Harmful effects of Smartphone Addiction : No doubt, smartphones have changed our lives for the betterment, but it certainly has many drawbacks. First of all, using excessive phone leads to nomophobia. The term refers to the fear of staying away from the phone for too long.
The negative effect does not stop here. It goes further by affecting us in many other aspects of our lives. From relationships to psychological issues, it has massively intruded in our daily lives. Here are some harmful effects of smartphone addiction.
7 Harmful effects of Smartphone Addiction
i) Online Relationships
Such teenagers who have the addiction to use the social networking apps, such as dating apps and messaging can exceed to the limit where, the online companions become more essential than life-time relations.
In our surroundings we can see a lot of examples. You will see such teen’s couples sitting together in a cafeteria but continuously neglecting each other and using their smart-phones.
Moreover, the Internet can be a huge station to meet the new people, attach with old companions. However, online relationships are not a well alternative for real-life collaborations. Online friendships can be fascinating as they incline to exist in foam, not matter to the stresses as messy in life-time relationships.
The Habitual use of dating apps can change teens focus to short-term hookups instead of establishing life-time relationships.
ii) Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction is also called as serious gambling problem, or gambling addict that is an impulse-control disorder. If your teen is an obsessive gambler, you can’t handle the motivation to gamble, even when it has negative results for you or your beloved ones.
Today the accessibility of Internet gambling has made gambling much more accessible. The online shopping can become just as economically and socially destructive for us. While, during gambling addiction you may even do such things that you never thought you would do, like ran out large debts or even stealing cash to gamble.
iii) Depression and loneliness
While it may appear that wasting time online will temporary make emotions such as loneliness, depression, and boredom etc. These feelings can really make your teen feel even inferior.
In 2014 studies discovered a relation between high social media usages depression and anxiety. Teens especially prioritize to compare themselves adversely with their peers on social media, encouraging feelings of loneliness and depression.
One research found that the simply presence of a phone in a work place prefers to make people more anxious and perform their job poorly. The more use of a smart-phone, the greater the anxiety they will express. Use of a smart-phone during doing work mostly means work flows into your home and personal life.
You feel the pressure to always be on, never left your work. It is continuously checked and answer to mail’s can impart to higher stress level.
iv) Decrease the level of creativity and thinking
The consistent ring, tinkle or signal of your smart-phone can divert you from necessary tasks, slow your task, and distract those peaceful instants that are so important to creativity and problem solving.
v) Disturb sleep pattern
Too much use of smart-phone can disturb your teen sleep pattern, which can have a severe effect on their entire mental health. It can have major effects on their memory, their ability to think clearly, and weaken of cognitive and learning skills.
vi) Cyber bullying
Many people on different applications such as face book, Instagram and Twitter etc they do bad comments in comment section of other. Sometimes these comments turn to harassment also. All these factors can lead poor image in our teens.
The research found that cyber-bullying through Smartphone is a major problem within teenage, and that it can have strong sentimental consequences. The more teens use smartphone as a purpose of communication, the more likely they are to suffer pressure over them.
The research also evidence that teens who suffer and participate in cyber-bullying are more likely to get into trouble or feel unhappy than those who do not.
vii) Sexual Arousal
Excessive use of dating apps in smart-phone that assist random sex can make it more difficult to establish personal long-term relation or damage the current relation.
Distress to completing work at home.
Have you notice cleanser cladding up and little meal dinner because you’re teen has been busy chatting online, texting, or playing video games. Your teens Smart-phone will divert them from their task. It takes their focus far away and when they try to get back to their task, they have to find their focus again.
Conclusion:
As mentioned above, the effects of phone addiction are massive! Not only does it affects the ability to focus and remember the given tasks, but it also interferes with our relationships. Surprisingly, the effects of smartphone addiction seem to touch us in every way of our daily life. If excessive use of smartphones is not put to an end, then there will be long term consequences. We, as parents need to take action right now!
God Bless..!!