Are you addicted to your phone?

The trend of addictions has been changing as technology advances. Today, phone addiction has become a global challenge with as many as 50-70% of phone users reporting being addicted to their phones. The average smartphone user unlocks their phone 150 times a day with 99% of users showing some fear and anxiety if they accidentally leave their phones. This raises the question of addiction to phones and exploring this will require using traditional and novel tools to assess phone use vis-a-vis addiction. 

Addiction is defined as compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences. It’s a brain disorder and is quite difficult to address. Phone users are said to be addicted to their phones when they make use of their phone despite adverse consequences such as sleep deficit, stress, impaired relationships, poor grades, etc. Usually, the occurrence of these adverse events should result in reduction in use or a complete disuse of phones (usually the former). But if an individual still uses his/her phone despite this, addiction can be defined. 

How to know if you’re addicted to your phone? Ask these questions; 

Do you lie about smartphone use? 

1. Do your loved ones express concern? 
2. Do you neglect or have trouble completing duties at work, school, or home due to phone usage? 
3. Do you spend more and more time using a phone? 
4. Do you check peoples’ profiles repeatedly due to anxiety or other unexplainable reasons? 
5. Have you had accidents or injury due to phone use? 
6. Do you have a weak or non-existent social life outside social media? 
7. Are you isolated from loved ones? 
8. Do you get angry or irritated if phone use is interrupted? 
9. Do you get up at night to check a phone? 
10. Do you reach for the phone the moment you are alone or bored? 
11. Do you have phantom vibrations (thinking the phone buzzes when it doesn’t)? 
12. Have you made attempts at limiting phone use and found it difficult?  

The presence of more and more of these traits make phone addiction likely and it’s important to identify it where present. This is because you can’t get the help you need if you don’t know you have an addiction. Making a check list of phone usage can be helpful to unravel any addiction that might be too subtle to pick at surface level.
  

Treating phone addiction requires traditional methods of treating addictions generally, including cognitive-behavioural therapy, group therapy, marriage or couples counselling, group support, psychotherapy, motivational interviewing, and medication-assisted treatment.  

Phones are an important resource in the 21 st century and are important for communication and keeping up to date with latest happenings in our fast changing world. But addiction to phones can become detrimental to the wellbeing of individuals and the world in general. Phones are no where the new cocaine, but they are getting closer to that reputation day by day.