ADDICTION IN YOUR POCKET

BY FAIZ SAULAT – What’s the first thing you check in the morning? What do you carry in your pocket everywhere you go? What do you use for news, music, work, social media, etc? The average time young adults spend on a smartphone each day is 5 hours. Assuming 16 hours are set aside for school, work, and sleep, that is over half of our waking hours. Even worse, children 8 and under are spending over 2 hours per day on screens and children between 8-12 years old are spending double that time. Smartphone addiction is certainly not a new threat, however, the time we are spending each day is unprecedented. In 2008, the total number of hours adults spent each day on digital media was 2.7 hours – in 2017, it was 6. This further translates to lack of performance in the workplace as well. While smartphones are an essential part of modern-day career life, they also serve as severe distractions. Employees spend approximately 1 hour out of their work shift on their phones for non-work related purposes; for young adults, it’s over an hour. Even having your phone nearby, regardless of active usage, can harm performance and focus in the workplace. Educational environments are no exception. A study conducted by Notre Dame University found that undergraduate students were far less likely to achieve GPA’s of distinction if they were at risk of addiction to their smartphones. This comes as no surprise considering it is now common practice to be using one’s laptop or phone throughout class – if you’re a UGA student, scan the room during your next lecture.

But while these numbers are indeed shocking, Americans have heard the same tune for years. We get it, we use our phones too much, we could get addicted, and it eats away at productivity, what could be worse? – A lot. The threat now is even greater than just wasting time. The negative side effects of this unparalleled increase in cell phone use are manifesting itself in damage to brain chemistry, mental health, sleep cycles, and other elements we are still unaware of.

Our brain hosts a delicate reward system based on dopamine, a neurochemical that is responsible for positively reinforcing certain beneficial behaviors. In other words, when we have sex, consume drugs, exercise, eat tasty foods, or even have positive social interactions, dopamine is the signal that tells us “that was good – let’s do it again.” But too much of anything isn’t good. Every notification or “like” we get is another dose of dopamine that creates newer and deeper neural connections. Over time we develop an addiction to our smartphones and constantly desire these shots of dopamine. Furthermore, this abuse of our own reward system could lead to loss of interest in other activities in which we are not near our phones.

Loss of interest and too much time with your phone are also recipes for cycles of depression and anxiety. Researchers at the University of Georgia found that teens who spend more screen time were generally less happy than those engaged in activities unrelated to screen use. Furthermore, users are at risk of developing a psychological dependence on their devices. Just as drug users experience withdrawal symptoms, individuals addicted to their phones also can experience separation anxiety from not having it nearby. Essentially, too much attention to your phone could lead to a lose-lose situation whereby the use of your device is likely to cause depression, and separation from it is correlated with anxiety.

The overuse of our smartphones not only affects us when we are awake but also influences our sleep. One study found that high mobile phone usage is directly correlated with sleep disturbance. This comes as no surprise considering our smartphones emit blue light. This light is what allows us to view our screens without glare during sunny days. In fact our brain  process it as sunlight since they are so similar. When we check that last snap, like that last post, or scroll through our feed for a while before sleeping, we are preventing our brain from producing melatonin which cues our body to begin regular sleep cycles. More phone use equals less sleep which comes with a host of its own problems that need no further explanation.

Mental health damage, sleep disturbance, and neurochemical imbalances are just a few of the known side effects of overusing smartphones. Considering smartphone development and subsequent overuse is a recent phenomenon, there are even more predicted threats that are waiting to materialize in the future. New studies show that phones emit radio-frequency (RF) radiation, low levels of which can still put users at risk of forming cancers due to constant exposure. Furthermore, research has shown that smartphone overuse is now increasing likelihood of developing ADHD and other behavioral issues that could interfere with children’s performance in school. Similar to the aforementioned studies, even the mere presence of a student’s phone could interrupt their learning.

However, not all hope is lost considering both consumers and tech manufacturers are becoming increasingly aware of the numerous ill effects of smartphone addiction. In fact, earlier this year, Samsung worked with Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, to release the Thrive app. This app allows Android users to track their usage, view a summary of how many minutes they spend on what apps and even lock some apps for certain amounts of time to maximize their productivity. Personally, my experience with Thrive showed me that I was spending an average of just over 5 hours per day on my phone, a large amount of which was not productive work. After closely monitoring my usage, I now spend about 2 hours for work and no more than an hour for entertainment. My ability to pay attention in lectures, meetings, and general conversation is now rarely consumed by the itch to check a notification. Apple has also followed suit this year in its development of iOS 12 allowing users to set app time limits and get activity reports of their usage. Smartphones are not the bane of our existence. They serve a vital purpose and have enhanced our productivity and lifestyles in many ways. However, it is important to stay in control of your device – not the other way around.