Research Paper On Smartphone Addiction

According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, nearly two-thirds of the United States adults own a smartphone, which is up from 35% in 2011 (Anderson and Posts). As the acceptance of smartphones expand, many question whether it will have an adverse impact on our lives. Author Nicholas Carr indirectly criticizes the use of a smartphone; however, smartphones, such as Apple’s iPhone can have both positive and negative impacts on a population.

From one recent study it has been surmised that using phones: causes attention spans to be shorter, social interaction to change, and stress levels to increase. These observations were of Michelle Hackman; a high school student who was was runner up for the 2011 Intel Science Talent Search. She coordinated a study on how teenagers react when they do not have their smartphone. Her prediction was that if people were addicted to their phones, then being without them would cause withdrawal symptoms. One common symptom of withdrawal is anxiety.

Smartphones raise a serious concern, especially among parents. This is due to both the psychological damage and danger that smartphones place on their children whose brains are not yet fully developed. According to a study conducted on 404 undergraduate students, three-fourths felt that they are dependent on their phones.() The increasing use and popularity of smartphones are an issue that can cause relationship issues, safety concerns, and distractions all which can be detrimental to society.

There is a growing problem that could reach epidemic levels in the next ten years. It's an addition effecting men, woman and children. We're talking about cell phone addiction. You might question the validity of this, but when you stop and really think about how far we have come with the advances of cell phones, the dots start to connect; the amount of people using phones, the purpose of the phone, how the younger generation perceives their phone and the profits to be made by large and small companies, leading us to draw a not so pretty picture. It’s a newer addition to society, not drug based one, but more of a compulsion addiction. In general, not a lot of research has been done in regards to this obsession, but it’s only a matter of time. Most of the worst offenders will deny that they have a problem, yet the simple thought of losing their phone sends them into a state of panic. This obsessive, panicked feeling already has a name, it’s called nomophobia. Wikipedia terms this new phobia as the fear of being without your mobile phone. A research group in the United Kingdom is credited for inventing this term after conducting a study on how cell phones affect a person’s anxiety levels (2014).

Technology is causing people to become introverts and addicted to their devices. Phones, especially, are a distraction.

Almost everyone has come encounter with a cell phone whether it is a smart phone or just a basic cell phone. It was found that the use of smartphones is about nine hours out the day for college students. Individuals who cannot go without their cell phones or also known as being addicted to cell phones have the same symptoms a drug addict might have. According to James Robert, “Certain people use smartphones to lift their moods. And it may take more and more time on those phones to provide the same level of enjoyment.” Robert even says, “They feel as if when their battery dies or losing their phone can cause an anxiety or panic attack.” There was a study that asked college students how many hours they spent on their cellphones during a day. “I spend more time than I should on my cell phone,” said one such statement. “I get agitated when my cell phone is not in sight,” said another. The trouble with being addicted to a cellphone is it interferes with normal activities and can

Some cell phone users show the same symptoms that a drug addict might have, Roberts explains. Certain people use smartphones to lift their moods. And it may take more and more time on those phones to provide the same level of enjoyment. For such people, losing a phone or having its battery die could cause anxiety or panic. That’s withdrawal, says Roberts. Too much phone use can interfere with normal activities or cause conflicts with family and other people, he adds. Yet despite these social costs, people may not cut back on their heavy phone use. Indeed, he says, people might be unable to stop on their own.The new study asked college students how much time they spent on different phone activities. It also asked them how much they agreed or disagreed with statements suggesting possible addiction. “I spend more time than I should on my cell phone,” said one such statement. “I get agitated when my cell phone is not in sight,” said another. (Agitated means nervous or troubled.) The more calls someone made, the more likely they were to show signs of addiction. The data also differed a bit for men and women. Among men, for instance, signs of a possible addiction showed a positive link, or correlation, with time spent on a Bible app and apps for reading books. As use of either app increased, so did the risk of addiction. Men’s use of social media

A person can use his or her smartphone anywhere; on the streets, in the bus, in the hotel, in the field and in almost all places that a person can possibly be. However, people do not know that smartphones are turning out to be detrimental devices. They have many negative effects on college students in a lot of ways such as, bad effects on the health, on education and on social life.

Although Mobile devices cause people to become rude, they are also addicting due to human’s being impatient and with the source of technology conveniently there, people can find almost any answer they are looking for instantly. One time a friend of mine, Isaac went to a summer camp that mobile devices were not allowed. Isaac, was caught using a cell phone during a camp activity, which led a camp leader to disappointment. The leader asked why Isaac had the cell phone his reply was, “I can’t live without my phone, not even a single day, can you?” Isaac presents an example of how addictive mobile technology by saying he can’t live without it for one day. Turkle as well gives an example of the addiction in saying now and days people are on their emails, games, virtual worlds, and social media constantly (Turkle 493). Carr also talks about being at a conference where

The diagnostic criteria for smartphone addiction proposed in this study were based on the population with the currently largest sample size and the diagnoses were validated by psychiatric interviews. Our findings indicated that smartphone addiction has overlapping features with substance-related or behavioral addictive disorders, but the unique properties of smartphones, i.e. its excellent accessibility and multiple Internet-based applications, contributed to its unique but prevalent addictive behaviors.

Using a cell phone may be equivalent to using drugs and alcohol. Addiction to cell phones is a worldwide problem. There are many negative effects that teenagers do not know and that will cause harm in long term usage. For some, using their cell phone is a way out of reality and an escape from the outer lives. Social media is becoming more popular every year which is attracting younger kids. The cell phone is a trap to the next generation and will create problems for teenagers. In today 's society, cell phones destroy people 's communication abilities, social lives, and driving abilities.

Since technology causes these problems, almost everyone in society is using mobile technology constantly, which leads to major problems. My cousin, a college graduate recently got a job, on his first day of work he was fired due to using his phone during work hours. My cousin got fired because he was paying more attention to his phone rather than the job tasks assigned. Sherry Turkle in “The Tethered Self: Technology Reinvents Intimacy and Solitude” talks about how mobile devices are altering people’s relationships, due to people constantly on them (493). David Carr in “Keep Your Thumbs Still When I’m Talking to You” also gives an example of someone being at a party and trying to have a conversation with them, but the person ignored the conversation because of being on their phone (496). Furthermore, the use of mobile technology leads to tribulations. It leads to tribulations because of the addiction, which causes people to be rude and block out the world while also blocking their emotions towards

“The term electronic and information technology includes, but is not limited to, telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide Web sites, multimedia, and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines” (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internet working, and Technology). Online technology addiction started soon after technology came out; it is only new being readjusted as culture is changing. Addiction is a need based bonding process when one becomes connected to an object (Hari). This, therefore, has been a fairly recent type of addiction, around for approximately twenty-two years. There have been increases by tenfold from the start of technology addict to 2014 (Number of Internet Users). The amount of people that are living with internet technology addiction are rapidly increasing everyday as new technology keeps progressively coming out. There is only so much people can handle before they become addicted to a product. Technology since then has significantly progressed by coming up with more items to add to products that are solely made for technology.

“Today’s world didn’t exist 10 or 15 years ago; and it certainly didn’t happen overnight,” Guest author says in the article, “How Digital Technology Is Creating a World of Introverts”. Facebook use to be the new big thing that everyone wanted to join. Now there are multiple social media sites besides Facebook that people use. Along with social media there is online dating and even schooling and work that is available online. “Like a well-oiled assembly machine, digital technology is mass-producing a society of introverts” (Guest, “How Digital Technology Is Creating a World of Introverts). With such a small number of needs that are available only by going out in public, technology has kept us inside. Technology is creating more introverts in society.

Symptoms of this dependence include anxiety when away from the device, social media addiction due to ease of access, and sedentary behaviors (Lepp et al., 2014). This excessive use is extremely prevalent in the college scene due to how much hinges on their devices. Social media, school, communicating and entertainment all hinge on the smartphone which in turn promotes its use creating a cycle that leads to the addiction that most students are oblivious about. This device has a plethora of effects that range from a decrease in quality academic performance to a complete disatisfaction with life (Lepp et al., 2015). Can this behavior be able to be controlled or stopped using the right interventions? The following text will explore the symptoms and effects of high smartphone usage amongst college students, and see what intervention proves to be the most effective in solving this social issue.