In this age of fast-paced technological advancement, the development of the modern smartphone has been completely transformative to our lives. These devices have become critical in our access to global information and leisure activities, in the provision of instant communication, and, most importantly, to our daily routines. When everything is organised online, smartphones have become a necessity.
However, smartphones, with their connection to the internet and social media platforms, are becoming increasingly problematic. Researchers, reporters, schools, and parents are discovering links between smartphone use and poor mental health in both children and adults.
Academics have discovered that problematic smartphone use (PSU) has correlations with increases in stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep issues, attention deficit disorder, and many other physical and mental factors that reduce one’s quality of life.
PSU has been found to cause addictive behavioural patterns as a result of the instant, short-term dopamine that smartphones are so good at providing. This includes tell-tale behavioural patterns such as emotional and physical withdrawal. The UK parliament’s Education Committee has found that PSU affects over 25% of children and young people.
If PSU can impact your mental health so significantly, what does this mean for education and full-time employment?
Predictably, performance suffers as a consequence of PSU across all sectors. Most concerningly, research has found that the cycle of behaviour and resulting low mood is almost impossible to break on one’s own.
Thankfully, these behaviours can be changed.
Research suggests that a conscious reduction of personal screen time for a mere hour a day outside of work correlates directly with improved mood. This simple change results in less stress, depressive feelings, and increased life satisfaction, suggesting that without completely removing oneself from the world to which smartphones grant access, mental health can still be significantly improved.
For these reasons, many are calling for technological detoxes.
An article from the BBC praises the recent release of the HMD Barbie Phone—a flip phone designed to encourage the reduction of screen time with limited functioning capabilities, including being unable to connect to the internet. BBC news author Zoe Kleinman reports that the Barbie Phone has worked excellently to take her away from the constant connectivity of her usual smartphone, though she does suggest that children and young adults might benefit more from proper education in media and technological literacy.
It poses a difficult decision that is still very much up to debate: should we be regulating and preventing smartphone use altogether, or does education on the dangers suffice?
Regardless, an increasing number of studies find that decreasing one’s smartphone screen time is endlessly beneficial to overall health and happiness.