyes such as blurred vision, a strain on the eyes which could possibly result in headaches. When looking down at a phone for numerous hours a day can cause something called text neck which is defined as a pain in the shoulders as a result of looking at a phone or device for too long. Having a cell phone addiction can have negative effects on older teenagers and young adults who drive. Teens would likely at least once if not multiple times think that they can multitask and try to drive while they respond to a friends text message but in doing so, they can beat a great risk of getting into some sort of vehicle accident.

Studies show that the brain behaves to the cell phone as if it were a drug, for instance, time one gets a notification on their phone the brain has the same enjoyment as a drug and like a drug, it is like an escape from reality and stress (Newport Academy). Another huge effect that can happen if one becomes addicted to their cell phone is depression. At the beginning of one becoming addicted to a cell phone, they will start to lose physical connectivity with family and friends and they could possibly become depressed. Nine out of ten people who are addicted to their phone experience phantom vibrations where they think that they are hearing a phone go off when really, nothing happened which shows that they are addicted. When someone is really addicted to their phone and they don’t have it with them they get headaches, sweating and shaking. By the causes and effects of what cell phone addiction can really do it becomes clear how bad being addicted to a cell phone is.

Ninety-two percent of teens go on their phones at least one time a day and twenty-four percent of those would even consider themselves to be on their phone constantly. If one was addicted to their cell phone and if anyone were to be able to tell, it would be their parents, fifty-nine percent of parents feel like their son or daughter is addicted to their cell phone and seventy-seven percent of parents feel as if their child is paying attention to their phone instead of paying attention to what is going on in the real world . Seventy-four percent of teens feel like they need to respond the instant that they get a notification or call and forty-four percent of all teens admit that they are addicted to their phone most of those attempt to limit the amount of time that they are on their phone but are unsuccessful to change. In past years parents would expect their child to socialize while eating lunch or dinner but now almost half of the teens use their phone while eating. The average user of a cell phone typically gets on their phone more than 80 times a day which is the equilibrant to more than three times per hour. Forty-eight percent of people who spend the majority of their day on their phones have thought about suicide.

If a teen were to sleep with their phone either under their pillow, on their bedside or somewhere near them while they are sleeping could be a huge indication of if the teen is addicted to their cell phone or if they are not addicted to their cell phone. It is easy to tell by how much they use it every day and how dedicated they are to use it even at times that they really shouldn’t be using it and this shows how it could very well be possible that a huge amount of the half of the population is so dedicated to their phone that they would be using it as much as they possibly can. Statistics of cell phone addiction show how obvious it is that cell phone addiction is ruining the world.

The recent phenomenon of teenage cell phone addiction has been drastically changing the world over the past few years. Now that mobile phone is basically essential in life text messaging has become the most popular way that teens communicate with each other. Since text messaging is the most common way for teens to communicate there is no surprise that it is making them physically interact with each other which changes their behavior. Studies show that cell phone addiction is majorly affecting the school grades and participation grades. Sixty-one percent of teens themselves say that cell phones are negatively impacting their work at school.

Newport Academy states that many people could not imagine life without their cell phone while at the same time they feel as if its a burden. In 1995 there were thirty-four million people that owned a cell phone then only in 2007 it increased to two hundred fifty-five million people which was eighty-four percent of the population at that time. In this time people are growing up where a cell phone is virtually everywhere which can greatly increase their chances of becoming addicted when they grow older. Through the effects of cell phone and statistics, it shows that cell phone addiction is changing the world. With the topic of cell phone addiction becoming more popular more teens are becoming addicted to their cell phones which is causing anywhere from minor to major health issues is drastically changing today’s society. It is clear that many people from this generation and future generations to come.

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Home / Essay Samples / Information Science and Technology / Cell Phones / Unveiling the Alarming Reality of Cell Phone Addiction

Unveiling the Alarming Reality of Cell Phone Addiction

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