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Essay on Mobile Addiction | Mobile Addiction Essay for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Essay on Mobile Addiction: The mobile phone has become the central part of every human being’s life. Everyone these days is pinned to their cell phones. While we may dismiss this as an expected behaviour in the current times, but the truth is it has profound behavioural and social impacts. Mobile addiction is a real quandary and a matter of great concern. It affects our health, connections as well as work.

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Long and Short Essays on Mobile Addiction for Students and Kids in English

We provide children and students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the topic “Mobile Addiction” for reference.

Short Essay on Mobile Addiction 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Mobile Addiction is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Mobile phones give us the liberty to connect with anyone around the world spontaneously. They empower us to find any information we require and are a great source of entertainment. While this device was designed to empower us, sadly, it’s turning out to subjugate us. Almost every mobile user is suffering from the addiction of mobile these days.

Everyone these days is pinned to his or her cell phone. While we may deny this as a common behaviour in the present times, the truth is that it has great communicative and behavioural consequences in people. This is because its effects are dangerous. Mobile addiction causes several problems such as weakened vision, headache, sleep disorders, depression, stress, aggressive behaviour, social isolation, financial situations, ruined relationships and no or low professional growth. We must limit the use of mobile to take control of our lives. It might be difficult at first, but family and friends’ support can help overcome mobile phones’ addiction.

The mobile phone is one of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century. According to recent statistics, over 50 crore Indians are using smartphones. While it is true that the advancement of technology has led to many conveniences in our world, it has also brought many other critical issues to us. Mobile phone addiction is one of the instances where technology has affected people’s lives adversely. With the recent burst of iPhones, Androids, and other similar smart gadgets like the tablets, the cell phone addiction issue has risen to an alarming rate.

Mobile phones enable us to coddle in online shopping, online games, and many more. They connect us with people worldwide. We can also click pictures, watch movies, surf the internet, listen to music, and enjoy different other activities. It is difficult not to get addicted to this substation of entertainment. However, it is necessary not to fall victim to it as its consequences could be damaging. Mobile phones are designed for our convenience and our benefit. We must limit the use of mobile phones or instead it may take charge of our lives. If we feel, we are getting addicted to our mobile phone; we need to look for methods and ideas to get rid of it. We should also consider it as our duty to help our near ones, to get rid of this mobile addiction.

Long Essay on Mobile Addiction 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Mobile Addiction is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Introduction

Addiction is a chronic disease and is one of the most intractable health disorders faced around the world. Mobile addiction is a thriving concern. It is very easy to get addicted to cell phones but difficult to subdue them. A lot of people globally are addicted to their mobile phones. The mobile addicts behaviour pattern is more or less the same as the others. Here are some certain signs and symptoms that clearly show that a person is addicted to his/ her mobile phone.

Symptoms of Mobile Addiction 

Nearly everyone worldwide has a cell phone, so how can we tell if someone is experiencing mobile phone addiction syndrome from someone who is not?

Like most diseases and illnesses, one can deduce if someone is undergoing the exhibited symptoms’ syndrome. Research has revealed that using mobile phones have killed 6,000 people each year. Besides that, here are some other effects of cell phone addictions that can affect us.

1. Back and Neck Problem: This is a common problem that all phone addicts deal with. Most people arched down when they used their phones. Looking down at the mobile phone for an extended period causes them to have back and neck pain issues. According to studies, 45% of the youngsters from the age of 16 to 24 years suffer from back pain due to the over usage of mobile phones. Besides that, the endless swapping of phones and texting can make our fingers stiff.

2. Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Another common effect that we usually hear from experts is mental and emotional health problems. When we spend too much time on our phone, we neglect other elements of our life, and as a result, our life gets out of balance. Staring the mobile screen for too long can also make us feel anxious and stressed.

3. Health Issue: Spending too much time with our mobile phone can also give us less time to exercise or even walk around. Mobile phone usage has considerably displaced many of our physical activities in life. A Poll conducted on a group of schoolchildren found that those who employ long hours using their phones were less fit than those who spent less time on their phones.

Mobile phones are highly portable machines that can extend a treasure of benefits, like helping us stay connected and catering data at our fingertips. But there’s a darker side to smartphone usage. The average time consumed on smartphones is increasing, and evidence reveals that smartphone addiction is connected to severe health issues.

Essay on Mobile Addiction 800 words in English

A mobile phone is expected to make things easier for us. It serves us in connecting with our near and dear ones almost immediately. Communicating with our families and peers living in distant countries has become remarkably simple with mobile phones’ introduction.

Mobile phone addiction is increasing by the day. People have become delusional as they have designed a new world for themselves with their mobile phones making it their pivotal component in their lives. It is deplorable to observe how mobile obsession is robbing people of their real lives.

An average Indian consumes 1800 hours a year on his mobile phone. That is approximately one-third of his waking hours. The impact of obsession with smartphones, internet, and television is that less than 30 percent of people meet family and friends multiple times a month.

Overcoming mobile phone addiction

With other types of obsessions or addictions, one cannot overwhelm mobile addiction unless they do not want to give up on it sincerely. The obsession of mobile phones is one of the consequences on how technology has affected people’s lives. With the current outburst of iPhones, Androids, and other related smart gadgets like the tablets, the cell phone addiction issue has risen to an alarming rate. Once, you are determined, to get over mobile addiction, we can do so by following the below-mentioned tips:

By limiting the use of the mobile phone and setting the number of hours, we aim to consume on our mobile each day and assigning a fixed amount of time for each activity such as texting, social media, gaming or watching videos will help us to overcome the addiction of mobile phones.

We can also get engaged in dancing, painting, playing indoor and outdoor games, doing household chores, reading books, and many other activities. This will reduce our urge to check our mobile phone constantly. Spending time with our parents, helping our spouse with work, indulging in different fun activities or going out to new places can also help you to get rid of this addiction.

If the addiction of mobile becomes incapable of coping with, it is time to solicit professional guidance. Many therapists specialise in mobile addiction therapy, and they offer individual and group therapy to help get rid of this addiction.

Mobile Addiction amongst Teens

A mobile phone serves as an escapism from the obstacles and problems of practical life. People of every age group undergo mobile addiction. Nonetheless, teenagers are most prone to acquire this addiction. Teenagers are in that stage of their life where they are learning and traversing new things. They have various questions, and their mobile phones have almost all their answers. Children these days have a lot of things to ask and share but are often reluctant to discuss or speak about the same with their teachers or parents.

Most parents these days are so engaged in their work that they don’t have the time to speak or monitor their kids. And secondly, there are many things where they get embarrassed to ask, and for this reason, the mobile phone becomes their source of guidance. They also make friends online and adequately share their feelings with them.

Teens addicted to mobile phones are very dangerous. They cannot focus on their studies, as this addiction hinders their capability to focus and reduces their ability to understand things. Those addicted to mobile phones also have a greater chance of acquiring habits such as drinking, smoking, and taking drugs. They also become socially incompetent as they are always on their mobile phone. Therefore their future remains at stake. Parents must make sure that they do not give smartphones to their teenage kids. Teens need to focus on their education and traverse their interest in different beneficial activities. They should adequately explore the world and not by wasting their valuable time on a mobile phone.

Mobile Addiction Essay Conclusion

Mobile addiction can destroy our life if it is not stopped on time. As much as we ignore it, mobile addiction has grown into a big problem today. It is hindering our professional life and personal relations. Mobile phones are creating more impairment than being beneficial. People undergoing this mobile addiction problem must try to get rid of it and revert to the real world. Getting rid of this addiction might be challenging, but it is not impossible. With the support from the loved ones and some effort from oneself, we can overcome this problem over time, and if that does not help, we shouldn’t hesitate to solicit professional advice.

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Phone Addiction Among Adolescents Essay

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Introduction

Phone addiction in youth, works cited.

In the growing technological world, smartphone addiction has become a significant problem globally. Other people have a contrasting opinion that phone addiction is the way to find happiness; however, this is not true. Parents often feel worried because phone addiction negatively influences their child’s academic performance. The ethical principle that the paper will base on is the principle of nonmaleficence, which aims to weigh the benefits versus the harms of phone addiction.

The paper aims to help learners realize the disadvantages of phone addiction in this technological advancement era. However, it is ethical to be addicted to smartphone usage to the improvement of the academic knowledge of the learner. Excessive phone use among the young generation is disastrous as it contributes to long-term effects such as drug abuse and financial stress. I believe and hold the position that adolescents’ phone addiction is ethically wrong as it negatively affects their mental health and academic performance; resolving the problem requires a collaborative effort between the teachers, parents, and learners.

The addictive use of smartphones deleteriously alters the mental health of many young people across the world. A broad assumption exists that the young generation continuously interacting with their mobile devices improves their mental health; this is not the reality. Addictive behavior of smartphone use is linked with the interference with the regular daily routine of the young generation. Kornberg shows that in an extensive population survey of American high school learners, the addictive behavior was linked to high depression levels (483).

Through the interaction over the phone, the students receive depressive text messages from their peers, which interfere with their mental health. The learners are likely to interact with strangers who may easily lure them into adopting improper behavior within the community. Excessive phone usage paves an easy way for the learners to engage in an unwanted relationship through easy communication. These sexual relationships eventually culminate into unwanted teenage pregnancies and other sexually transmitted illnesses. The young people found in this menace are faced with depression, yet they should focus on their studies.

Higher suicide rates are correlated to the extensive addiction to smartphones. In the 2010s, researchers noted the suicide rate significantly rose; this was associated with smartphone use (Kornberg 483). Smartphones exploit the weakness in people’s minds, thus distracting them from what makes them happy in their daily life. Some students research the various methods they could use to harm themselves through the internet. Young people are exposed to harmful information over social media, which causes them to develop suicidal thoughts.

The students assume to find the happiness they desire over the internet, but it aggravates their psychological problems. The learners waste their limited time on social media and thus fail to excel in their studies. It adversely affects their future career choices, and therefore they can quickly kill themselves because of their poor academic performance.

The irrational phone usage among young people for non-socializing aspects is correlated with high rates of depression. Non-socializing elements such as news and entertainment may depress adolescents (Kornberg 483). The increased occurrence of sad news, such as frequent accidents and political killings, may exacerbate personal life concerns. Watching the report of a known person’s death drains mental energy. These worries may affect the student’s concentration in class towards the attainment of success.

The positive newscast correlates with the achievement of good mental health, while the devastating news affects the mind adversely. The reduced phone addiction can subsequently lead to a decreased exposure to the traumatizing news edition; this consequently improves the mental health of an individual.

The constant smartphone use has affected face-to-face conversation among people. Direct communications play a critical role in ensuring that people communicate with each other and thus share issues that could be affecting them (Kornberg 483). The constant phone addiction has made the younger people fail to develop face-to-face communication correctly; therefore, they fear sharing the problems affecting them with the relevant people. They end up with psychological stress instead of opening conversations with their peer counselors, teachers, and peers.

The young generation spends most time researching how they can overcome some issues in their lives and ultimately fail to find the appropriate solution. Failing to find the proper solution predisposes them to engage in unacceptable behavior within the community, such as alcoholism, to improve their psychological health. These aggravate the problem by inclining them to consequences of alcoholism such as health, social and economic effects. Speaking their issues to another person, especially a counselor, would have helped prevent young people from engaging in drug abuse.

Smartphone addiction contributes to gambling disorders among the young generation. Smartphone addiction creates financial problems among the learners and new generation (Kornberg 484). There is a desire from a young age to acquire more money, and therefore they will do everything within their means to find the cash. Online betting and gambling are ways people think they can quickly achieve their desired wealth status without hard work. The contrary happens when they lose the little money they have through these undesired online activities.

When young people continuously lose the little finances they have, they develop stress. Some students use fees given to them by their parents to engage in online betting and gambling. When they lose this cash through betting, an enormous mental health issue ensues, and they develop the fear of telling their parents the reality of what happened. Therefore, such learners think the best way to overcome the problem is to commit suicide because of the shame they have heaped on themselves through online gambling.

Smartphone addiction can cause lead to impulsive shopping among people without the appropriate budgeting because ordering items is through the click of a button. These create financial problems, and even teenagers can use online shopping as a way they can acquire illegal goods (Sahu et al. 263).

Through online shopping, they can purchase illicit drugs and even firearms which they can use to harm other people. The teenagers are not seen going to the shops to buy these illegal products as they hide in anonymous online accounts; the products are delivered to them at the doorstep. These illegal products are expensive, and they financially strain those purchasing them. Therefore, impulsive buying behavior makes young people develop psychological stress due to the financial constraints versus their demands. These may culminate in undesired mental health status among young people, such as suicide.

Extreme smartphone usage may reduce phone lifetime, thereby increasing maintenance and purchasing costs. Parents may deny their children the privilege to own phones while still students. These learners may watch their colleagues with efficient smartphones, which psychologically affects their mental health. Financially stressed learners cannot efficiently concentrate on their studies and ultimately have poor academic performance (Kornberg 483).

The desire to own good smartphones the teenagers may lead to them stealing money from their parents or even stealing the phones of their peers. Maintaining smartphones may be costly to some teenagers as they are unemployed, resulting in financial stress. Other learners may use the money given to them by their parents for fee payment. It may increase the parent-child conflict, adversely affecting the child’s psychological status. The child may physically get harmed because of the intense anger from the parent.

Smartphone addiction contributes to accidents that could have been avoided through safe driving. Impulsive phone use leads to operating the smartphone in dangerous circumstances such as driving. It leads to accidents that cause the loss of lives and lifetime disabilities. In Nigeria, it was estimated that about 90% of the drivers were prone to phone addiction, and approximately 65% reported having had an accident related to phone use while driving (Adeyemi 486). The study showed that the people addicted to mobile phones were 2.47 times more likely to be involved in a phone addiction-related accident (Adeyemi 486). The conclusion drawn from the study was that impulsive phone use was a significant factor contributing to road accidents.

A child losing a parent through an accident leads to a disastrous mental health impact as they miss the tender lover parents accord to their children. The pain of losing a parent is intense, and an orphan child may face challenges such as support and properly acquiring the best education. Therefore, excessive smartphone usage has led to reckless driving among individuals, leaving many children as orphans.

The phone addiction curiosity may predispose young people to adult content on social media. Sharma et al., in their study, proved that phone addiction has a positive correlation with internet use and pornography addiction (25). The children exposed to this adult content cannot effectively concentrate in class to achieve optimal academic performance. Through their curiosity, these children attempt to imitate what they watch in the pornographic content. It ultimately leads to teenage pregnancies and an increased risk of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.

Pregnant teenagers face the risk of early discontinuation of their studies, consequently hampering their prosperity in the future. Young individuals may have the financial burden of raising children born through unplanned pregnancies. Other teenagers may be tempted to terminate the pregnancy before term. These abortion practices have life-threatening consequences for the mother’s life, and thus it may cause the teenage girl’s death. Sexually transmitted diseases may further culminate in the demise of the underage. Teenagers opt for abortion because of the financial constraints that accompany unplanned pregnancies. Therefore, it creates psychological trauma, which increases the risk of teenagers committing suicide.

The prolonged phone addiction leads to increased screentime which has harmful effects on an individual’s health. The children become addicted to video games on their phones, affecting their vision. Abed et al. argued that vision problem is the most common problem among the students, and it dominantly correlated with excessive phone usage (5). In the study in Alkut technical Institutes, approximately 82% of the students had vision problems because of phone addiction (Abed et al. 415).

The health problems affect the comfort that the students should have to get the proper education. Some students may require the purchase of spectacles and contact to facilitate their learning; therefore, this increases the financial strain faced by the parent and student. The money used to purchase these visual aids could have been used elsewhere to help improve the child’s academics.

Many students are aware of the health effects of phone addiction, but through their ignorance, they continue indulging in inappropriate behavior (Abed et al. 415). Parents who lack the necessary financial assistance fail to buy the contact lens or spectacles for their children, and the learner’s psychological and academic performance is impacted negatively.

Adolescents addicted to their phones have poor sleep patterns as they spend most of their time chatting and gaming. Scrolling on the phone overnight makes an individual experience restlessness. Ibrahim et al., in their study, showed that irrational smartphone usage leads to dependency problems categorized by the continued performance of an action ignoring its negative outcome (2). Therefore, the poor sleep pattern is implicated in class through the poor concentration and even sleeping during the class sessions. Poor academic performance is correlated with learners who have poor sleep problems. The students may develop nomophobia, which encompasses the fear when the mobile phone is not close to the learner.

The poor sleep patterns characterized by deranged students’ academic performance predispose them to stress. These may contribute to the suicide experienced among school-going children. The children may develop sleep disorders such as nightmares because of the threatening material watched through social media. The learners may still sleep during the day more than the required time when they are at home with their parents. Insomnia due to phone usage, therefore, negatively affects the student’s quality of life.

Phone addiction among adolescents causes a disjointed relationship between the learners and their parents. Zhen et al. proved that during the COVID-19 lockdown, parent-child conflicts arose during house chore sharing and academic supervision (7). Parents may want their children’s assistance to help them perform some house chores, but youngsters may not want to be disrupted by their phones. There could be an emphasis on children concentrating on their studies and avoiding wasting their time on phones. The learners may not be happy with these parents’ decisions and may decide to revolt against them. It, in turn, aggravates the anger of the parents who feel despised by their children. It ultimately ensures a fight or conflict that affects the mental health of both the youth. Adolescents unwillingly persuaded to concentrate on their may likely have good performance in school. They are reluctant to learn because of their phone addiction and thus cannot perform optimally academically.

A parent addicted to their smartphone shows a bad example to the child. Parent-child communication is essential in a family as it dictates unity. When children seek help to communicate with their parents who are entirely focused on their phones, they may feel ignored. It leads to a disjointed family, and the young ones lose interest in sharing pivotal issues regarding their lives with their parents. It results in the children suffering loneliness and stress because of the lack of the parent’s support (Zhen et al. 7). These untold suffering easily provoke suicidal thoughts in these youngsters.

The financial strain plays a vital role in determining students’ academic performance. Learners who effectively communicate with their parents are likely to perform better in their studies than those with disjointed relationships. A parent can listen to the adolescent through efficient communication and provide the essential tools to improve school performance. Proficient communication between the parent and the learner helps the latter learn to adapt to various psychological challenges through life effectively.

Excessive use of smartphones increases the risk of cyberbullying, which is all over internet. Gül et al. proved that the lack of awareness by the adolescents visiting social media makes them cyberbullying victims (550). Learners may get discriminated against online because of their race, affecting their psychological health. The harmful information the learners are exposed to over social media may affect their academic performance (Kornberg 483).

The victims of cyberbullying are predisposed to emotional and mental effects. The children may feel embarrassed and overwhelmed by the insults they receive from social media. If the cyberbullying messages are shared with many people, it may intensify the feelings of humiliation faced by the adolescent. The victims may feel isolated and alone because of the insults. The cyberbullied learners may further get angered by what happened to them, and some opt to retaliate through online and physical means to the person doing the action. They develop low self-esteem as they feel that they are the most vulnerable members of society. Eventually, cyberbullied individuals lose interest in school, which negatively affects their academic performance.

The death threats and harmful messages that the learners get ultimately decrease the sense of safety that the learners yearn to have. Learners who are not assured of their safety will perform dismally in their studies (Kornberg 483). These children may skip school sessions because of the death threats they receive from online sources, as they believe they can meet the people threatening them in school. These behaviors may warrant the academic suspension of the individual skipping the class session. It negatively impacts the learner’s career future and their mental health. The death threats drive them to face difficulty efficiently concentrating in class to attain the desired academic performance. The learners who have been harassed online are likely to engage in alcohol intake to overcome the stress faced by the threats. The death threats make the individuals completely lose hope in their lives as they develop decreased desire to live.

Phone addiction issues became a significant concern after the invention of smartphones that had access to internet services. Before, the social conditions encouraged more face-to-face conversation while reduced phone addiction. The problem is of great concern because it reduces learners’ focus on their studies. I believe phone addiction negatively affects the mental health of the children, which aggravates suicide thoughts and undesirably impacts the learner’s academic performance. The learners are predisposed to harmful content such as pornography, threats, and cyberbullying, affecting their psychological health.

The problem with my topic is that it may be ethically right to be addicted to a phone as a learner and extensively use it for research purposes. This will significantly widen the learner’s knowledge acquired in class and build on research techniques. My value systems dictate that I cannot support the aspect of phone addiction among students. Based on the principle of nonmaleficence, I regard that there are more harms than benefits of phone addiction among teenagers.

In conclusion, phone addiction in the young generation is a serious menace that requires global attention and combined efforts to attenuate the problems. Parents and teachers need to play a vital role in advising their children of the harmful consequences of irrational phone usage. On the other hand, the children should be willing to listen and adapt the advice they receive from their parents and teachers. Parents should act as role models by using their phones rationally. In this way, the learners will emulate the reasonable phone use and attain its desired meaningful use.

The learners must realize that their current goal is to focus on education to achieve the desired career goals; therefore, they should avoid phone overdependence. Parents must show a willingness to listen to their children to reduce the latter from feeling lonely. They should be accountable and avoid developing problems such as stealing, betting addiction, and impulse online shopping.

Abed, Sameeha Naser, et al. “Health problems of mobile phone addiction for sample of students and their health awareness at Institute Technical of Kut.” Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Research , vol. 10, no. 2, 2018, pp. 412–15.

Adeyemi, Oluwaseun. “The association of mobile phone addiction proneness and self-reported road accident in Oyo State, Nigeria.” Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science , 2021, pp. 486–91.

Ibrahim, Nahla Khamis, et al. “Mobile phone addiction and its relationship to sleep quality and academic achievement of medical students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.” Journal of Research in Health Sciences , vol. 18, no. 3, 2018, pp. 1–5.

Gül, Hesna, et al. “Cyberbullying among a clinical adolescent sample in Turkey: Effects of problematic smartphone use, psychiatric symptoms, and emotion regulation Difficulties.” Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology , vol. 29, no. 4, 2018, pp. 547–57.

Kornberg, Joshua. “Left to our own devices: Smartphone use, mental health, and academic psychiatry.” Academic Psychiatry , vol. 44, no. 4, 2020, pp. 483–86.

Sahu, Maya, et al. “Mobile phone addiction among children and adolescents.” Journal of Addictions Nursing , vol. 30, no. 4, 2019, pp. 261–68.

Sharma, Manoj Kumar, et al. “Technology Addiction among treatment seekers for psychological problems: Implication for screening in mental health setting.” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine , vol. 39, no. 1, 2017, pp. 21–27.

Zhen, Rui, et al. “Social isolation, loneliness, and mobile phone dependence among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: Roles of parent-child communication patterns.” International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction , 2021, pp. 1–15.

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Smartphone Addiction Among the Young

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To the Editor:

Re “ The Smartphone Trap ,” by Jonathan Haidt and Jean M. Twenge (Opinion guest essay, Sunday Review, Aug. 1):

The rise of smartphone addiction among teenagers is undeniably real. However, the proposed solution of locking students’ phones up cold turkey (during school hours) may not be ideal.

My high school participated in a program that involved completely locking up students’ phones throughout the entire school day (in 2019-20). Through many conversations with my peers, I noticed that this solution — with the goal of helping students “practice the lost art of paying full attention to the people around them,” as your essay put it — produced unintended repercussions.

In fact, increased anxiety as a result of smartphone restriction often hindered students’ ability to fully engage with other students and teachers throughout the school day. Perhaps a smarter solution may include gradually weaning students off their smartphones, and increased education regarding responsible smartphone use.

Rushaad Mistry Foster City, Calif. The writer is a high school student.

Yes, face-to-face conversation among college students has declined during the time of smartphones. Fifteen years ago, I would enter a noisy college classroom to teach a class and have to draw the attention of the students, who were gabbing away with classmates. “It’s 9 o’clock; time to begin class,” I would say in a loud voice to end the student buzz.

Now I enter quiet college classrooms. The students are not speaking to each other; they have their faces buried in their cellphones. I urge them to keep their cellphones under wraps from the time that they enter the classroom and to speak to the students sitting near them. “The student sitting next to you might become your best friend, your spouse. The person might donate a kidney to you if you are in need.”

I try, but the allure of the smartphone usually triumphs.

James Tackach Narragansett, R.I. The writer is a professor of English at Roger Williams University.

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Mobile Phone Addiction as an Emerging Behavioral Form of Addiction Among Adolescents in India

Navya gangadharan.

1 Community Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, IND

Amod L Borle

Saurav basu.

2 Epidemiology and Public Health, Indian Institute of Public Health, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, IND

Introduction: The advancements in mobile phones from simple basic phones to featured phones and smartphones resulted in the penetration of technology to different groups of people irrespective of age, gender, or region. Thus, mobile phone addiction has evolved as a form of behavioral addiction found to be increasingly prevalent among adolescents too. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of mobile phone addiction among adolescents and its associated risk factors among adolescents.

Method and results: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 264 adolescents (10-19 years) of low-income urban areas of Delhi. The prevalence of mobile phone addiction in the participants was 33.0% (95% CI: 27.2-38.6). The addiction was higher among boys (33.6%) than girls (32.3%) (p=0.835). Mobile phone addiction was found to be significantly higher among those adolescents who had ≥3 siblings, those belonging to nuclear families, and among late-onset users (≥16 years). Late-onset users (adjusted odds ratio {aOR}: 3.398; 95% CI: 1.307-8.833) and ≥3 siblings (aOR: 1.980; 95% CI: 1.141-3.437) were independent predictors of mobile phone addiction. The mean time spent on mobile phones was significantly higher among those with addiction but no significant gender difference was found between time spent on phones and addiction.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of mobile phone addiction found in our study is an indication of the potential public health concern posed by mobile phone use among adolescents in urban settings. Hence, it is essential to limit the access to mobile phones for important utility purposes for adolescents.

Introduction

Mobile phones, in the last decade, have evolved from a primary tool of interpersonal communication to that facilitating group communication, and such exponential transformation was seen further with the introduction of smartphones [ 1 ]. The advancements in mobile phones from simple basic phones to featured phones and smartphones resulted in the penetration of technology to different groups of people irrespective of age, gender, or region. The major advantage is that it is portable and real-time with the availability of Internet anywhere, anytime with features of browsing and wide range of social media applications. These features have resulted in greater acceptance and higher usage of smartphones not only among adults but also among children and adolescents.

In recent years, smartphones evolved to be multitasking and have displaced electronic devices such as a computer, camera, and many others which have made us to use them more often [ 2 ]. Excessive use of such technologies may put one at the risk of adverse effects such as isolation and feeling of loneliness, decreased interpersonal relationships, and social interactions in them [ 3 , 4 ].

Globally, the prevalence of mobile phone addiction is varying from 2.4% to as high as 60.3% among adolescents and school-going children [ 2 , 5 ]. India is one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for digital consumers, with 560 million Internet subscribers (nearly 41%) in 2018, second only to China. The average Indian social media user spends 17 hours on the platforms each week, more than social media users in China and the United States. Half of India’s entry-level users for smartphones are between 15 and 24 years old and mostly students [ 6 ]. Chat, video streaming, browsing, social networking, and image apps are the most engaging and account for more than 50% of the total time spent on smartphones. India has the highest number of adolescents (253 million) and they constitute one-fifth of the Indian population and 22% of them live in urban areas [ 7 ]. In this context, the present study was conducted with the objective of determining the prevalence and predictors of mobile phone addiction among adolescents in low-income urban areas of Delhi.

Materials and methods

A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2020 to March 2021 in two low-income urban agglomerates in the North East and Central Delhi districts of Delhi which represent the catchment areas of the community medicine department of a medical college in New Delhi. The ethical clearance was obtained for the study from the Institutional Ethics Committee, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi (#F1/IEC/MAMC/73/01/2020/NO 26).

The sample size was estimated using the formula 4PQ/D2, where P was the prevalence of mobile phone dependence obtained from a study done by Nikhita et al. in Navi Mumbai as 31%, and absolute error as 6% [ 8 ]. Thus, the sample size calculated came out to be 228 and after adjusting for 10% non-response rate, the calculated sample size was 250.

The study instrument was an interview schedule that was prepared by the investigator after doing pretesting in a sample of 10 adolescents. The interview schedule covered details about the bio-data and socio-demographic characteristics. Mobile phone addiction was assessed using the previously validated Mobile Phone Addiction Scale (MPAS) by Basu et al. consisting of 20 items with each measured on a six-point Likert scale [ 9 ]. The 20 items covered six domains of substance dependence which are intense desire, impaired control, harmful use, withdrawal, tolerance, and decreased interest in alternate pleasures as per the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 classification of mental and behavioral disorders: clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines [ 10 ]. The original MPAS had revealed a four-factor structure on principal component analysis. Each domain was diagnosed as positive when 50% or more items had positive responses (four and more on the Likert scale). Mobile phone addiction was diagnosed when three or more domains were positive in a respondent. The MPAS English was linguistically validated into the local language Hindi, through a standardized forward and backward translation method, by two professionals who had native fluency in both languages. The steps included forward translation of MPAS English into Hindi by the first professional, backward translation of Hindi translation into English by the second professional, comparison of the original MPAS English and backward translated English version, and repetition of the process until there was adequate matching of both the versions. The reliability assessment of this MPAS Hindi instrument observed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.841 which was suggestive of good reliability. No increase of >0.1 in the Cronbach's alpha was obtained when items were removed one by one. Inspection of the item-total correlation showed a range of 0.06-0.622 with all except one correlation coefficient (item one) <0.3.

In each area, households were selected by systematic random sampling. The line list of households in each block was obtained with the help of frontline health workers (Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Anganwadi workers). There was a total of 3201 households in the study area and a sampling interval was calculated as 12. Then standing at the first house in A block, the first household was selected by simple random sampling. A lot was taken by lottery method for selecting the first household and thereafter every 12th house was selected for the study. Similarly, it was done for all other blocks till the sample size was reached. From the selected household, adolescent between the age of 10 and 19 years was selected for interview. If there were more than one adolescent meeting the inclusion criteria in the selected household, then the study participant was selected through simple random sampling using the lottery method. If the participant was not present on the day of visit, they were covered in two subsequent visits. If a particular house was found locked on three consecutive visits, then the eligible study subject was dropped from the study, and the next eligible participant was chosen. In case no eligible person was found then next systematic house was taken.

The data collected were entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 25 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). The quantitative data were expressed as mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range and categorical data as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to assess the difference between proportions. Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to assess the difference in distribution of quantitative variables which followed normal distribution/non-normal distribution. Binomial logistic regression was done to identify the independent predictors for mobile phone addiction. A p-value less than 0.05 was taken as significant.

The study was conducted among 264 adolescents. The response rate was 93.8% among boys and 94.6% among girls. A total of 122 (46.2%) boys and 142 (53.8%) girls were enrolled in the study. The mean age of adolescents was 14.2 ± 2.4 years of which the mean age of boys was 14.4 ± 2.3 years and that of girls was 14.1 ± 2.4 years. The sociodemographic characteristic of the adolescents is shown in Table ​ Table1 1 .

SD: Standard deviation

The prevalence of mobile phone addiction was found to be 33.0% (95% CI: 27.2-38.6) and was more among boys (33.6%) than girls (32.3%) but not significant statistically. The most commonly met ICD-10 diagnostic criteria were tolerance and withdrawal in this population. Tolerance to use mobile phones was found to have higher prevalence among adolescents (54.5%) followed by withdrawal to its use (47%). Within each domain, it was observed that girls predominated more than boys (Table 2 ). It was also observed that for almost all items girls responded more positively than boys except for Q1, 9, 19. Girls had an intense desire to check WhatsApp/Facebook even while resting (16.2%) and it was found to be significantly more than boys (6.6%) (p=0.015) (Table 3 ).

MPAS: Mobile Phone Addiction Scale

Source: Basu et al. (2018) [ 9 ].

The association of various predictors with mobile phone addiction is shown in Table ​ Table4 4 and age of first use (>16 years), nuclear family, and ≥3 siblings were significantly found to be associated with mobile phone addiction. A binary logistic regression yielded age of first use (16 years) (adjusted odds ratio {aOR}: 3.398; 95% CI: 1.307-8.833) (p=0.012) and ≥3 siblings (aOR: 1.980; 95% CI: 1.141-3.437) (p=0.015) as independent predictors of mobile phone addiction (Table 5 ).

OR: odds ratio; aOR: adjusted odds ratio, 95%; CI: confidence interval, 95%

A statistically significant difference in the mean time spent on weekdays and weekends was observed among those with mobile phone addiction. On working days boys spent a mean time of 3.0 ± 1.5 hours/day whereas girls spent 2.9 ± 1.6 hours/day. On weekends boys spent 3.9 ± 1.0 hours/day whereas girls spent 3.9 ± 1.3 hours/day, but there was no statistically significant difference between gender and time spent on phone. It was also observed that more time was spent on weekends compared to working days on mobile phones by girls and boys.

The prevalence of mobile phone addiction was found to be 33% in the present study among adolescents. Similar studies conducted in India earlier had reported prevalence of MPD as 31.3% by Nikhita et al. in Navi Mumbai and 30.3% in Haryana by Jamir et al. [ 8 , 11 ]. So, our findings are consistent with earlier studies done in India. A slightly higher prevalence of addiction-like behavior was proposed by Basu et al. (40%) in Delhi but this difference could be because of the different study populations (medical students) in which the study had been conducted [ 9 ]. Medical students may be at higher levels of stress and burnout which could render them at risk for developing addictions more than the general population.

When compared with other Global studies the prevalence of mobile phone addiction has ranged from 2.4% to 60.3% [ 2 , 5 ]. Studies done in South Korea by Cha et al. and in China by Chen et al. had shown prevalence similar to this study (30.9% and 29.8%) though they used scales different from this study [ 12 , 13 ]. This emphasizes that our prevalence could be compared with other nations especially South East Asia region. Whereas some studies like Shi et al., in 2021, in China (41.2%) had reported a higher prevalence which could be because of heterogeneous scale (MPAI), and the study focussed on college students [ 14 ]. Similarly, Alsalameh et al. in Saudi Arabia who enrolled an older population (19-32 years) also had reported a higher prevalence than our study [ 2 ]. The differences in prevalence estimated in other studies done in the United Kingdom (10%), Spain (14.8%), Italy (6.3%), and Iran (17.7%) could be because of different scales used for estimation of mobile phone addiction and different study population (mainly school going students who have limited access to mobile phone during school times) [ 15 - 17 ]. The present study was conducted during the pandemic of COVID-19 when nationwide lockdowns were imposed, hence the increased accessibility of mobile phones for online academics would have resulted in higher prevalence too. Along with that, the rapid changes in the use of Internet evolving in recent years could also have led to increased prevalence among adolescents.

In our study, mobile phone addiction was more prevalent among late adolescents (>15 years). Whereas, Gallimberti et al. in their study in Italy among adolescents of age 11 to 13 years reported that problematic use of phones for text messaging increased with age, especially among girls [ 18 ]. Similarly, Lopez-Fernandez et al. in their study done among British adolescents had reported a higher prevalence of problematic mobile phone use among early adolescents (11-14 years) [ 15 ]. As our study did not just pertain to text messaging and covered all aspects of mobile phone use, this variation can be considered. Also, differences in family background and urbanization might also have resulted in the early adolescents being more addicts in previous studies.

A higher prevalence of addiction was seen among boys (33.6%) than girls (32.4%) in our study but was not statistically significant. The higher prevalence among boys was also observed in other studies done by Zou et al. (23.2% vs 22.3%), Chen et al. (30.3% and 29.3%), Basu et al. (41.2% vs 38%), Nikhita et al. (OR 1.91 {95% CI 1.23-2.99}) and Jamir et al. (OR 2.82 {95% CI 1.43-5.59}) [ 8 , 9 , 11 , 13 , 19 ]. In contradiction, many studies have found that female gender is a risk factor for mobile phone addiction [ 14 , 20 , 21 ]. The higher prevalence among boys in our study could be because of more recreational time that they have at their homes compared to girls who often get involved in house chores as usually seen in Indian families.

In the present study, a significant association was found between mobile phone addiction and number of siblings. It was observed that mobile phone addiction was higher among adolescents with more than one sibling than among those who were single child. Similarly, it was more prevalent among families who had a higher number of family members (≥5 members) but the findings were not significant. Similar findings were found in a study by Jamir et al. in Haryana but no significant relation was found [ 11 ]. This could be because higher the number of siblings or members in the family, higher would be the engagement of other media like television and computers to them. This could potentially let the adolescents in such families to depend on mobile phones during their leisure time.

Our study showed a significant association between family type and mobile phone addiction (p=0.038). The addiction was observed to be more in nuclear families (37%) than in joint families (24.1%). Similar findings were also reported by Nikitha et al. and a significant association was found [ 8 ]. This could be attributed to the limited supervision by parents of their children when they are working in nuclear families.

Late ages of initiation of mobile phone usage (≥16 years) were found to have significantly higher proportion of mobile phone addiction than earlier ages. In late adolescence period (≥16 years) they would be influenced by peer groups and curiosity would be more which result in excessive indulgence in such activities. Whereas with an early age of initiation of mobile phone use they would be in alignment with its use which minimizes the risk for addiction.

The mean time spent on mobile phones was significantly higher among adolescents with mobile phone addiction on all days (p=0.011). Also, it was observed that on weekends the overall time spent was higher than other days in our study (p=0.001). But no significant difference was observed in time spent by boys and girls. Cha et al. in their study had also reported that risk group used smartphones longer than normal users [ 12 ]. Nikitha et al. had also observed that increasing amount of time spent on mobile phones per day was significantly associated with mobile phone dependence [ 8 ].

Conclusions

A major limitation of the study was no baseline data were available about the addiction behavior to compare whether the present COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in increased prevalence in this population. Also, as it was a self-reported survey, underestimation of actual time of mobile phone use might have happened. In the future technological records of smartphone use should also be investigated along with self-reporting as it will provide a comprehensive explanation of actual smartphone usage patterns. As it was a cross-sectional study the temporality of the predictors could not be established.

To conclude, the high prevalence of mobile phone addiction found in our study is an indication of the potential public health concern posed by mobile phone use among adolescents in urban settings. Adolescents who are at a transition stage are at a higher risk for technological dependence and addictions nowadays. Hence, it is essential to limit the access to mobile phones for important utility purposes to adolescents. Studies focusing on increasing burden of technology addiction and its effect on psychosocial and physical growth of adolescents is an area to ponder in the future.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, New Delhi, for providing a fellowship in Public Health and Adolescence 2019-20 to Dr. Navya Gangadharan as part of which this study was carried out.

Funding Statement

The study was part of the fellowship on Public Health and Adolescence 2019-20, by MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, New Delhi.

The content published in Cureus is the result of clinical experience and/or research by independent individuals or organizations. Cureus is not responsible for the scientific accuracy or reliability of data or conclusions published herein. All content published within Cureus is intended only for educational, research and reference purposes. Additionally, articles published within Cureus should not be deemed a suitable substitute for the advice of a qualified health care professional. Do not disregard or avoid professional medical advice due to content published within Cureus.

The authors have declared financial relationships, which are detailed in the next section.

Navya Gangadharan, Amod L. Borle, Saurav Basu declare(s) a grant from MAMTA Health Institute for Mother And Child, New Delhi.

Human Ethics

Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi issued approval #F1/IEC/MAMC/(73/01/2020/NO 26). Grant of ethical clearance for research project "Prevalence of mobile phone addiction and its association with risk factors for non-communicable diseases among adolescents in urban areas of Delhi". The committee has decided to approve the study under the referenced has been exempted.

Animal Ethics

Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue.

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Why Do I Addict With Mobile Phone: The True Story Of Youth

The mobile phone helps us carry on with everyday life without the need for many separate devices. The current evolution of mobile phone technology has benefited various groups within communities. Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission annual report 2017 stated that 75.9% of the Malaysian population is smartphone users. Universities students are one of the groups rely on mobile phones. However, several studies showed that excessive mobile phone usage would affect their psychological aspects. This has driven the current study to determine the relationship between psychological factors and mobile phone addiction among Malaysian university students. Using the quantitative approach, this study had distributed questionnaires to 400 respondents, chosen at multi-stage cluster random sampling from four universities. The universities are grouped according to four zones; Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) for northern, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) for central, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) for southern, and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) for the east coast. The results of the study found that mobile phone addiction among Malaysian university students is at a moderate level. Simultaneously, the result of the Pearson’s correlation test shows a significant correlation between mobile phone addiction with three psychological factors among university students in Malaysia.

Keywords: Mobile Phone , Mobile Phone Addiction , Psychological Factor , Social problem , Youth , Youth Development

Introduction

In era of cutting-edge advances in science and technology, mobile phones or smartphones must be owned by the community and are not something strange to our everyday lives. Wherever we are, the phone will always be with us, especially for the younger generation today. The use of mobile phones also has implications that range for each user. As we know, the smartphone is considered a lifestyle trend, especially for adolescents, regardless of whether the upper or middle class. There is no doubt that the smartphone has affected the way people handle their everyday affairs. For example, the smartphone may make it easier for someone to get in touch with the family or with others, and thus, it can enhance and strengthen the ties between family members. The smartphone can also help us learn and know something related to education and so forth.

Mobile phone usage

Before we can identify the addiction to mobile phones, we need to know the pattern of cell phone ownership and usage among Malaysian as a general overview and university students as our primary focus. Handphone user survey made by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission ( 2018 ) shows that the percentage of smartphone ownership in Malaysia has increased by 2.4% from 74.0% in 2017 to 76.4% in 2018. From that number, the higher adoption rate (about 87%) of smartphone users are among younger people aged 20-34 years old. Furthermore, studies have been done by Khalid et al. ( 2016 ) shows that majority of students are smartphones user and have more than ten mobile applications (most of them not only download applications for use but also make comparisons which application is the best). The highest application usage is in the category for socialization purposes (WhatsApp, Telegram, and WeChat). This messaging application facilitates the sharing of information between users, and saves because users only need an Internet connection to connect to overhead calls ( Khalid et al., 2015 ).

Besides, the messaging service allows users to create groups for discussion within a specific community group. This kind of social interaction has been encouraging not only among students but also for most smartphone users. This study also identifies smartphone use paterns for learning purposes that are more likely to be used in communication and interaction between students. In line with developments in the 21st Century, much learning has been developed through discussion, and sharing of ideas and this may signal the degree to which students are prepared for the use of mobile materials for knowledge sharing and no longer rely entirely on lectures and lectures from lecturers ( Daud & Khalid, 2014 ; Khalid, 2014 ). This situation corresponds to the definition of Dependency Theory, which explains that the influence of media is determined by the relationship between the broader social system, the role of media in the system, and the relationship of the audience with the media. Saodah et al. ( 2003 ) give an idea of how society needs this mass media as if their daily tasks are incomplete if they do not get input from this media. In this study, it is clear that the mass media in question is the use of mobile phones.

Mobile Phone Addiction and Psychological Effect

The rapid advancement in technology has made many gadgets, a smartphone is one of them ( Nishad & Rana, 2016 ), and we are using a smartphone for many reasons. For example, people spend their time more likely on social media, do business emails, academic search, finding answers to questions, and playing games. All these activities are doing by people through a smartphone. In relations, statistical shows the smartphone usage increased day by day. Around the world, smartphones were used by 1.85 billion people in 2014, which is expected to be 2.32 billion in 2017 and 2.87 billion in 2020 ( Cha & Seo, 2018 ). As mentioned before, smartphone usage among Malaysian has increase year by year. However, excessive use of mobile phone usage will cause users to become addicted, and it will have a negative impact on their physiological health. Alavi et al. ( 2012 ) states that it becomes an addiction whenever a habit is converted into an obligation. According to Cha and Seo ( 2018 ), adolescents are at high risk of being smartphone addicts.

Furthermore, other research shows that excessive use of smartphone paired with a negative attitude and negative psychological effect such as a feeling of anxiety and if we increase the dependency on gadgets may increase the risk of anxiety and depression ( Jones, 2014 ; Rosen et al., 2013 ; Thomée et al., 2011 ). In the current situation, mobile phone usage during night hours was common among youngsters and reported that poor perceived health was shown due to staying up all night ( Schoeni et al., 2015 ). According to De-Sola Gutiérrez et al. ( 2016 ), sleep deficit, anxiety, stress, and depression, which are all associated with internet abuse, are the symptom of excessive mobile phone usage. When a person uses their cell phone most of the time, unable to cut back on cell phone usage, using cell phones as a solution to boredom, feeling anxiety or depression when your phone is out of your range, and make you losing your relationships.

Reinecke et al. ( 2017 ) investigated psychological health effects and stimulators of digital stress. Communication load was positively related to perceived stress and had an indirect impact on depression and anxiety too. Boumosleh & Jaalouk ( 2017 ) investigated whether anxiety and depression independently contributed to smartphone addiction. Their cross-sectional study proposed that depression and anxiety were also a positive predictor of smartphone addiction. Depression scores were a more powerful predictor as compared to anxiety. Researchers found an intensive increase in cell phone usage among teenagers and the symptoms of depression, suicide risk factors, and the suicide rate in 2012. Cell phone addiction is negatively correlated with academic performance ( Boumosleh and Jaalouk, 2018 ; Baert et al., 2020 ; Lepp et al., 2015 ; Ng et al., 2017 ).

Several studies conducted in Malaysia also show that addiction to mobile phones harms university students’ psychology. Results of a study conducted by Zulkefly & Baharudin ( 2009 ) about mobile phone addiction towards psychological health were significantly stated that any student who is addicted to the use of mobile phones would have lower self-esteem. Another study conducted by Ithnain et al. ( 2018 ) says that university students in Malaysia now tend to get addicted to mobile phones and are exposed to anxiety and depression. Furthermore, Ching et al. ( 2015 ) showed that 46.9% of Malaysian university students were addicted to mobile phones and began to rely on mobile phones in their daily activities. Although studies on the use and addiction of mobile phones are widely conducted globally, in Malaysia, studies related to mobile phone addiction needs to be further enhanced, especially the impact on user psychology.

Problem Statement

Regardless of age and gender, technology is overtaking our daily lives. Mobile phones, tablets, and computers are becoming our best friends. Without our mobile phone, we feel anxious and worried. We rely on our mobile phones for example; we can get directions using GPS navigation, get instant information over the internet, and take instant pictures that can be shared to social sites instantly, communicate and much more with smartphones’ power. Smartphone or mobile phone addiction is not a real illness. It is referring to the overusing of a smartphone. Some find it difficult to function without their phones by their side all time and every day. However, without us even realizing it, excessive consumption of mobile phones will affect the productivity of our daily lives and also their behavior. Thus, this artickes’ writing is intended to identify the relationship between psychological factors and mobile phone addiction among Malaysian university students.

Research Questions

• Are university students in Malaysia excessively to the mobile phones?
• Which psychological factors are able to influence by mobile phone usage among university students in Malaysia?

Purpose of the Study

• To know the level of mobile phone addiction among university students in Malaysia.
• To know the relationship between psychological factors and mobile phone addiction among university students in Malaysia.

Research Methods

This is a quantitative study whereby a developed questionnaire was employed to gain the required data. The questionnaire was developed based on the literature review and past studies. There are six sections in this questionnaire; smartphone usage, smartphone usage addiction scale, loneliness, shyness, perceived stress, and respondents’ background. The completed questionnaire was then pre-tested among 30 selected students from selected faculty in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The population of the study was the undergraduate students of 18 public universities in peninsular Malaysia. A multi-stage cluster random sampling was employed at the first stage, which is all the university (only the main campus) will be grouped according to four zones (northern, southern, central, and east coast). The southern zone comprises of states such as Johor, Malacca, and Negeri Sembilan (UTHM, USIM, UTeM, UTM). The central zone comprises states such as Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Perak (UPM, UKM, UIA, UPNM, UPSI). For east coast zone comprises states such as Pahang, Terengganu, and Kelantan (UMT, UnisZA, UMK, UMP). While northern zone comprises states such as Pulau Pinang, Kedah and Perlis (UUM, UNIMAP, USM). Then, for each zone, only one university was selected to represent that zone. Next, a faculty were randomly selected from each of the university, and at the last stage of sampling, a total of 100 students of each faculty were selected as the respondents. It makes 400 undergraduate students selected as the respondents for the actual data collection for this study. The questionnaire was distributed to the respondents and self-administer method were employed. The process of data collection is monitored by the research team to ensure that the data required can be gathered. After completing all collection activities, the data obtained will be analyzed using SPSS.

In table 01 shows the demographic profile of the respondents. From the table, four universities were involved in these studies with sum of 400 respondents. 65.5% of that number were male. The respondents are divided into 2 age category; students aged 20 years old and below, and students aged 21 years old and above. We can see that 66% of them fall into the category aged 21 years old and above. Furthermore, most of the respondents are Malay (79.3%), and the rest are Chinese, Indian, Sarawakian, Sabahan, and others. Besides, 59.8% of the respondents still in year 1 of their studies.

Next, table 02 below shows the level of mobile phone usage and mobile phone addiction among university students in Malaysia. For mobile phone usage, most of the respondents fall into moderate category with 63.8%, M= 3.465 and SD = 0.54899. Meanwhile, for mobile phone addiction, 46.8% of the respondents are at a moderate level. However, 36.8% of them is at a high level of mobile phone addiction.

A Pearson product-moment correlation was employed to investigate any relationship between mobile phone addiction and psychological factors. The psychological factors that had been selected were loneliness, shyness, and perceived stress. The summary table below shows a positive and significant relationship between mobile phone addiction and all psychological factors (loneliness,=0.000 and r=0.204; shyness, p=0.000 and r=0.207; and perceived stress, p=0.000 and r=0.288). As shown in table 03 below, the results of this study are in line with the findings from previous studies stating that addiction to mobile phones negatively impact user psychology.

A Pearson product-moment correlation again was employed to investigate any relationship between mobile phone usage and psychological factors. The psychological factors that had been selected were also loneliness, shyness, and perceived stress. The summary in table 04 below shows that only one psychological factor has a significant relationship between mobile phone usage (which is perceived stress p=0.034 and r=0.091). However, the other two psychological factors (loneliness and shyness) do not have a significant relationship with mobile phone usage among universities student in Malaysia.

There is no denying that mobile phones now provide many benefits and simplify daily affairs, however, if we are too engrossed in this mobile phone, it will actually 'haunt' us. In fact, many of us may not be aware that this mobile phone is now one of the causes of its users’ psychological health problems. Moreover, from the findings, mobile phone usage and mobile phone addiction among university students in Malaysia are at a moderate level. However, this trend is beginning to show a shift to higher and more severe levels. Which is this situation can eventually have a negative impact while further affecting their level of psychological health. Furthermore, more in-depth studies on the impact on mobile phone users’ psychological well-being of should be conducted to identify other effects that users may experience. Another recommendation is to implement health education and interventions related to mobile phone that are appropriate to deal with addiction and improve their mental well-being that can empower students to practice healthy behaviors.

Acknowledgments

Putra Grant from Universiti Putra Malaysia supported this research.

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Ramli, S. A., Ahmad Ghazali, A. H., & Mohamed Shafril, H. A. (2021). Why Do I Addict With Mobile Phone: The True Story Of Youth. In C. S. Mustaffa, M. K. Ahmad, N. Yusof, M. B. M. H. @. Othman, & N. Tugiman (Eds.), Breaking the Barriers, Inspiring Tomorrow, vol 110. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 349-356). European Publisher. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2021.06.02.45

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Essay on Mobile Addiction in English for Children and Students

Table of Contents

Mobile addiction essay: Everyone these days is hooked to his/her mobile phone. While we may dismiss this as a common behaviour in the current times, the truth is that it has deep behavioural and social impacts. Mobile addiction is a real problem and a cause of great concern. It impacts our health, relationships as well as work. People suffering from mobile addiction suffer from nomophobia which is the fear of being without or unable to use your mobile phone for some reason or the other.

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Long and Short Essay on Mobile Addiction in English

Here are long and short essay on mobile addiction to help you with the topic in your exam or other competitions.

These mobile addiction essay have been written in simple language to convey the facts on mobile addiction.

After going through the essay you would be able to know what is mobile phone addiction, signs and symptoms of mobile phone addiction; impacts/effects of mobile phone addiction and treatment of mobile phone addiction etc.

Also Read: Essay on Computer Addiction

Short Essay on Mobile Addiction 200 words

Mobile phones offer the freedom to instantly connect with just about anyone around the world. They enable us to find any information we require and are a great source of entertainment. While this invention was aimed at empowering us, sadly it is turning out to be something that is overpowering us. Most mobile users these days are suffering from mobile addiction.

One can do so much on a mobile phone. Our mobile phones enable us to indulge in gaming, gambling and online shopping. They connect us with people around the world, allow us to watch movies, click pictures, listen to music, surf the internet and enjoy various other activities. It is hard not to get addicted to this power house of entertainment.

However, it is essential not to fall prey to it. This is because its repercussions could be damaging. Mobile addiction causes several serious problems such as headache, weakened eyesight, sleep disorders, depression, social isolation, stress, aggressive behaviour, financial problems, ruined relationships and no or low professional growth.

Mobile phones have been created for our convenience. We must limit their usage to take charge of our lives. If you feel, you are getting addicted to your mobile phone then look for ways to get rid of it. You should also take it as your responsibility to help your loved ones get rid of this addiction.

Also Check: Essay on Addiction

Essay on Mobile Addiction 300 words – Signs and Symptoms

Mobile addiction is a growing concern. It is easy to get addicted to mobile phones but hard to overcome it. Numerous people around the world are addicted to their mobile phones. The behaviour pattern of mobile addicts is more or less the same. There are certain signs and symptoms that clearly show that a person is addicted to his/ her mobile phone.

Signs and Symptoms of Mobile Addiction

Here are some of the signs and symptoms of people suffering from mobile addiction:

• Display Withdrawal Symptoms: Mobile phone addicts get anxious and angry if their mobile phone battery gets low or dies. They also display anxiety and appear extremely restless, on misplacing their mobile phone. They are almost on the verge of getting a panic attack in such a situation.
• Hallucinate: Some mobile phone addicts even hear their mobile phone ring or vibrate even when it’s actually not the situation.
• Prefer Connecting With People Online: Mobile addicts prefer connecting with people online rather than talking to those, they are surrounded with. They will be on their phone continually even during social gatherings, family dinners or outing with friends.
• Check Mobile Phone Frequently: Mobile addicts check their mobile phones almost every minute even if there is nothing important to do. They simply scroll through the apps to check notifications or view who is online and indulge in other such useless activities on their mobile. They are so addicted to their mobile phones that they do not hesitate checking them even while driving, taking shower and in the middle of an important meeting.
• Lose Sense of Time: Another sign of mobile addiction is a lost sense of time. A person who is addicted to mobile phone loses complete sense of time. He is often late to work and delays important tasks giving priority to his mobile phone.

Also Check: Essay on TV Addiction

People addicted to mobile phones show all or some of the above mentioned symptoms. It is important to take these signs seriously and help your loved ones suffering from mobile addiction.

Essay on Solutions for Mobile Addiction 400 words

How to Get Away/Overcome from Mobile Addiction

It would not be wrong to say that humans have become a slave of the technology. We have particularly grown addicted to our mobile phones. Most people in the current times suffer from severe mobile addiction. It is as if their world revolves around their mobile phones and they cannot do without it even for an hour. It is important to overcome this addiction in order to lead a healthy, wealthy and peaceful life.

Here is how you can overcome mobile addiction:

As is the case with other types of addictions, you cannot overcome mobile addiction unless you do not want to seriously give up on it. Once, you determine, you wish to get over mobile addiction, you can do so by following the below mentioned tips:

• Set Time for Mobile Use

Restrict your mobile usage by setting the number of hours you aim to spend on mobile each day. Assign a fixed amount of time for each activity such as social media, texting, gaming or watching videos. There are apps that help you calculate the time you spend on different apps. Use these apps to work this out.

• Indulge in Other Activities

Involve yourself in activities such as painting, dancing, playing indoor/outdoor games, completing household tasks and the likes to stay occupied. This will lower your urge to check your cell phone frequently.

Help From Loved Ones

Your loved ones always have your back and will be happy to help you get rid of mobile addiction. Spend time talking to your parents, playing with your kid or helping your spouse with work rather than trying to connect with an unknown person online. You will soon notice how much more fun these activities are. Likewise, you may call your friends over to your place and indulge in various fun activities to get your mind off the mobile as you try to get rid of this addiction.

Professional Help

If you aren’t able to cope up with mobile addiction on your own and do not think your loved ones can help you much either then it is time to seek professional help. There are therapists who specialise in mobile addiction therapy. They offer individual as well as group therapy to help get rid of this addiction.

Mobile addiction can ruin our life if it is not stopped on time. Getting rid of this habit may be difficult but it is not impossible. With some effort and support from the loved ones, you can overcome this problem over the time. If this does not help, you should not hesitate to seek professional help.

Also Check: Essay on Technology Addiction

Essay on Impact of Mobile Addiction 500 words

Our mobile phone is meant to ease things for us. It helps us connect with our near and dear ones almost instantly. Communicating with our relatives and friends living in distant lands has become extremely easy with the introduction of mobile phones. A mobile phone with a high speed internet connection serves numerous purposes.

It helps us order food, shop online, look for just about any information online, read e-books, enjoy gaming and what not. But alas, while a mobile phone should be a value addition to our lives, it is turning out to be something that is degrading it. Mobile phones are becoming more and more addictive with the introduction of newer applications each day. Mobile addiction is taking a toll on our lives.

Impact of Mobile Addiction

More than half of the mobile users around the world are addicted to their mobile phones. Mobile addiction is impacting us on different levels.

• Impulsive and Aggressive Behaviour

People addicted to mobile phones are known to show impulsive and aggressive behaviour. They keep checking their mobile phone every few minutes and cannot do without it. New messages and notifications give them a high. Lack of these can make them angry and depressed.

Anger and aggression is particularly seen among those who spend most time playing violent games on their mobile.

• Decreased Attention Span

People addicted to cell phones aren’t able to concentrate on work for long. Too much screen time impacts the brain adversely and decreases the ability to focus. Besides, mobile addicts have a continuous urge to check their cell phones. Thus, they cannot focus on the work in hand.

• Poor Eyesight and Headache

Mobile addicts often complain of headache. They develop migraine issues over the time. Viewing the screen for a long time also hurts the eyes and affects the eyesight.

• Sleep Disorders and Depression

Mobile addicts use their mobile phones until late at night and often develop sleep disorders. The impact of sleep disorders is known to all. It can hamper our work and impact our health badly. Mobile addicts often cut ties from the real world. They are mostly busy connecting with people online, gaming and watching videos. Lack of human contact is the first step to moving towards depression.

• Brain Cancer

Studies reveal that people who talk on their mobile phone for several of hours a day have a high chance of developing brain cancer. This is because mobile phones emit radio waves that damage the brain cells. However, many scientists and medical practitioners do not agree with this finding.

Continual use of mobile phones also impacts our nervous system adversely.

Phubbing is the term used to refer to the habit of constantly checking your mobile even when you are surrounded by people. Mobile addicts develop this habit and it is not good for their personal relationships. As they try to connect with people online, they distance themselves from their loved ones who crave their love and attention. Mobile addicts thus suffer from severe relationship issues.

As much as we neglect it, mobile addiction has become a big problem today. It is hampering our professional life and ruining our personal relationships. Mobile phones are causing more harm than good. People experiencing the problem of mobile addiction must make an effort to get rid of it and return to the real world.

Also Check: Essay on Addiction of Gadgets

Long Essay on Mobile Addiction 600 words – A Common Problem

Mobile addiction is growing by the day. With the introduction of newer and more attractive apps, people are spending more and more time on their mobile phones rather than concentrating on their real life. People have become delusional. They have created a new world for themselves with their mobile phones being central to their lives. It is sad to see how mobile addiction is robbing people of their real lives.

You may have heard about hydrophobia, acrophobia and claustrophobia but have you heard of nomophobia? This is a new kind of fear that is seen in huge number of humans. Nomophobia is “no mobile phone, phobia”. It is the fear of being without one’s mobile phone. It may seem funny to some, but it is an actual fear that grips more than half of the mobile users across the globe. The human race has grown so addicted to their mobile phones that they have developed this new type of fear. The problem is serious and needs attention.

People suffering from nomophobia show the following signs:

• They get easily angered or irritated when they cannot access their phone.
• They panic when they do not find their mobile phone.
• They take their mobile phone everywhere they go including the washroom, dining table and other places where it should not be used.
• They stress when the battery is low.
• They check their mobile phones almost every minute.
• They avoid places that do not have Wi-Fi connections.

Mobile Addiction among Teens

A mobile phone serves as an escape from the problems of real life. People of every age group suffer from mobile addiction. However, teenagers are most likely to develop this addiction.

Teenagers are in that phase of their life where they are discovering and exploring new things. They have numerous questions and their mobile phones have the answers. A mobile phone with an internet connection can answer almost any question they have.

They also have a lot to share but are often hesitant to talk about the same with their parents or teachers. This is because most parents these days are so engrossed in their work that they do not have time to talk to or listen to their kids. Secondly, many things they may want to discuss may be rather embarrassing. Their mobile phones can connect them with numerous people around the world. They make online friends and comfortably share their feelings with them.

Teenagers also like to brag about any new development in their life as it makes them feel superior to others. It is a way to gain popularity in school/ college and win over more friends. Their mobile phones enable them to do so by way of social media platforms.

Teens addicted to mobile phones are the worst. They cannot concentrate on their studies. Mobile addiction bars their ability to focus and lowers their ability to grasp things. Those addicted to mobile phones also have a higher risk of developing habits such as smoking, drinking and taking drugs. They also grow socially awkward as they are constantly on their mobile phone. So, their future is at stake.

Parents must ensure that they do not give smart phones to their teenage kids. It is time for them to concentrate on their studies and explore their interest in other useful activities. They should explore the world the right way and not by means of a mobile phone.

Mobile addiction is more serious than what we think. We must help our loved ones going through this problem. We can help them by talking to them about this problem without being judgemental. Express empathy and be open to their negative reactions. It is difficult to cope up with this problem, but the support from family and friends, can be really helpful in overcoming mobile addiction.

FAQs on Mobile Addiction

What are the symptoms of mobile addiction.

Symptoms include excessive screen time, feeling anxious without the phone, neglecting responsibilities, and constantly checking the phone even without notifications.

How does phone addiction affect your brain?

Phone addiction can reduce attention span, increase stress levels, disrupt sleep, and even alter brain areas linked to decision-making and emotional processing.

How can I reduce my phone usage?

To reduce phone usage, set screen time limits, use grayscale mode, keep phones out of the bedroom, designate tech-free times, and prioritize face-to-face interactions.

What are the bad effects of mobile phones?

Excessive mobile use can lead to eye strain, disrupted sleep, increased stress, decreased face-to-face social interaction, and physical ailments like text neck.

What is the healthy screen time?

Healthy screen time varies by age. For adults, it's advisable to limit recreational screen time to 2 hours daily, while ensuring regular breaks.

Is mobile addiction a serious problem?

Yes, mobile addiction is a growing concern as it can negatively impact mental and physical health, relationships, and overall well-being.

What is the main cause of mobile addiction?

The main cause is the instant gratification phones provide through social media, games, and constant connectivity, which can trigger dopamine release, reinforcing the habit.

What is mobile phone addiction?

Mobile phone addiction is an over-reliance on smartphones, leading to excessive screen time and the inability to reduce usage despite its negative consequences.

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Cell Phone Addiction, Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 1235

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Nowadays, many individuals have become more and more addicted and dependable on phones, specifically smart call phone s. This often happens without these individuals realizing how the excessive and inappropriate use of their cell phones can create several of problems in their social and everyday lives. Because of this, cell phone addiction can easily be denied as an incredibly serious compulsive disorder that has been increasing with newly available technology.            As technology has progressed throughout the years, innovate phones and intriguing apps make it almost impossible and irresistible for individuals to be able to put their phones down in social settings, such as a family dinner. In fact, scientific debates have recently arisen that question whether cell phone addiction, along with gambling, should be added to the new DSM-V addiction list (Choliz, 2010, p. 373). Having said this, it is imperative to make it known that the primary purpose of this research paper cognizant of the actuality that chronic cell phone usage can indeed be a huge problem in society today. This can lead to problems inside one ’ s own family as well as conflicts in the workplace. The result of the excessive cell phone usage creates social, behavioral, and affective problems in the lives of future teenagers all around the world.

Something that must be openly understood is the fact that a teenager ’ s social experience can deeply be affected by the manner in which he or she uses his or her cell phone. For example, for a teenager to be using his or her cell phone during a party makes this certain individual unsocial. This can result in a person only having friends online as opposed to having the real thing of having personal friends to interact with on a daily basis. While this controversy might seem worrisome to many older individuals, people should realize that if a teenager is not able to have a social life, he/she might end up leading a depressed lifestyle. Also, as W.K. Park points out, loneliness is “positively associated with mobile phone addiction” which shows that addicted persons tend to reduce their feelings of loneliness by using mobile devices, such as a cell phone (2005, p. 260).

This kind of behavior would not only affect the teenager, but also the teenager ’ s family members. The fact of the matter is that cell phones have become so addictive nowadays that teenagers do not realize that they are addicted to their cell phones until it is too late and they have already lost the majority of their friends because of the manner in which they have shut everybody out of their lives. It goes without saying that this type of behavior should be stopped immediately because it has a huge impact on the kind of individuals that will grow up to lead the world into a better tomorrow. However, this “ better tomorrow ” will not be able to be made if these teenagers grow up being socially awkward.

A second aspect that must be considered when talking about cell phone addiction is the fact that, due to the fact that cell phones have so many addictive applications on them, teenagers choose to use their cell phones for extended periods of time in order to pass certain levels on a video game. While there is nothing wrong with a teenager playing a simple video game on his or her cell phone, some of these games are extremely violent for young teenagers to be playing. These violent video games are often times difficult for parents to monitor because no teenagers wishes to have his or her parents looking through his or her phone. Without parental supervision, teenagers find it much easier to download violent video games or explicit content unto their phones. This kind of behavior creates grave problems for teenagers, as they lose sense of what is real and what is portrayed in their little phone screen. In order to avoid this type of behavior altogether, it should be considered each child ’ s parents ’ responsibility to monitor what his or her child is watching in his or her cell phone and ensure that nothing inside that cell phone could prove to be detrimental to the teenager ’ s behavior either at home at school.

The reason as to why a cell phone addiction might prove to be increasingly dangerous to some teenagers is because of the fact that some teenagers are not quite ready to know how to keep their social and behavioral life in shape. As a result of this, teenagers often times find it normal to spend unreasonable hours throughout their own respective day looking through their phone and talking to other individuals online. The problem that is brought forth with these kinds of actions is that it is only a matter of time until face-to-face interaction is considered taboo. When society reaches this point, it is a fair statement to say that cell phone addiction will have taken over the majority of society. In order to prevent teenagers from being prone to chronic cell phone addictions is by making sure that the teenager ’ s parents limit the amount of time allowed on the cell phone. Another method that could be used by parents is for them to ask their teenagers to turn in their phones by the end of the night to ensure that their children are getting their necessary sleep and are not spending all of their night on the phone instead.

The result of the excessive cell phone usage creates social, behavioral, and affective problems in the lives of future teenagers all around the world. Despite the fact that there is no definitive manner by which this addiction can be put to a stop once and for all, there are a number of alternatives that could be taken by certain parents in order to ensure that their children do not become prone to the kind of addiction that is often linked to yield unproductive teenagers who do not have much ambition in life. In today ’ s increasingly technological world, it is without a doubt that it would be invariably difficult to put a stop to the kind of addiction that is present in the world today. One way that would help would be for researchers to conduct more studies on cell phone addiction and related addictions through bibliographic databases that refer specifically to Internet, video games, and cell phone addiction ( Carbonell, Guardiola, Beranuy, & Bellés, 2009).

Carbonell, X., Guardiola, E., Beranuy, M., & Bellés, A. (2009). A bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on Internet, video games, and cell phone addiction . Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA, (97) 2, 102-107. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2670219

Choliz, M. (2010). Mobile phone addiction: a point of issue. Addiction (105) 2, 373-374.

Grohol, J. (n.d.). Coping with cell phone addiction. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/ lib/coping-with-cell-phone-addiction/

Hersman, D. (2015). Cell phones: A potentially deadly addiction. Retrieved from  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-hersman/cell-phones-a- potentially_b_7161074.html

Murdock, S. (2015). Our addiction to cell phones is costing lives: Here’s how we can stop it. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/cell-phone-addiction- driving_n_7543464.html

Park, W. K. (2005). Mobile phone addiction. In R. Ling & P.E. Pedersen (Eds.) Mobile Communications , 253-272. London, UK: Springer.

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Essay on Effect Of Mobile Phone On Teenager

Students are often asked to write an essay on Effect Of Mobile Phone On Teenager 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.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Effect Of Mobile Phone On Teenager

Introduction.

Mobile phones are a common part of our lives, especially for teenagers. They use them for various purposes like communication, learning, and entertainment. The impact of mobile phones on teenagers is both positive and negative.

Positive Effects

Mobile phones can be very useful for teenagers. They can use them for learning, as many educational apps are available. They can also stay connected with friends and family, which is good for their social life. Moreover, phones can be used for safety purposes, allowing parents to track their teenagers.

Negative Effects

On the other hand, mobile phones can also have negative effects on teenagers. Excessive use can lead to addiction, affecting their studies and health. It can also expose them to inappropriate content online. Cyberbullying is another major concern.

In conclusion, mobile phones have both positive and negative effects on teenagers. It’s important for parents and educators to guide teenagers on the right use of mobile phones. This will ensure they benefit from them without facing the negative impacts.

250 Words Essay on Effect Of Mobile Phone On Teenager

Positive impact.

Mobile phones can be very useful for teenagers. They can use it for educational purposes, like researching school projects or learning new things. It’s also a handy tool for staying in touch with friends and family. Mobile phones also provide a sense of security, as teenagers can reach their parents or emergency services in case of need.

Negative Impact

Despite the benefits, mobile phones can also have negative effects on teenagers. They can become addicted to their phones, spending too much time on social media or playing games. This can lead to less time for studying, physical activities, or interacting with others in person. It can also disrupt their sleep if they use their phones late at night.

Health Issues

Excessive use of mobile phones can cause health issues in teenagers. Staring at the screen for long periods can lead to eye strain and headaches. It can also lead to poor posture and related problems due to constantly bending over the phone.

In conclusion, while mobile phones are useful tools for teenagers, they can also have negative impacts. It’s important for teenagers to use their phones responsibly and for parents to monitor their use to ensure a healthy balance.

500 Words Essay on Effect Of Mobile Phone On Teenager

Mobile phones are a part of our everyday life. They are like small computers we carry in our pockets. While mobile phones have many benefits, they can also have some negative effects. This essay will focus on the impact of mobile phones on teenagers.

Learning and Information

Social interaction.

Mobile phones allow teenagers to stay connected with their friends and family. They can use them to send messages, make calls, and share photos and videos. This can help teenagers feel more connected and less alone. But, too much time on mobile phones can also lead to less face-to-face interaction. This can make teenagers feel isolated and lonely.

Health Impact

Spending too much time on mobile phones can have a negative impact on teenagers’ health. It can lead to poor sleep, eye strain, and even physical discomfort like neck and back pain. Spending a lot of time sitting and using a mobile phone can also lead to a lack of physical activity, which is not good for overall health.

Online Safety

In conclusion, mobile phones can have both positive and negative effects on teenagers. They can be a great tool for learning and staying connected, but they can also lead to health problems and safety risks. It is important for teenagers to learn how to use their mobile phones in a balanced and responsible way. This will help them reap the benefits of this technology, while also protecting their health and well-being.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Happy studying!

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Mobile Phone Addiction Among Youth

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fritz laureta

ayesha naeem

Asian Online Journal Publishing Group

In reviewing digital addiction, this paper recognized that digital technology has been useful in various spheres of life and the reach is undeniable, with an " average " user spending long hours on their phone or online daily. These hours increase as new applications are released by various technological companies. The demands of modern lifestyles have also lead to heavy dependence on various digital technologies for information, inter-personal relationships, entertainment and even economic transactions. There is no doubt that the over dependence on digital technology may result in addiction. Digital addiction is similar to other addictions; those suffering from it exhibit compulsive behaviour and use the virtual fantasy world as a substitution for real-life human connection. Although all of its true effects are not known, the impacts on an addicted users " life are serious and may led to social isolation, anxiety, depression, immune system disruption, brain damage and even death, Indeed, we are all at the receiving end of digital technology and deserve adequate safeguards and protections against the attendant risks of this technological revolution. In recommendations, health and safety education, time restriction and constant monitoring should be employed to safeguards healthy ways of using digital technology.

KOREA OBSERVER

Young-Gil Chae

There is increasing public concern in Asian countries over the effects of increased mobile media use on individuals and society. Chief among these concerns is the fear that young people are becoming addicted to internet-enabled " smartphones. " The current research seeks to determine the antecedents and consequences of smartphone addiction (i.e., problematic smartphone use), using samples from South Korea (N = 241) and the U.S. (N = 222). In both samples, we find that lower levels of self-control and higher levels of need for belonging are both uniquely associated with problematic smartphone use and that checking social media is the type of phone use exhibiting the strongest association with problematic use. This suggests that problematic smartphone use is not culturally specific, and that self-regulatory and social components both contribute to its development.

Journal ijmr.net.in(UGC Approved)

Background: The mobile phone as a technological device has become a part and parcel of our life. Some researchers consider young people's obsession with mobile phones as a form of addiction while others prefer to use milder terms like involvement. Mobile phone usage is influenced by factors like gender, age and personality traits. Aims: This study aims at investigating gender differences in mobile phone use and involvement among college students. It also aims at exploring the impact of two personality variables namely self esteem and need to belong on mobile phone involvement. Methodology: The study conducted on 250 college students(125 male and 125 female)uses questionnaires to measure mobile phone involvement, (Walsh, et.al, 2008) self-esteem (Rosenberg, 1965) and Need to Belong(Learyet.al 1995).Data is also gathered about 6 parameters of mobile phone use. Results: Findings indicated that mobile phone use is higher among male subjects than female subjects. However there are no significant gender differences in mobile phone involvement. Further need to belong is found to be a significant factor in influencing mobile phone involvement in both males and females but self esteem does not have significant effects. Conclusions: Results lend only partial support to the idea that there are gender differences in mobile phone use. Need to belong is an important predictor of mobile phone involvement.

Smartphones enable and encourage our constant connection to information, entertainment, and social circles by putting the world at our fingertips. Research from a technology website suggested that we touch our smartphones about 2,617 times a day (Winnick, 2016). Although these devices benefit our lives in many ways, their persistent presence may come at a cost. Therefore, I am interested in what make people addicted to smartphone from three perspectives: psychology, cognition, and technology.

European Journal of Scientific …

Sheereen Zulkefly

Telekung Isminoraini HQ

Computers in Human Behavior

Richard Joiner

Steven Martin

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A Look at State Efforts to Ban Cellphones in Schools and Implications for Youth Mental Health

Nirmita Panchal and Sasha Zitter Published: Sep 05, 2024

Heading into the 2024-2025 school year, a growing number of states are implementing or considering state-wide bans on cellphones in schools. Many leaders in education and policymakers suggest cellphone bans will help mitigate youth mental health concerns and distractions during academic instruction. The resurgence of cellphone bans follows two advisories from the U.S. Surgeon General on the youth mental health crisis and the harmful impacts of social media use and recommendations from UNESCO to limit cellphone use in schools across the world. Unlike many recent political issues, school cellphone ban policies have largely received bipartisan support, and the Biden-Harris administration continues to promote online safety for youth. At the same time, research on the effectiveness of cellphone bans is limited, and although multiple states are adopting these bans, challenges remain with enforcement, accommodating exceptions, and equity.

How widespread are school cellphone bans?

Cellphone bans began decades ago amid concerns about drug deals among students via cellphones or pager devices, and have fluctuated since. In 2009, 91% of public schools prohibited cellphone use, which fell to 66% in 2015 before rising again to 76% in 2021. Cellphone bans are now being considered at the state level in light of growing student academic and mental health concerns that are associated with excessive use of smartphones.

Seven states have passed state-wide policies that ban or restrict cellphone use in schools as of September 4, 2024 (Figure 1) . These policies vary from state to state. 

• Florida passed a phone ban for K-12 classrooms that prohibits cellphone use during class time and blocks access to social media for all devices on district Wi-Fi. Additionally, there is a digital literacy component beginning in sixth grade that requires education on the spread of misinformation on social media and digital footprints. The ban went into effect in July 2024.
• Indiana’s ban prohibits students from using any portable wireless device (including cellphones, gaming devices, laptops, and tablets) during instructional time, with exceptions from teachers and/or administrators, or during emergencies. Each school board in Indiana is then expected to draft and publicly post specific policies for their schools – i.e. whether students can access their devices during lunch or what consequences students may face for using prohibited devices. The ban went into effect in July 2024.
• Louisiana passed a ban , which will take effect in the 2024-2025 academic year, that prohibits both the use and possession of cellphones throughout the school day. If cellphones are brought onto school property, they must be turned off and stored away. Exceptions can be made for students who require learning accommodations.
• Minnesota’s bill instructs school districts and charter schools to adopt policies on student cell phone use and possession by March 2025, but it does not specify the nature or extent of these policies.
• Ohio’s ban , similarly to Indiana’s, requires every school district to create and implement official policies regarding cellphone use at school. The bill includes exceptions for those with health conditions that require monitoring or for learning accommodations. The bill will take effect in August 2024.
• South Carolina’s ban was implemented via the Governor’s Budget Proviso 1.103 , which requires public schools seeking State Aid to Classrooms to implement the model policy drafted by the State Board of Education beginning in January 2025. The Board’s model policy was approved in September of 2024, prohibiting students from accessing unauthorized electronic devices unless authorized for educational or health purposes. A special exception is made for students who volunteer for emergency response organizations, who must receive written permission.
• Virginia’s Governor established Executive Order 33 , which ordered state officials to solicit public opinion regarding cellphones in schools to allow them to create definitions of “cellphone-free education” and to publish both model implementation plans and draft policy guidance to inform public school systems’ phone policies. The governor also ordered the state to make $500,000 available to support the implementation of school cellphone policies.

Fourteen states have introduced state-wide legislation that bans or restricts cellphone use in schools and education departments in six states have issued recommended policies or pilot programs that similarly aim to ban or restrict cellphone use in schools (Figure 1) . States are taking a variety of measures to mitigate cellphone use during instruction time. In Alabama , Connecticut , New Hampshire , and West Virginia , their respective education departments have issued guidance on restricting cellphone use in schools (Figure 1). Pilot programs via the education departments in Arkansas and Delaware allocate funds for students to use lockable magnetic phone pouches during school hours. Similarly, while legislation is under consideration in Pennsylvania, the Governor amended the existing School Safety and Mental Health grant program, allowing for the purchase of lockable phone pouches. Georgia has restricted access to social media platforms during school, and New Jersey established a commission to study the effects of social media use at school. Arizona and Utah each introduced bills that subsequently failed, but draft bills indicate that these states continue to work towards phone-free learning environments.

Implementation and enforcement of cellphone bans may be difficult to navigate . The enforcement of these cellphone bans often becomes an added responsibility for teachers . Exceptions to these bans are also challenging to navigate as many students may need their devices for medical reasons or parents have differing expectations for maintaining contact. Additionally, cellphone bans have brought to light equity concerns – for example, New York’s prior state-wide cellphone ban was lifted in 2015 in part because of stricter enforcement at schools serving students from low-income households compared to schools serving students from high-income households. At the same time, banning cellphones has been linked to positive outcomes, such as improved test scores , especially among students who typically do not perform as well academically.

What is the connection between cellphone use and mental health?

Youth often use cellphones to access social media and social media is linked to poor mental health . In 2023, a survey of adolescents found that 51% reported using social media for at least four hours per day. Adolescent social media use is associated with higher rates of anxiety and depression, exposure to harmful content – the effects of which adolescents are more susceptible to – and body dissatisfaction and eating disorders , especially among girls. Excessive social media use and social media addiction are associated with sleep issues , which may result in negative neurological effects . However, social media use among youth can also be beneficial as it allows for self-expression, finding communities with shared interests, and accessing important resources, including mental health resources.

Approximately nine in ten public schools report occurrences of cyberbullying – a form of bullying through technological devices, including cellphones – among students (Figure 2) . Cyberbullying is associated with social and emotional distress , depression , and suicidal ideation among youth and is more often  experienced  by female and sexual minority youth compared to their peers. In 2023, 16% of high school students reported electronic bullying, and this was heightened among LGBT+ adolescents (25%) and females (21%). Technological devices can also be used to create and spread digitally altered pornographic content without consent – a practice that primarily targets females and may negatively impact their mental health. Further, cellphone ownership among youth is linked to increased experiences of cyberbullying.

Excessive cellphone use can distract from in-person socialization and is associated with loneliness among adolescents . Establishing and building relationships with peers is beneficial to youth well-being and can have a protective effect on adolescents experiencing adversity. With the distraction of cellphones, peer relationship-building may be negatively impacted.

Approximately 40% of public schools report moderate to severe negative impacts on student learning and on teacher and staff morale when students use their electronic devices without permission (Figure 3) . Many teachers report that students being distracted with their cellphones is a major problem in their classrooms and that enforcing cellphone restrictions is challenging. The presence of smart phones may reduce cognitive capacity, especially for those highly addicted to their phones, and notifications disrupt focus and attention. Further, there is a negative association between time spent on smartphones and academic performance.

What is known on the effectiveness of cellphone bans and other actions to address youth mental health?

While evidence on the outcomes of school cellphone bans is limited, widespread concerns regarding the harms of smartphone use on youth well-being continue to invoke action by policymakers and leaders in education . Emerging research on student outcomes is mixed, with some studies suggesting improvements in student mental health and academic performance and a reduction in bullying, and others showing little to no change. While evidence on school bans is inconsistent, rising concerns regarding the harms of social media and internet use among youth have led to policy and safety measures being introduced at the state and federal level. For instance, policymakers recently introduced bipartisan legislation – the Focus on Learning Act – that calls on the U.S. Department of Education to conduct studies on the impact of cellphone use on students’ academic and mental health outcomes, among other provisions. Cellphone bans in schools, however, cannot serve as the sole response to technology-associated harm to youth. Other multi-prong approaches are also being implemented, such as the Biden-Harris administration’s continued efforts to improve online safety for children. These include creating the Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force , which recently released Best Practices for Families and Guidance for Industry , and a Call to Action to mitigate image-based sexual abuse. Additionally, the Surgeon General recommended that social media platforms include a warning label that states that social media is linked to poor mental health among adolescents.

• Mental Health
• Affordable Care Act
• Adolescents
• State Level

Also of Interest

• Addressing Youth Mental Health with Social and Emotional Learning in Schools
• Examining New Medicaid Resources to Expand School-Based Behavioral Health Services
• Recent Trends in Mental Health and Substance Use Concerns Among Adolescents