Smartphone addiction is characterised by loss of sense of time and can cause anger, depression, irritability if withdrawal ( Source: Smartphone Addiction – HelpGuide.org). In addition, research indicates that our mental and physical health are associated with the issue. Also, It has been established that 20 % of smartphone users spend 4,5 hours on the phone on a weekday (Source: Average Screen Time: Statistics 2021 (elitecontentmarketer.com)
Why does a smartphone addiction need special attention?
- It can impair your ability to interact in the real world and impact your relationships, personal and professional.
- Also, It can lead to inbalance in brain chemistry that triggers anxiety and depression.
What’s more?
According to Healthline, Smartphone addiction can result to:
- Nomophibia- the fear of going without your phone.
- Textaphrenia- the fear that you can’t send or receive texts.
- Phantom vibrations- the feeling that your phone is alerting when it really isn’t.
So, Zev Howley presented a Smartphone addiction issue in his short-movie “Restart”.
The brief movie script:
“Samantha’s life revolves around her phone and social media. She doesn’t notice the beauty and misses the opportunities that surround her. After an encounter with a mysterious stranger, she’s given a new lease on life. This film explores what her world would be like if she could tame her self destructive excesses” ( Zev Howley YouTube channel, 2021).
What can we do about a smartphone addiction?
- Turn off all notififcations and deleted a distructive applications
- Setup the time limits.
- Leave your phone in the bag.
- Go for a walk with no phone.
- Book a catch with a friend and leave your phone at home.
Wrap Up:
Ubizblog presented a short review on YouTube about key insights on the issue. Surely, we are conditioned to use the phone on a daily basis. Yet, maybe let’s stop scrolling and start living.
