mobile phones addiction essay

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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What is smartphone addiction?

Causes and effects of smartphone and internet addiction, signs and symptoms of smartphone addiction, self-help tips for smartphone addiction, modify your smartphone use, step-by-step, treatment for smartphone and internet addiction, helping a child or teen with smartphone addiction, smartphone and internet addiction.

Worried about your phone or internet use? These tips can help you break free of the habit and better balance your life, online and off.

While a smartphone, tablet, or computer can be a hugely productive tool, compulsive use of these devices can interfere with work, school, and relationships. When you spend more time on social media or playing games than you do interacting with real people, or you can’t stop yourself from repeatedly checking texts, emails, or apps—even when it has negative consequences in your life—it may be time to reassess your technology use.

Smartphone addiction, sometimes colloquially known as “nomophobia” (fear of being without a mobile phone), is often fueled by an internet overuse problem or internet addiction disorder. After all, it’s rarely the phone or tablet itself that creates the compulsion, but rather the games, apps, and online worlds it connects us to.

Smartphone addiction can encompass a variety of impulse-control problems, including:

Virtual relationships. Addiction to social networking , dating apps, texting, and messaging can extend to the point where virtual, online friends become more important than real-life relationships. We’ve all seen the couples sitting together in a restaurant ignoring each other and engaging with their smartphones instead. While the internet can be a great place to meet new people, reconnect with old friends, or even start romantic relationships, online relationships are not a healthy substitute for real-life interactions. Online friendships can be appealing as they tend to exist in a bubble, not subject to the same demands or stresses as messy, real-world relationships. Compulsive use of dating apps can change your focus to short-term hookups instead of developing long-term relationships.

Information overload. Compulsive web surfing, watching videos, playing games, or checking news feeds can lead to lower productivity at work or school and isolate you for hours at a time. Compulsive use of the internet and smartphone apps can cause you to neglect other aspects of your life, from real-world relationships to hobbies and social pursuits.

Cybersex addiction. Compulsive use of internet pornography, sexting, nude-swapping, or adult messaging services can impact negatively on your real-life intimate relationships and overall emotional health. While online pornography and cybersex addictions are types of sexual addiction, the internet makes it more accessible, relatively anonymous, and very convenient. It’s easy to spend hours engaging in fantasies impossible in real life. Excessive use of dating apps that facilitate casual sex can make it more difficult to develop long-term intimate relationships or damage an existing relationship.

Online compulsions, such as gaming, gambling, stock trading, online shopping, or bidding on auction sites like eBay can often lead to financial and job-related problems. While gambling addiction has been a well-documented problem for years, the availability of internet gambling has made gambling far more accessible. Compulsive stock trading or online shopping can be just as financially and socially damaging. eBay addicts may wake up at strange hours in order to be online for the last remaining minutes of an auction. You may purchase things you don’t need and can’t afford just to experience the excitement of placing the winning bid.

Speak to a Licensed Therapist

BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more. Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours.

While you can experience impulse-control problems with a laptop or desktop computer, the size and convenience of smartphones and tablets means that we can take them just about anywhere and gratify our compulsions at any time. In fact, most of us are rarely ever more than five feet from our smartphones. Like the use of drugs and alcohol, they can trigger the release of the brain chemical dopamine and alter your mood. You can also rapidly build up tolerance so that it takes more and more time in front of these screens to derive the same pleasurable reward.

Heavy smartphone use can often be symptomatic of other underlying problems, such as stress , anxiety, depression , or loneliness . At the same time, it can also exacerbate these problems. If you use your smartphone as a “security blanket” to relieve feelings of anxiety, loneliness, or awkwardness in social situations , for example, you’ll succeed only in cutting yourself off further from people around you. Staring at your phone will deny you the face-to-face interactions that can help to meaningfully connect you to others, alleviate anxiety, and boost your mood. In other words, the remedy you’re choosing for your anxiety (engaging with your smartphone), is actually making your anxiety worse.

Smartphone or internet addiction can also negatively impact your life by:

Increasing loneliness and depression. While it may seem that losing yourself online will temporarily make feelings such as loneliness, depression, and boredom evaporate into thin air, it can actually make you feel even worse. A 2014 study found a correlation between high social media usage and depression and anxiety. Users, especially teens, tend to compare themselves unfavorably with their peers on social media, promoting feelings of loneliness and depression.

Fueling anxiety. One researcher found that the mere presence of a phone in a work place tends to make people more anxious and perform poorly on given tasks. The heavier a person’s phone use, the greater the anxiety they experienced.

Increasing stress. Using a smartphone for work often means work bleeds into your home and personal life. You feel the pressure to always be on, never out of touch from work. This need to continually check and respond to email can contribute to higher stress levels and even burnout .

Exacerbating attention deficit disorders. The constant stream of messages and information from a smartphone can overwhelm the brain and make it impossible to focus attention on any one thing for more than a few minutes without feeling compelled to move on to something else.

Diminishing your ability to concentrate and think deeply or creatively. The persistent buzz, ping or beep of your smartphone can distract you from important tasks, slow your work, and interrupt those quiet moments that are so crucial to creativity and problem solving. Instead of ever being alone with our thoughts, we’re now always online and connected.

Disturbing your sleep. Excessive smartphone use can disrupt your sleep , which can have a serious impact on your overall mental health. It can impact your memory, affect your ability to think clearly, and reduce your cognitive and learning skills.

Encouraging self-absorption. A UK study found that people who spend a lot of time on social media are more likely to display negative personality traits such as narcissism . Snapping endless selfies, posting all your thoughts or details about your life can create an unhealthy self-centeredness, distancing you from real-life relationships and making it harder to cope with stress.

There is no specific amount of time spent on your phone, or the frequency you check for updates, or the number of messages you send or receive that indicates an addiction or overuse problem.

Spending a lot of time connected to your phone only becomes a problem when it absorbs so much of your time it causes you to neglect your face-to-face relationships, your work, school, hobbies, or other important things in your life. If you find yourself ignoring friends over lunch to read Facebook updates or compulsively checking your phone in while driving or during school lectures, then it’s time to reassess your smartphone use and strike a healthier balance in your life.

Warning signs of smartphone or internet overuse include:

Trouble completing tasks at work or home . Do you find laundry piling up and little food in the house for dinner because you’ve been busy chatting online, texting, or playing video games? Perhaps you find yourself working late more often because you can’t complete your work on time.

Isolation from family and friends . Is your social life suffering because of all the time you spend on your phone or other device? If you’re in a meeting or chatting with friends, do you lose track of what’s being said because you’re checking your phone? Have friends and family expressed concern about the amount of time you spend on your phone? Do you feel like no one in your “real” life—even your spouse—understands you like your online friends?

Concealing your smartphone use . Do you sneak off to a quiet place to use your phone? Do you hide your smartphone use or lie to your boss and family about the amount of time you spend online? Do you get irritated or cranky if your online time is interrupted?

Having a “fear of missing out” (or FOMO) . Do you hate to feel out of the loop or think you’re missing out on important news or information if you don’t check you phone regularly? Do you need to compulsively check social media because you’re anxious that others are having a better time, or leading a more exciting life than you? Do you get up at night to check your phone?

Feeling of dread, anxiety, or panic if you leave your smartphone at home , the battery runs down or the operating system crashes. Or do you feel phantom vibrations—you think your phone has vibrated but when you check, there are no new messages or updates?

Withdrawal symptoms from smartphone addiction

A common warning sign of smartphone or internet addiction is experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you try to cut back on your smartphone use. These may include:

• Restlessness
• Anger or irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sleep problems
• Craving access to your smartphone or other device

There are a number of steps you can take to get your smartphone and internet use under control. While you can initiate many of these measures yourself, an addiction is hard to beat on your own, especially when temptation is always within easy reach. It can be all too easy to slip back into old patterns of usage. Look for outside support, whether it’s from family, friends, or a professional therapist .

To help you identify your problem areas, keep a log of when and how much you use your smartphone for non-work or non-essential activities. There are specific apps that can help with this, enabling you to track the time you spend on your phone. Are there times of day that you use your phone more? Are there other things you could be doing instead? The more you understand your smartphone use, the easier it will be to curb your habits and regain control of your time.

Recognize the triggers that make you reach for your phone. Is it when you’re lonely or bored? If you are struggling with depression, stress, or anxiety, for example, your excessive smartphone use might be a way to self-soothe rocky moods . Instead, find healthier and more effective ways of managing your moods, such as practicing relaxation techniques.

Understand the difference between interacting in-person and online. Human beings are social creatures. We’re not meant to be isolated or to rely on technology for human interaction. Socially interacting with another person face-to-face—making eye contact, responding to body language—can make you feel calm, safe, and understood, and quickly put the brakes on stress . Interacting through text, email or messaging bypasses these nonverbal cues so won’t have the same effect on your emotional well-being. Besides, online friends can’t hug you when a crisis hits, visit you when you’re sick, or celebrate a happy occasion with you.

Build your coping skills. Perhaps tweeting, texting or blogging is your way of coping with stress or anger. Or maybe you have trouble relating to others and find it easier to communicate with people online. Building skills in these areas will help you weather the stresses and strains of daily life without relying on your smartphone.

Recognize any underlying problems that may support your compulsive behavior. Have you had problems with alcohol or drugs in the past? Does anything about your smartphone use remind you of how you used to drink or use drugs to numb or distract yourself?

Strengthen your support network. Set aside dedicated time each week for friends and family. If you are shy, there are ways to overcome social awkwardness and make lasting friends without relying on social media or the internet. To find people with similar interests, try reaching out to colleagues at work, joining a sports team or book club, enrolling in an education class, or volunteering for a good cause. You’ll be able to interact with others like you, let relationships develop naturally, and form friendships that will enhance your life and strengthen your health.

For most people, getting control over their smartphone and internet use isn’t a case of quitting cold turkey. Think of it more like going on a diet. Just as you still need to eat, you probably still need to use your phone for work, school, or to stay in touch with friends. Your goal should be to cut back to more healthy levels of use.

• Set goals for when you can use your smartphone. For example, you might schedule use for certain times of day, or you could reward yourself with a certain amount of time on your phone once you’ve completed a homework assignment or finished a chore, for instance.
• Turn off your phone at certain times of the day, such as when you’re driving, in a meeting, at the gym, having dinner, or playing with your kids. Don’t take your phone with you to the bathroom.
• Don’t bring your phone or tablet to bed. The blue light emitted by the screens can disrupt your sleep if used within two hours of bedtime. Turn devices off and leave them in another room overnight to charge. Instead of reading eBooks on your phone or tablet at night, pick up a book. You’ll not only sleep better but research shows you’ll also remember more of what you’ve read.
• Replace your smartphone use with healthier activities. If you are bored and lonely, resisting the urge to use your smartphone can be very difficult. Have a plan for other ways to fill the time, such as meditating , reading a book, or chatting with friends in person.
• Play the “phone stack” game. Spending time with other smartphone addicts? Play the “phone stack” game. When you’re having lunch, dinner, or drinks together, have everyone place their smartphones face down on the table. Even as the phones buzz and beep, no one is allowed to grab their device. If someone can’t resist checking their phone, that person has to pick up the check for everyone.
• Remove social media apps from your phone so you can only check Facebook, Twitter and the like from your computer. And remember: what you see of others on social media is rarely an accurate reflection of their lives—people exaggerate the positive aspects of their lives, brushing over the doubts and disappointments that we all experience. Spending less time comparing yourself unfavorably to these stylized representations can help to boost your mood and sense of self-worth.
• Limit checks. If you compulsively check your phone every few minutes, wean yourself off by limiting your checks to once every 15 minutes. Then once every 30 minutes, then once an hour. If you need help, there are apps that can automatically limit when you’re able to access your phone.
• Curb your fear of missing out. Accept that by limiting your smartphone use, you’re likely going to miss out on certain invitations, breaking news, or new gossip. There is so much information available on the internet, it’s almost impossible to stay on top of everything, anyway. Accepting this can be liberating and help break your reliance on technology.

If you need more help to curb your smartphone or internet use, there are now specialist treatment centers that offer digital detox programs to help you disconnect from digital media. Individual and group therapy can also give you a tremendous boost in controlling your technology use.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy provides step-by-step ways to stop compulsive behaviors and change your perceptions about your smartphone and the internet. Therapy can also help you learn healthier ways of coping with uncomfortable emotions—such as stress, anxiety, or depression—that may be fueling your smartphone use.

Marriage or couples counseling. If excessive use of internet pornography or online affairs is affecting your relationship, counseling can help you work through these challenging issues and reconnect with your partner.

Group support. Organizations such as Internet Tech Addiction Anonymous (ITAA) and On-Line Gamers Anonymous offer online support and face-to-face meetings to curb excessive technology use. Of course, you need real-life people to benefit fully from any addiction support group. Online support groups can be helpful in finding sources of assistance, but it’s easy to use them as an excuse to spend even more time on your smartphone. Sex Addicts Anonymous can be a place to try if you’re having trouble with cybersex addiction.

Any parent who’s tried to drag a child or teen away from a smartphone or tablet knows how challenging it can be to separate kids from social media, messaging apps, or online games and videos. Youngsters lack the maturity to curb their smartphone use on their own, but simply confiscating the device can often backfire, creating anxiety and withdrawal symptoms in your child. Instead, there are plenty of other ways to help your child find a healthier balance:

Be a good role model. Children have a strong impulse to imitate, so it’s important you manage your own smartphone and internet use. It’s no good asking your child to unplug at the dinner table while you’re staring at your own phone or tablet. Don’t let your own smartphone use distract from parent-child interactions.

Use apps to monitor and limit your child’s smartphone use. There are a number of apps available that can limit your child’s data usage or restrict texting and web browsing to certain times of the day. Other apps can eliminate messaging capabilities while in motion, so you can prevent your teen using a smartphone while driving.

Create “phone-free” zones. Restrict the use of smartphones or tablets to a common area of the house where you can keep an eye on your child’s activity and limit time online. Ban phones from the dinner table and bedrooms and insist they’re turned off after a certain time at night.

Encourage other interests and social activities. Get your child away from screens by exposing them to other hobbies and activities, such as team sports, Scouts, and after-school clubs. Spend time as a family unplugged.

Talk to your child about underlying issues. Compulsive smartphone use can be the sign of deeper problems. Is your child having problems fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress? Is your child suffering with other issues at school or home?

Get help. Teenagers often rebel against their parents , but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen. Try a sports coach, doctor, or respected family friend. Don’t be afraid to seek professional counseling if you are concerned about your child’s smartphone use.

Support groups

On-Line Gamers Anonymous  – Help and support for problems caused by excessive game playing. (OLGA)

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous  – 12-step programs for sexual addictions. (SLAA)

More Information

• Risky Business: Internet Addiction - Help for recognizing and dealing with smartphone and internet addiction. (Mental Health America)
• Internet Gaming - Symptoms of gaming disorder. (American Psychiatric Association)
• Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time - How using a smartphone can deliver a release of dopamine, reinforcing your behavior. (Harvard University)
• Take Control - Things you can do right now to build a healthier relationship with your smartphone. (Center for Humane Technology)
• Yu, S., & Sussman, S. (2020). Does Smartphone Addiction Fall on a Continuum of Addictive Behaviors? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(2), 422. Link
• Conditions for Further Study. (2013). In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. American Psychiatric Association. Link
• Internet Gaming. (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2021. Link
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Mobile Phone Use and Mental Health. A Review of the Research That Takes a Psychological Perspective on Exposure

The purpose of this study was to carry out a review of observational studies that consider links between mobile phone use and mental health from a psychological or behavioral perspective. Systematic literature searches in PubMed and PsycINFO for articles published until 2017 were done. Exclusion criteria included: papers that considered radiofrequency fields, attention, safety, relational consequences, sexual behavior, cyberbullying, and reviews, qualitative, and case or experimental studies. A total of 4738 papers were screened by title and abstract, 404 were retrieved in full text, and 290 were included. Only 5% had any longitudinal design. Self-reporting was the dominating method of measurement. One third of the studies included children or youth. A majority of adult populations consisted of university students and/or self-selected participants. The main research results included associations between frequent mobile phone use and mental health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms and sleep problems. Mobile phone use at bedtime was associated with, e.g., shorter sleep duration and lower sleep quality. “Problematic use” (dependency) was associated with several negative outcomes. In conclusion, associations between mobile phone use and adverse mental health outcomes are found in studies that take a psychological or behavioral perspective on the exposure. However, more studies of high quality are needed in order to draw valid conclusions about the mechanisms and causal directions of associations.

1. Introduction

Mobile phones have over only a few decades revolutionized how we communicate, interact, search for information, work, do chores, and pass time. The development of the smartphone with its multitude of functions, increased memory capacity and speed, and constant connectedness to the internet, has increased the time spent using the phone, implying a near ubiquitous usage. This fast development with changed exposure patterns has raised questions about potential health effects of the exposure [ 1 , 2 ]. The mobile phone communicates through emission of radio signals, and the exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields has been proposed to be a health risk. There are today few indications that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields associated with mobile phones have any major health effects [ 3 ]. The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently undertaking a health risk assessment of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, to be published as a monograph in the Environmental Health Criteria Series [ 4 ]. However, in addition to physiological aspects of the exposure, there is a growing research literature that takes a psychological or behavioral perspective on potential health effects of mobile phone use. The purpose of this literature review was to supplement the work of the WHO expert group by carrying out a literature review of quantitative observational studies that consider links between mobile phone use and mental health from a psychological or behavioral perspective. A formal systematic critical review with quality assessment of the papers was not done due to the large amount of included studies. The report presents an overview of the studies and examples of the main results. It does not include a comprehensive account of all included papers.

2. Materials and Methods

Two skilled university librarians performed systematic literature searches in PubMed and PsycINFO on 2 May 2016, with supplemental searches on 19 March 2018. The final search strategies ( Table 1 ) aimed to identify scientific publications from 1993 to 31 December 2017 that included quantitative analyses of mobile phone use in relation to mental health outcomes and other psychological factors. Altogether, 4738 papers were identified, after automatic removal of duplicates. These were screened by title and abstract. Papers that considered radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF), attention or safety (while driving, working, or studying), consequences for relationships, sexual behavior (e.g., sexting), cyberbullying, as well as papers that were qualitative, case or experimental studies, literature reviews, or duplicates (not previously identified), were excluded. This left 404 articles to be retrieved in full text for evaluation. Another 114 papers were removed in accordance with the previously mentioned exclusion criteria, or if no mental health-related outcome could be distinguished, if mobile phone use could not be identified as a separate variable (e.g., was included in a composite variable such as “digital media” or “screen time”), if focused only on specific smartphone applications (e.g., Tinder, Facebook, camera) or phone loss scenarios, or were not in English. This left 290 studies [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , 142 , 143 , 144 , 145 , 146 , 147 , 148 , 149 , 150 , 151 , 152 , 153 , 154 , 155 , 156 , 157 , 158 , 159 , 160 , 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 , 165 , 166 , 167 , 168 , 169 , 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 , 174 , 175 , 176 , 177 , 178 , 179 , 180 , 181 , 182 , 183 , 184 , 185 , 186 , 187 , 188 , 189 , 190 , 191 , 192 , 193 , 194 , 195 , 196 , 197 , 198 , 199 , 200 , 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , 207 , 208 , 209 , 210 , 211 , 212 , 213 , 214 , 215 , 216 , 217 , 218 , 219 , 220 , 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 , 225 , 226 , 227 , 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 232 , 233 , 234 , 235 , 236 , 237 , 238 , 239 , 240 , 241 , 242 , 243 , 244 , 245 , 246 , 247 , 248 , 249 , 250 , 251 , 252 , 253 , 254 , 255 , 256 , 257 , 258 , 259 , 260 , 261 , 262 , 263 , 264 , 265 , 266 , 267 , 268 , 269 , 270 , 271 , 272 , 273 , 274 , 275 , 276 , 277 , 278 , 279 , 280 , 281 , 282 , 283 , 284 , 285 , 286 , 287 , 288 , 289 , 290 , 291 , 292 , 293 , 294 ] for closer scrutiny ( Appendix A . PRISMA Flow Chart).

Search strategies in PubMed and PsycINFO 2018-03-19.

The identified studies ( n = 290) mainly dealt with frequency or duration of mobile phone use in relation to mental health symptoms (such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia), mobile phone use and sleep habits, and “problematic mobile phone use” (dependency/addiction). The number of published papers greatly increased during the time-period, especially the last five years ( Table 2 ).

Number of included papers ( n = 290) by publication year.

1 Six papers were dated 2018 but had been published online previously and were categorized as 2017.

3.1. Study Designs and Populations

A massive majority of the retrieved studies had cross-sectional design. Only 14 studies, i.e., about 5% [ 26 , 65 , 95 , 123 , 132 , 144 , 148 , 156 , 184 , 249 , 268 , 269 , 274 , 286 ], were identified as having any form of longitudinal design, test-retest reliability studies excepted.

About one third of the studies were based on child or adolescent populations, mostly administered through schools. Of the more than 190 adult population studies, relatively few studies seemed to contain random or representative samples of adult populations. The majority were based on university or college student populations (>60%), or with students together with other groups (an additional 5%). Otherwise, participants were mainly recruited through advertisements, postings on websites (e.g., Mechanical Turk), mailing lists, or personal appeal, or were carried out in specific work places or health care units. Some papers lacked a description of the selection process of study participants altogether. The number of study participants varied from 40 to 120,115. Studies were performed on all continents.

3.2. Measurements

The vast majority of the studies were based on self-reported exposures and outcomes, mostly through pen-and-pencil or web questionnaires, but sometimes also through telephone or face-to-face interviews. For younger children, parental reports about the child’s mobile phone use and health outcomes were used. The quantity of mobile phone use was mainly given in frequency and duration of calls and text messaging. However, with an increase of studies about smartphone usage, frequency and time spent on different apps and functions, including general screen time, were also examined. Many studies also included, for example, the type of phone, number of phones, from what age one had used a mobile phone, presence of a phone in the bedroom, what time the phone was used (e.g., time slots over the day, evening/nighttime use), and the size of the phone bill. A majority of the studies included scales or measurements of excessive or problematic mobile phone use (dependency/addiction), discussed further below.

Twelve studies could be identified as using objective measures for the quantity of mobile phone use. Three studies (conducted in the same population) used operator data for a subgroup of the participants [ 84 , 237 , 248 ]. The remaining studies used an app that was installed on the participants’ phones to log usage [ 49 , 53 , 91 , 174 , 175 , 176 , 200 , 239 , 258 ]. Two studies included a procedure where participants responded to questions about activity, including mobile phone use, several times per day on a given signal [ 26 , 95 ].

Additional measurement methods for mental health variables included structured psychiatric interviews [ 49 , 126 , 177 , 196 , 197 ], actigraphy for sleep [ 83 , 205 ], and sleep diaries [ 5 , 83 , 144 , 205 ]. Two studies included magnetic resonance imaging of the participants’ brains [ 110 , 283 ]. Further measurement methods occurred (e.g., body composition measurements, pedometers for physical activity, etc.), but did not pertain to mental health or psychological outcomes.

3.3. Main Research Findings

This section presents summaries and examples of the main findings in the included papers. The results have been clustered into three sections: (a) frequency/duration of mobile phone use and mental health outcomes, (b) bedtime mobile phone use, and (c) problematic mobile phone use. The main findings of each section are summarized in Table 3 , Table 4 and Table 5 . Table 6 summarizes the psychological factors that were most commonly associated with mobile phone use (all aspects).

Frequency/duration of mobile phone use: summary of main results.

L = Longitudinal, CS = Cross-sectional, NA = Negative association. In crude, but not in adjusted, analyses: reference 53, 149. In subgroup of older women: reference 140.

Bedtime mobile phone use: summary of main results.

L = Longitudinal, CS = Cross-sectional.

Problematic mobile phone use: summary of main results.

L = Longitudinal, CS = Cross-sectional, NA = Negative association.

Summary of the psychological factors most commonly associated with mobile phone use (all aspects).

NA = Negative association.

3.3.1. Frequency/Duration of Mobile Phone Use and Mental Health Outcomes

Among the studies of children and adolescents, a longitudinal study with 126 US adolescents found that more time spent on mobile phone use at baseline was associated with increased depression, measured with Becks Depression Inventory for Primary care at the one-year follow-up, while controlling for baseline depression [ 26 ]. In another longitudinal study, adolescents who owned a smartphone compared to non-owners slept less and had more sleep problems at baseline. Following up after two years, there were no differences in sleep problems between smartphone owners, new owners, and non-owners, but those who had owned a smartphone since baseline, compared to those who still did not own a smartphone, had shorter sleep duration on weekdays [ 249 ]. Cross-sectional associations were seen between quantity of mobile phone use and depressive symptoms in a study with 2785 Japanese adolescents [ 113 ], a study with 1328 Spanish adolescents/young adults [ 244 ], and a study with 7292 Finnish adolescents [ 139 ]. Overall mobile phone use of more than 5 h per day among Japanese adolescents was not associated with depression after adjusting for confounders, while using the mobile phone for more than 2 h per day for social networking services or online chatting was [ 264 ]. In a large British study with 120,115 adolescents, smartphone use on the weekends was negatively associated with mental well-being, while the associations for weekday use was non-linear, in that only use above an extreme cut-off was negative for mental well-being [ 227 ]. In an Israeli study of 185 children, daily time spent on a smartphone was not associated with psychopathological outcomes [ 250 ]. Regarding sleep outcomes, a longitudinal study of Japanese adolescents found mobile phone use of 2 h per day to be associated with new insomnia onset at the two-year follow-up [ 274 ]. A cross-sectional German study with 7533 adolescents found associations between higher mobile phone use and sleep problems among the girls in the crude analysis, but these were not statistically significant when controlling for confounders [ 149 ]. In a study with 6247 Chinese schoolchildren, time spent on texting, playing games, or surfing the internet on the mobile phone was associated with later bedtimes, shorter sleep duration, difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep, and daytime tiredness [ 117 ]. Time spent on the mobile phone was associated with shorter sleep duration and tiredness also among Japanese adolescents [ 113 ], and with poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in adolescents in Hong Kong [ 187 ]. In a Finnish study, mobile phone use was associated with deteriorated sleep habits and daytime tiredness in 12–14 years old girls and boys, and in 16–18 years old girls [ 228 ].

Among the studies on adult populations, a prospective study with 1127 Swedish university students found frequent mobile phone use at baseline to be a risk factor for sleep problems and depressive symptoms at the one-year follow-up in the men, and prolonged stress in the women [ 268 ]. This study, however, did not account for any confounding factors. Another prospective cohort study with 4159 Swedish young adults which, besides sex, accounted for educational level, occupation, and relationship status, showed similar results: Frequent mobile phone use was a risk factor for new cases of sleep problems in men, and for depressive symptoms in both men and women at the one-year follow-up [ 269 ]. Among the cross-sectional studies, frequency and duration of mobile phone use, logged by an app on the participants’ phones, was associated with depressed mood [ 239 ]. In another app log study, smartphone screen time was associated with depressed mood, but only before adjusting for confounders [ 53 ]. Cross-sectional associations were further seen between the frequency of calls and texts and perceived stress, sleep problems, and depressive symptoms among Swedish young adults [ 269 ]. A study that focused on work-related mobile phone use found that intensive mobile phone use among employees who had been provided by with a smartphone by the employer was associated with more work–home interference, less relaxation, less psychological detachment from work, and more exhaustion [ 65 ]. In other studies, time spent on the mobile phone was associated with anxiety [ 162 ], while the number of texts was associated with anxiety [ 29 , 162 ] and depressed mood [ 29 ]. A Finnish study with 6121 working-age participants, which examined mental symptoms in relation to the use of new technology, found associations between mobile phone use and depression in females 51–60 years, only [ 140 ]. Furthermore, in a US study with 308 adults, smartphone use frequency was negatively associated with depressive symptoms [ 74 , 75 ], and a Chinese study with 514 adults found that higher mobile use for calls was associated with higher mental well-being and positive affect [ 37 ].

Regarding personality, in one study, in which an app registered incoming and outgoing calls and text messages over five weeks among 49 German university students, associations between the number of calls and extraversion were seen, while no clear associations were found for the number of text messages and personality variables [ 200 ]. Another app log study found that smartphone use for calls was negatively associated with social anxiousness and loneliness [ 91 ]. One study concluded that lonely persons preferred to make voice calls rather than text messaging, while socially anxious persons preferred to text [ 231 ]. In a longitudinal study, increased mobile phone use over time was associated with decreased self-esteem and coping ability [ 286 ]. However, a one-week diary study that measured modes of social interaction found that meaningful text-based communication had a positive effect on self-esteem, compared to face-to-face communication and mobile phone voice communication [ 95 ]. Other studies found associations between time spent on mobile calls and extraversion [ 34 ] and low agreeableness [ 34 , 73 ], while text messaging was associated with neuroticism [ 34 , 73 ], extraversion [ 34 ], low self-esteem [ 73 ], low agreeableness [ 34 ], and low conscientiousness [ 34 ]. Time spent on mobile game playing was associated with low agreeableness [ 220 , 253 ].

3.3.2. Bedtime Mobile Phone Use

At least 35 studies addressed mobile phone use in the evening or at night: i.e., prior to bedtime, in bed, after “lights out”, awakening at night because of the phone, or even just the presence of a phone in the bedroom. About two thirds of these studies were based on children or adolescent populations.

A longitudinal Australian study that included 1101 adolescents found cross-sectional associations between nighttime phone use, poor sleep behavior, and depressed mood [ 286 ], but in longitudinal analyses, changes in nighttime phone use was not directly associated with subsequent changes in depressed mood. However, changes in sleep behaviors acted as a mediator between night-time phone use and subsequent depressed mood [ 286 ]. Another longitudinal study found cross-sectional associations between nighttime awakenings by the phone and sleep problems, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms in young adults, but no statistically significant prospective associations were seen at the one-year follow-up [ 269 ]. A diary study of work-related smartphone use at night showed subsequent lower sleep quantity, which in turn was associated with greater fatigue the next morning and less engagement during the work day [ 148 ].

In cross-sectional studies with children, as well as with adults, bedtime mobile phone use (in the broad definition, above) was associated with later bedtimes [ 16 , 22 , 31 , 82 , 85 , 88 , 93 , 223 , 263 ], longer sleep onset latency [ 53 , 79 , 112 , 223 , 293 ], shorter sleep duration [ 14 , 15 , 22 , 36 , 71 , 82 , 86 , 148 , 161 , 202 , 210 ], insomnia or sleep problems [ 5 , 14 , 79 , 85 , 97 , 144 , 199 , 202 , 205 , 235 , 269 , 293 ], reduced sleep quality or sleep efficiency [ 5 , 32 , 53 , 71 , 79 , 82 , 83 , 167 , 202 , 205 ], and reduced daytime functioning or tiredness [ 79 , 86 , 93 , 112 , 121 , 202 , 223 , 242 , 248 , 277 , 293 ]. In one study, keeping the phone close, rather than placing the phone at a distance from the bed, was associated with less sleep problems [ 235 ].

Almost all of the referred studies used self-reported sleep outcomes. However, two studies examined sleep by actigraphy in relation to self-reported mobile phone use [ 83 , 205 ]. Receiving night-time notifications on the phone predicted global sleep problems, subjective poor sleep quality, and sleep disruptions [ 205 ], and media use in bed or being awakened by the mobile phone at night negatively affected sleep efficiency [ 83 ].

Besides sleep outcomes, “bedtime” mobile phone use was associated with reduced mental health, suicidal feelings and self-injury [ 210 ], depressive symptoms [ 161 , 242 , 269 , 286 ], anxiety and stress [ 242 ], low self-esteem [ 286 ], and reduced cognitive performance in one study [ 235 ], but not in another [ 248 ].

3.3.3. Problematic Mobile Phone Use

Approximately 70% of the papers in this literature review addressed what can be termed “excessive” or “problematic” mobile phone use. They explored health outcomes of excessive mobile phone use, predictors for excessive use, such as personality or other psychological factors, or were reliability and validity studies of scales. Research about overuse, excessive, dependent, addictive, problematic, or pathological mobile phone use has emerged in parallel with the increased mobile phone usage. The constructs are commonly referred to as behavioral addictions and are likened with other non-substance addictions such as gambling addiction. As such, it seems to be a case of impaired ability to regulate one’s mobile phone use and can be associated with general symptoms of dependency, such as tolerance, withdrawal, escape, craving, using the mobile phone even when it is unsafe or prohibited, or functional consequences, such as financial or relational problems [ 295 ] (review, not included). A relationship can be seen with the concept of internet addiction, which was proposed as a specific psychiatric disorder in the 1990s by Young [ 296 ], who applied Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-criteria for pathological gambling to internet use. Other constructs that have emerged include nomophobia and phubbing. Nomophobia is an abbreviation of “no mobile phone phobia” and refers to a phobia of not having access to a mobile phone [ 297 ]. It includes four dimensions: not being able to communicate, losing connectedness, not being able to access information, and giving up convenience [ 298 ]. The term “phubbing” comes from merging the words “phone” and “snubbing” and refers to when an individual is looking at or attending to his or her phone while in a conversation with others [ 124 ]. Yet another construct is “ringxiety”, or “phantom ringing”, which refers to perceiving that the phone rings even when it does not [ 260 ].

Excessive or problematic mobile phone use is usually associated with a high quantity of mobile phone use, while a high quantity of use does not necessarily imply problematic use. One of the papers concluded that mobile dependency was better predicted by personality factors (such as low self-esteem and extraversion) than actual phone use [ 108 ]. In one-month log data from 79 engineering students in Taiwan, a logarithm that combined frequency, duration, and frequency trend over time successfully predicted “smartphone addiction” [ 174 , 175 ]. Non-use patterns also predicted smartphone addiction [ 176 ]. Among functions that have been associated with excessive or problematic use are playing games [ 21 , 39 , 49 , 59 , 110 , 116 , 178 ] and the use of social networking sites (SNS) [ 33 , 39 , 49 , 116 , 183 , 209 , 224 , 285 , 288 ]. Another log data study showed that dependent participants, besides games and SNS, also used the phone more for web surfing, shopping, and entertainment, and less for talking and texting, than non-dependent participants [ 49 ].

A whole array of scales (>50) were used for examining problematic use in the papers. The great number is partly due to the fact that some scales existed in several versions, and that different names for what appear to be the same scales occurred, perhaps due to translations between languages. Several of the scales follow diagnosis criteria from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) or DSM for pathological gambling or substance dependence, and some scales are direct adaptations of Young’s Internet Addiction Test [ 296 ], applied to mobile phones. Two of the most commonly referred to scales were the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS) [ 25 ] and the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) [ 146 ]. The MMPUS contains 27 items inspired from the addiction literature and covers areas such as tolerance, withdrawal, escape, craving, and negative consequences, giving a global score of problem use [ 25 ]. The SAS contains 48 items in six subscales: daily-life disturbance, positive anticipation, withdrawal, cyberspace-oriented relationship, overuse, and tolerance [ 146 ]. Several shortened versions of the scales were also used.

The prevalence of problematic mobile phone use varied greatly in the studies, which can be expected because the measures, definitions, and study populations varied. Most of the studies were cross-sectional. Among the exceptions was a longitudinal study with 1877 Korean adolescents that used three yearly measurements [ 123 ]. The study found bidirectional relationships between mobile phone addiction and depressive symptoms over time [ 123 ]; i.e., mobile phone addiction had an influence on depressive symptoms, and depressive symptoms influenced mobile phone addiction, over time. Another study in the same population showed that high mobile phone addiction was associated with an increase in incidence of poor sleep quality over time [ 156 ]. In a Swedish study, subjective overuse of the mobile phone at baseline was a prospective risk factor for sleep disturbances at the one-year follow-up in female young adults [ 269 ].

In addition, cross-sectional associations were seen between excessive or problematic use and depression [ 7 , 18 , 39 , 42 , 62 , 80 , 89 , 90 , 94 , 98 , 100 , 105 , 123 , 130 , 131 , 168 , 180 , 184 , 185 , 189 , 214 , 244 , 251 , 256 , 267 , 269 , 282 , 290 ]. Conversely, in four studies, depression was negatively associated with problematic use [ 50 , 57 , 74 , 75 ]. Furthermore, associations were seen with anxiety [ 7 , 39 , 42 , 50 , 62 , 67 , 68 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 80 , 89 , 100 , 108 , 115 , 135 , 157 , 180 , 184 , 189 , 198 , 214 , 245 , 267 ] (but, a negative association between text message dependency and anxiety in Reference [ 185 ]), sleep problems or insomnia [ 7 , 32 , 115 , 269 ], reduced sleep quality [ 38 , 39 , 62 , 80 , 110 , 195 , 240 ], shorter sleep duration [ 110 , 130 , 179 , 289 ], eveningness [ 64 , 229 , 273 ], stress [ 18 , 46 , 89 , 105 , 106 , 116 , 131 , 143 , 180 , 243 , 269 , 280 , 285 ], lower general mental wellbeing [ 20 , 23 , 76 , 80 , 127 , 237 ], PTSD [ 55 , 56 ], suicidal thoughts [ 131 , 282 , 289 ], impulsivity or less self-control [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 33 , 46 , 56 , 67 , 68 , 102 , 110 , 116 , 119 , 120 , 130 , 137 , 166 , 233 , 234 , 256 , 283 , 288 , 292 ], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-symptoms [ 252 ], productivity loss at work [ 72 ], and perceived phantom ringing [ 142 , 260 ]. Moreover, problematic use was associated with other behavioral addictions (e.g., internet addiction [ 12 , 19 , 43 , 45 , 50 , 52 , 63 , 100 , 105 , 118 , 127 , 145 , 146 , 154 , 178 , 186 , 198 , 217 , 236 , 266 ], shopping addiction [ 12 , 118 , 188 ], gambling addiction [ 78 , 245 ], and general addiction proneness [ 126 , 245 ]). Two studies examined participants with magnetic resonance imaging; when comparing mobile phone dependent subjects with non-dependent participants, differences in white matter integrity of the brain were seen [ 110 , 283 ].

Regarding psychological factors, several cross-sectional studies found associations between problematic mobile phone use and loneliness [ 24 , 91 , 98 , 129 , 133 , 158 , 270 , 279 ]. A longitudinal study with 288 participants 13–40 years of age examined causal relations between problematic use, loneliness, face-to-face-interaction, and the need for social assurance [ 132 ]. It found that loneliness predicted problematic use, while problematic use did not predict loneliness at the follow-up after four months. However, the authors concluded that loneliness increases problematic use, which in turn reduces face-to-face interactions and thus does not gratify increased needs for social assurance, and consequently, this process eventually leads to increased loneliness [ 132 ]. Other studies found associations with, e.g., shyness or social anxiousness [ 24 , 58 , 91 , 102 , 159 ], extraversion [ 12 , 13 , 18 , 25 , 46 , 64 , 81 , 108 , 255 , 256 , 261 ], fear of missing out [ 52 , 74 , 153 , 209 , 287 ], neuroticism [ 13 , 46 , 73 , 81 , 90 , 111 , 142 , 147 , 198 , 218 , 261 , 294 ], less self-esteem [ 13 , 25 , 100 , 108 , 256 , 281 , 289 , 291 ], low agreeableness [ 12 , 147 ], less openness [ 12 , 111 , 147 , 218 , 261 ], less conscientiousness [ 13 , 34 , 92 , 111 , 142 , 147 , 169 , 170 ], alexithymia [ 89 ], and less self-efficacy [ 99 ].

4. Discussion

The literature search showed that there is a vast—and increasing—amount of studies that explore links between mobile phone usage and mental health from a psychological or behavioral point of view. A high quantity of mobile phone use was associated with a wide range of mental health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms and sleep problems, in both children and adults. A relatively large proportion of the studies examined mobile phone use in relation to sleep habits; mobile phone use at bedtime or at night was associated with, e.g., shorter sleep and reduced quality of sleep. A dominating research field was excessive or problematic use, i.e., where intense mobile phone use is described as a behavioral addiction and/or pathological. A large amount of instruments to measure excessive or problematic use occurred, and problematic use was associated with several adverse outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, and sleep problems.

Only a few percent of the included studies had any form of longitudinal design. Cross-sectional studies limit the possibilities to draw valid conclusions about causal directions of associations. The found associations may thus be due to reversed causality, i.e., the outcome is causing what seems to be the risk factor, or the associations may be bi-directional or caused by common confounding factors not accounted for. For example, most of the studies on bedtime phone use and sleep variables were cross-sectional. In a longitudinal study with Canadian students [ 299 ] (not in the review due to the fact that mobile phone use was not analyzed separately), it was sleep problems that predicted media use and not the opposite. The researchers concluded that young adults used digital media to deal with sleep problems. Moreover, a study with 844 Belgian adults [ 300 ] (also not in the review) concluded that media, including mobile phones, was commonly used as a sleep aid.

Further, a majority of the papers were based on self-reporting, which implies that both exposures and outcomes may be subject to misclassification, recall difficulty, recall bias, and response-style bias. It is previously known that there is rather low agreement between self-reported mobile phone use for calling or texting compared to logged data (e.g., [ 301 ]), and this applies also to smartphone usage [ 297 ]. However, it seems that applications that log smartphone usage are becoming more available, and thus are increasingly used in research.

Strikingly, many of the studies on adult populations were done on university students or self-selected participants. This compromises generalizability of the results. Another observation was that in many studies, the found associations, although statistically significant, were small.

The current literature review focused on studies with mobile phone use as a specific entity. Broadening the search to include more general terms such as “screen time”, “media use”, “technology use”, or “social media”, would lead to a higher quantity of studies with results that probably could apply also to mobile phone usage. Several different technologies (such as computers, tablets, or other hand-held devices) are used for the same activities and in the same contexts, and results from studies that include other technologies are seen to show similar results. However, a broader definition of the exposure was outside the scope of this review.

Intense or frequent mobile phone usage is seen to be associated with a broad array of mental health related symptoms, behaviors, and psychological factors. Plausible behavioral and/or psychological mechanisms for the associations can be found in the review, such as impact on sleep habits, dependency/addiction issues, and individual personality traits. The extent to which mobile phone use interferes with the restorative functions of sleep can, of course, contribute to deteriorated health. Besides sleep being postponed, replaced, or disturbed by messages or calls at night, it is also conceivable that quantity as well as content of use can generate higher levels of psychological stress and physiological arousal. Higher levels of arousal can have a negative impact on sleep and recovery [ 302 ] and in other ways contribute to stress and ill health. In addition, there are studies [ 303 , 304 ] (not in the review) pointing to the fact that blue light emitted from screens may have an impact on melatonin levels and thus affect sleep and wakefulness.

It is also conceivable that the time spent on devices takes time from other activities and health-related behaviors, such as physical activity, supportive social interactions, or staying on task at work or school. In the current review, several relevant aspects were excluded in the literature search, for example, the impact of mobile phone use on attention, consequences for relationships, cyberbullying, cyber sexual behaviors, and physical health outcomes, all aspects likely to potentially have an impact on mental health. Furthermore, this report does not account for all factors analyzed in the included papers.

This review was done to supplement a systematic review of the potential health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from mobile phones. In light of this, it can be noted that there are several psychological and behavioral aspects that should be taken into consideration when assessing studies that examine health effects with RF-EMF exposure as the hypothesis. This is especially true given that many of the studies with an RF-EMF-perspective measure the exposures in the same manner as studies taking a psychological or behavioral perspective, i.e., with self-report.

5. Conclusions

Associations between mobile phone use and adverse mental health outcomes are found in studies that take a psychological or behavioral perspective on the exposure. However, more studies of high quality are needed—with longitudinal design, objective measurements, and well-defined study populations—in order to draw valid conclusions about mechanisms and causal directions of associations.

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to Eva Hessman and Magnus Holmberg, research librarians at the University of Gothenburg Biomedical Library, for performing the literature searches and for giving valuable supervision on search strategies and management of search results.

This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

• Open access
• Published: 02 May 2022

Smartphone addiction and its associated factors among freshmen medical students in China: a cross-sectional study

• Huan Liu 1 ,
• Zhiqing Zhou 2 ,
• Ergang Zhu 3 ,
• Long Huang 4 &
• Ming Zhang 5  

BMC Psychiatry volume  22 , Article number:  308 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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With smartphone use widespread worldwide, smartphone addiction is an emerging epidemic. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of smartphone addiction among freshmen medical students and to explore its association with personal factors, mental health, and professional identity.

This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 10th to November 10th, 2020 and included 2,182 first-year college students at Wannan Medical College, China. The smartphone addiction test, professional identity, and a 12-item general health questionnaire were used for this cross-sectional survey. Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was employed to examine the correlations between smartphone addiction and mental health and professional identity. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess the factors influencing smartphone addiction. Of the 2,182 students, 866 (39.7%) were identified as having smartphone addiction. The logistic regression analysis shows that four factors (professional identity scale, poor mental health, smartphone use before sleep, and perceived study pressure) were significantly associated with smartphone addiction.

Conclusions

This cross-sectional study suggests that smartphone addiction is common among Chinese freshmen medical students. Smartphone addiction was common among the freshmen medical students surveyed. The findings imply that promotional programs, aimed at enhancing mental health and professional identity among freshmen medical students, help to reduce smartphone addiction in this population.

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Introduction

In the last decade, the number of smartphone users has grown exponentially and has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. According to the 45 th Statistical Report on China’s Internet Development, the current total number of Chinese Internet users is 904 million, and nearly 99.3% of them use their smartphones to connect to the Internet as of March 2020 [ 1 ]. Innovations in smartphone functions—including gaming apps, social media apps, online banking, compact digital cameras, social networks, global positioning system (GPS) navigation, portable media players, and shopping—have been a factor in the frequent use of smartphones. Although the widespread use of smartphones has brought many conveniences to our lives, the problems caused by their excessive use cannot be ignored.

Smartphone addiction, also referred to as “pathological smartphone use” or “smartphone dependence,” is defined as an people’s uncontrollable use of their smartphones; it can lead to serious harmful activity at work, while studying, and in daily life. Smartphone addiction has the properties of saliency, impulsivity, and withdrawal symptoms [ 2 ]. It is widely acknowledged that smartphone addiction not only adversely affects mental health, but can also be detrimental to learning, life, and physical health. Further, smartphone addiction has been associated with many health outcomes including fatigue [ 3 ], headaches[ 4 ], musculoskeletal pain[ 5 ], blurred vision [ 6 ], and poor sleep quality [ 7 ]. In addition, smartphone addiction can seriously affect college students’ academic performance [ 7 ], interpersonal competence [ 8 ], and emotional problems [ 9 ]. Smartphone addiction has become a serious public health concern that urgently requires immediate prevention and intervention. Although extensive research has been conducted on smartphone addiction in the past few years, most studies have focused primarily on college students [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].

Medical students face longer learning durations, higher academic strain, and greater clinical practice pressure than students in other disciplines, all of which have a negative impact on their psychological well-being and, most likely, lead to smartphone addiction [ 13 ]. Thus, it is important to pay close attention to smartphone addiction in Chinese medical students. In contrast, few studies in China have investigated the prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students. In a cross-sectional study by Chen et al. (2017), the prevalence of smartphone addiction in Chinese medical students was 29.8% [ 14 ]. Smartphone addiction was found among 36.8% of newly admitted undergraduate medical students in Nepal [ 15 ]. In the present study, we aim to evaluate the status of smartphone addiction among freshmen medical students in China and to explore the relationship between smartphone addiction, mental health, and professional identity.

Past studies have revealed some components of smartphone addiction [ 16 , 17 ]. However, the evidence of smartphone addiction and mental health among freshmen in Chinese medical schools is limited. Medical colleges are where medical students are likely to experience professional medicine for the first time, and college is an important transitional period for student growth. Due to the expansion of the Chinese education system, the employment rate of medical graduates has become significantly lower than before. Medical students in China experience substantial stress, which leads to numerous challenges, such as mental health problems [ 18 ]. However, the evidence between smartphone addiction and mental health among freshmen in Chinese medical schools is limited.

Professional identity among medical students refers to their acceptance and recognition of their chosen major and their willingness to devote themselves to learning with a positive attitude and positive behavior [ 19 ]. Medical college is where medical students are likely to experience professional medicine for the first time. Their professional identity is very important because it will influence their school learning and clinical practice. Wang et al. (2019) found a significant, positive correlation between professional identity and mental health [ 20 ] in Chinese medical students. We hypothesize that professional identity is one of the influencing factors of smartphone addiction in medical students.

A high prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students is worrisome because it may affect student behavior, cause learning burnout, and ultimately affect academic performance and graduation. Therefore, the smartphone addiction of medical students is not only related to physical and mental health, but also has an a critical impact on the doctor–patient relationship and the quality of medical care they will provide in the future. A few studies on the influencing factors of smartphone addiction have found that gender [ 14 ], age [ 21 ], monthly income from one’s family [ 10 ], negative emotions [ 22 ], high impulsivity, and narcissism [ 23 ] could facilitate smartphone addiction. The current literature indicates that smartphone addiction prevention should pay attention to early detection of risk factors and intervention for addicted students; smartphone addiction in Chinese freshman medical students has been far less studied. Considering the seriousness of smartphone addiction and the rising incidence, research on smartphone addiction in freshman medical students is limited, and the relationship between smartphone addiction status and influencing factors needs to be probed more in depth. Hence, we aimed to scrutinize the prevalence of smartphone addiction in Chinese freshman medical students and to explore its association with demographic variables, mental health, and professional identity to provide a reference to reduce the prevalence of smartphone addiction.

Materials and methods

Participants.

We used convenience sampling to gather the data. This is a network-based, cross-sectional study on first-year college students conducted in Fall 2020 at a medical school in Anhui Province. The medical students participated voluntarily and anonymously. We collected a total of 2,222 questionnaires and excluded 40 due to poor quality. Finally, we retained 2,182 valid questionnaires, which corresponded to an overall effective response rate of 98.20%, of which 1,009 (46.2%) were males and 1,173 (53.8%) were females. The age of the participants varied from 17 to 22, with a mean age of 19.16 (SD = 1.21).

Measurement

Demographic characteristics.

Based on the relevant literature review, the form included questions on one’s gender, age, college, being an only child or having siblings, place of residence, being a student leader (or not), and having fallen in love (or not).

• Smartphone addiction

We measured the degree of smartphone addiction using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), which is a validated scale developed by Kwon in 2013 [ 24 ]. It is a self-report scale consisting of 10 items, and each item is rated on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 6 (1 = strongly disagree; 6 = strongly agree). The total score is derived by adding the 10 items together. The overall SAS-SV score ranges from 10 to 60, and a higher SAS-SV score indicates a greater level of smartphone addiction. In this study, we adopted a cutoff point of 31 for males and 33 for females to classify smartphone addiction. The Cronbach’s alpha in the present study was 0.81.

Professional identity

We used the Chinese version of professional identity, translated and revised by Qin Panbo [ 25 ]; it includes four dimensions: cognition, emotionality, behavior, and fitness. The questionnaire consists of 23 items with scores ranging from 23 to 115 based on a 5-point Likert scale (5 = “complete conformity,” 4 = “conformity,” 3 = “neutral,” 2 = “inconformity,” and 1 = “complete inconformity”). A higher PIQUS score indicates a greater level of professional identity. In this study, the Cronbach’s alpha was 0.898.

The 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ)

We used the GHQ-12, which has 12 items, to assess the medical students’ mental health [ 26 ]. The GHQ-12 is a self-report questionnaire that indicates how often the participants have felt a certain way in the past 2 weeks. All items are answered on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all and no more than usual) to 1 (rather more than usual and much more than usual), and the final score ranges from 0 to 12. The results imply that the higher the score, the more mental health problems a student has. A GHQ-12 total score ≥ 3 signals poor mental health. In this study, the Cronbach’s alpha was 0.828.

Data collection

We collected the data through an online survey from October 10th to November 10 th , 2020. To facilitate the completion of the questionnaires, the questionnaire was answered through an online survey platform, “Questionnaire Star,” and counselors and teachers directly sent links to the students. All participating medical students needed to use “Questionnaire Star” to submit the questionnaire, and the same IP could only be submitted once. Before issuing the questionnaire, the electronic informed consent form for the medical students was obtained. The students were told that their participation was entirely voluntary and they were guaranteed confidentiality, and they could withdraw from the study at any time without a reason. The average time needed to complete the questionnaire was approximately 15 to 25 min. We carried out a preliminary pilot experiment with 30 freshmen medical students in Wannan Medical College, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the questionnaire’s internal consistency reliability was 0.88, indicating that the questionnaire can accurately measure the degree of smartphone addiction of freshmen medical students.

Statistical analysis

In this study, we used “Questionnaire Star” to directly export data in a Microsoft Excel format, which we then exported into SPSS 20.0 software for statistical analysis. Continuous variables are represented as the means ± standard deviations, and categorical variables are portrayed as frequencies and percentages. We performed the χ2-test to compare differences in characteristics between the smartphone addiction group and the normal groups. We employed Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) to explore the relationship between smartphone addiction and professional identity. We used forward stepwise binary logistic regression analysis to determine the predictors of smartphone addiction and to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We considered a two-tailed P value of less than 0.05 to be statistically significant.

This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Wannan Medical College, China. We conducted the research protocol and procedures following the guidelines and principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). We obtained electronic informed written consent from all participants prior to filling out the questionnaire.

The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants

We investigated a total of 2,182 college students in this study, of which 1,009 (46.2%) were males and 1,173 (53.8%) were females. Their ages ranged from 17 to 22, with a mean of 19.65 ± 0.83. Of the participants, 57.1% lived in rural areas, 27.5% lived in towns, and 15.3% lived in cities. Of the participants, 38.1% perceived high study pressure, 52.0% perceived medium study pressure, and 9.9% perceived low study pressure. In addition, 45.1% had high satisfaction with the profession, 50.3% had medium satisfaction with the profession, and 4.7% had medium satisfaction with the profession. The demographic characteristics of the participants (i.e., sex and residence) are described in Table 1 .

Factors associated with smartphone addiction in the univariate analysis

We detected smartphone addiction in 39.7% (866/2,182) of the respondents based on the SAS-SV. The results of the χ 2 test are presented in Table 1 . The statistical analysis revealed no significant relationship between smartphone addiction and sociodemographic traits, such as gender or having fallen in love (or not) (all p  > 0.05). However, there were significant differences in place of residence, perceived study pressure, professional satisfaction, smartphone use before sleep, whether or not students are leaders, and mental health ( P  < 0.001) .

The relationship between smartphone addiction and professional identity of freshmen

There were statistically significant, positive correlations between the professional identity scale, cognition scale, emotionality scale, and fitness scores and smartphone addiction scores (r = 0.794, p  < 0.001; r = 0.448, p  < 0.001; r = 0.566, p  < 0.001; r = 0.710, p  < 0.001; and r = 0.640, p  < 0.001, respectively) (Table 2 ).

Factors associated with smartphone addiction

The results point to a significant correlation between smartphone use before sleep (OR = 3.120, 95% CI = 2.147– 4.536), perceived high study pressure (OR = 2.005, 95% CI = 1.430–2.811), and smartphone addiction (Table 3 ).

We employed the GHQ-12 to assess freshmen medical students’ mental health. The total outcomes revealed a significantly positive Pearson’s correlation coefficient between smartphone addiction and poor mental health (OR = 1.677, 95% CI = 1.338–2.102). We measured professional identity based on the Professional Identity Scale, and the results suggest that professional identity is a protective factor for smartphone addiction (OR = 0.982, 95% CI = 0.975–0.988).

The prevalence of smartphone addiction among the freshmen medical students in this study was 39.7%, which is slightly higher than another study that found that 29.8% of medical students in China had smartphone addiction [ 14 ]. Interestingly, in our study, the correlation analysis showed that perceived study pressure was positively correlated with smartphone addiction, whereas gender was not correlated with smartphone addiction. The changes in learning and lifestyle brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have caused people to completely rely on the Internet and smart devices such as tablets, laptops, and mobile phones. This total dependence has proven to be a form of addiction [ 27 ]. Recently, concern was expressed about the increase in smartphone use among students due to the decrease in, or absence of, supervision. In the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, participants may attempt to use smartphones to reduce stress and alleviate poor mood [ 28 ], which can cause higher risks for increases in smartphone use and smartphone addiction.

Smartphones are the easiest available substances for managing stress and can lead to addiction. Crisis management procedures—including isolation; social distancing; continuous confinement; wearing masks; the cancellation of family, social and cultural activities—and individual health issues are all potential stressors [ 29 , 30 ]. The negative impact of COVID-19 on mental health extends beyond health-related fears [ 31 ] and can lead to negative psychological effects [ 32 , 33 ]. The COVID-19 pandemic and the series of effects it has engendered such as social distancing, lockdowns, and home confinement [ 34 ] have caused many changes in our mental and behavioral health. Hence, COVID-19 could strengthen the use of addictive substances as strategies to cope with or relieve stress [ 35 , 36 ]. Nevertheless, the findings of high prevalence indicate that smartphone addiction may be a serious problem that has a significant impact on medical students’ own lives and studies. The current COVID-19 crisis requires new ways to identify health conditions while maintaining the principles of reducing human contact and pollution. In this case, a proactive approach to monitoring smartphone use in the student is essential.

This study implies that professional identity is a positive personal trait and an important protective factor. It can prevent individuals from becoming affected by perceived stress, thereby reducing their negative emotions and the possibility of developing smartphone addiction. Many studies have found that the professional identity of medical students has a positive effect on their learning motivation, academic success, and professional development; it is also the most vital factor influencing their future career choices and professional achievements [ 37 , 38 ]. Professional identity refers to students’ acceptance and recognition of their major, as well as their willingness to learn and explore with a positive attitude and positive behavior. Medical students are the reserve force of medical developments in the future, and their professional identity is crucial for the quality training of modern medical talent. The professional identity of nursing students can improve their self‐confidence and enhance their professional skills [ 39 ]. Professional identity can help individuals to deal with stress effectively and to achieve better adaptation and development. When faced with stress, medical college students with greater levels of professional identity might recover quickly with positive psychological capacity, make greater efforts in the pursuit of success, and have positive expectations and attributes for the outcomes. Thus, improving their professional identity can play a role in preventing smartphone addiction.

Poor mental health is positively correlated with smartphone addiction [ 40 , 41 ]. Poor mental health is one of the most crucial risks leading to smartphone addiction. There is a significant correlation between perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) and emotional distress [ 42 ]. The fear of contagion is one of the causes of anxiety, depression, and stress in the general population. University students’ response to the pandemic deserves further attention. The sudden changes in “university” habits (i.e., poor interactions with teachers and colleagues, difficulty adapting to online learning), the loss of social networks, and other issues have seriously affected the physical and mental health of university students. A study carried out in China found that approximately one-third of the respondents had moderate-to-severe anxiety, a high prevalence of sleep disorders, and widespread symptoms of anxiety disorder, especially in young people and health professionals [ 43 , 44 ]. Due to the portability and flexible choices of smartphone applications, individuals with poor mental health will make up for the shortcomings in their real social lives by using various smartphone applications. Elhai et al. found that COVID-19 anxiety was related to the severity of depression, anxiety, and problematic smartphone use (PSU) [ 45 ]. It is increasingly becoming clear that excessive use of smartphones has a negative impact on health.

In line with previous studies [ 46 , 47 , 48 ], we found that perceived stress was positively correlated with smartphone addiction among medical freshmen students. The impact of perceived stress on smartphone addiction has begun to gain support in the research world [ 46 , 49 ]. As a special group of college students, medical students experience a high level of stress that could be due to academic burden, the frequency of exams, and a long academic curriculum [ 50 ]. Addictive behavior may be a way to reduce strain or relieve negative emotions. Individuals who feel more stress are more likely to develop smartphone addiction [ 48 ]. When faced with stress, medical students are more likely to use smartphones to mitigate stress [ 49 ]. Perceived stress could make individuals believe they are in a state of stress, which is considered to be a risk factor for the occurrence and recurrence of many addictions, such as drug abuse [ 51 ] and Internet addiction [ 52 ]. The results show that it is very important for counselors to improve medical college students’ professional identity in the context of smartphone addiction. In addition, for future clinical practitioners, we must pay attention not only to the symptoms of smartphone addicts themselves, but also to their stress and mental health.

Prolonged contact with smartphone screens reduces sleep time and sleep efficiency. The COVID-19 pandemic home quarantine brought about a sudden and different lifestyle, with many students watching movies/series most of the time. The overuse of smartphones usually results in smartphone addiction.

Some limitations must be admitted. First, we conducted this study through an online survey; therefore, it is possible that some data could be erroneous. Second, this study was cross-sectional and hence we cannot infer causality. Meanwhile, the representativeness of the sample may limit the general validity of our findings because our participants were from the same university. Third, we gathered the data during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is difficult to separate the effect from the given sample. Further longitudinal follow-up studies should be conducted to explore smartphone addiction status and its associated factors among medical students in China.

In sum, high smartphone addiction scores were significantly correlated with low professional identity, poor mental health, smartphone use before sleep, and perceived study pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a large-scale longitudinal study to further establish the causal relationship between smartphone addiction, mental health, and professional identity.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author (H.L. or M.Z.) upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all medical students who completed questionnaires for their active participation and all the class leaders and counselors of Wannan Medical College for their excellent efforts that made this study possible

This research was funded by China’s Ministry of Education (MOE) as a Project of the Humanities and Social Sciences (20YJC190006), the Teaching Quality and Teaching Reform Project of Anhui Provincial Department of Education (2020jyxm2076), the School Project of the University Student Mental Health Education Research Center of Wannan Medical College (SJD202110), the Teaching Reform Project of Wannan Medical College (2020jyxm58), and the Prevention and Control Science and Technology Emergency Project for COVID-19 of Wuhu (2020rkx1-5).

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Department of Hemodialysis, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College (Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241001, Anhui, China

Department of Nursing, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College (Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241001, Anhui, China

Zhiqing Zhou

School of Comprehensive Foundation, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, China

School of Humanities and Management, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, China

School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, China

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Contributions

Huan Liu and Ming Zhang contributed to the design of the study, conceived the survey and statistical analysis, and wrote the paper. Zhiqing Zhou was involved in the fieldwork. Ergang Zhu played a role in participant recruitment and data collection. Long Huang and Ming Zhang proposed the research design. All authors have approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ming Zhang .

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Liu, H., Zhou, Z., Zhu, E. et al. Smartphone addiction and its associated factors among freshmen medical students in China: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry 22 , 308 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03957-5

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03957-5

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How to Have a Healthier Relationship With Your Phone

Unplugging is often impossible. Here’s a realistic guide to using your tech in a way that serves you.

By Eric Athas

A few years ago, a Google employee sent an email to thousands of her co-workers: What if for six weeks straight, you spent one night per week without technology?

The email was from Laura Mae Martin, Google’s executive productivity adviser, a role that, among other things, was created to help staff members foster healthier relationships with their gadgets and apps. After she sent the note, Ms. Martin was flooded with responses from co-workers eager for a respite from some of the very products they helped build. Thousands of employees have since participated in the annual “No-Tech Tuesday Night Challenge,” said Ms. Martin, author of the upcoming book “Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing.”

The problem she was trying to solve isn’t unique to Google workers. One survey found that most Americans say they spend too much time on their phones. But dramatic solutions — a digital detox , a phone downgrade or a complete exit from social media — may feel impractical.

Is it possible to have a healthy relationship with technology while still using it daily? Fortunately, according to experts, the answer is a resounding yes.

Start with one simple question.

You know that urge you get to reach for your phone without realizing it? And then, before you know it, you’re an hour into a social media binge?

If you want to peacefully coexist with technology, you need to get a handle on those impulses . Start by noticing when you have an urge to lift your phone or open social media on your browser window, said Richard J. Davidson, the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

By becoming conscious of what you’re about to do, you’re interrupting an automatic behavior and awakening the part of your brain that governs self-control, he said. As one research article suggests, awareness of your actions can help you rein in bad habits.

“When you become aware of the urge, simply ask yourself, ‘Do I really need to do this right now?’” Dr. Davidson said.

Asking that question may help you pause, reflect on and resist the temptation to check your device. And let’s be realistic: Sometimes you may decide to indulge in some screen time. But by being conscious of your urges, you can become more intentional about your habits, Dr. Davidson said.

Take the “mobile” out of your mobile devices.

Dr. Anna Lembke, a professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, said one of the biggest problems with smartphones is what she calls “texting while running to catch a bus.” Using our devices while we’re on the move — walking from meeting to meeting, taking a child to school or catching a bus — prevents us from being more engaged in our lives, Dr. Lembke said.

“We’re missing out on a wealth of information and signaling in the world around us, and also depriving ourselves of the opportunity to process and interpret what we’ve experienced,” she said.

One way to create harmony with your technology is to limit your phone use when you’re on the move. Headed out for a walk? Turn off your notifications. Going to grab a coffee? Leave your phone on your desk. If you’re feeling brave, try powering down your phone while in transit, said Dr. Lembke, who wrote “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.” It won’t buzz with notifications, text messages or phone calls, which Dr. Lembke said could help you focus on the world around you.

Schedule tiny tech breaks.

Extended vacations from your gadgets may not be possible. But if you’re trying to spend less time staring at your screens, 10- or 15- minute breaks might be a more practical option, said Dr. Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco and author of “The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World.” You might take a quick walk, close your eyes, work on a puzzle or read a book.

Another trick: Put tech breaks in your calendar, Dr. Gazzaley said. It may feel odd to schedule something like “take a phone-free walk,” but it shouldn’t if it’s a priority, he said.

Control your environment.

Don’t rely on your willpower alone to keep your screen time down, said James A. Roberts, an expert on consumer behavior at Baylor University. Instead, tweak your surroundings.

“Anything you can do to create an environment that makes it as easy as possible to distance yourself from the phone will be helpful,” said Dr. Roberts, who wrote “Too Much of a Good Thing: Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?”

Here are a few things you can try:

Get an alarm clock . A phone alarm forces you to pick up your device upon waking up, making it far too easy to start reading email and alerts, Dr. Roberts said. But a stand-alone alarm clock allows you to leave your phone untouched until you decide it’s time to dive in.

Appoint an accountability partner . Dr. Roberts suggested asking a family member or friend to remind you to put down your device when you’ve been on it for too long, when someone’s trying to have a conversation with you, or at other moments when it is disrupting life in the offline world.

Delete social media from your phone. To manage social media use without quitting it entirely, you’ll need to make it less accessible, Dr. Roberts said. One tip he suggested is to delete it from your phone but keep it on your computer so you can still use it for work or keeping in touch with family and friends.

Make the technology work for you.

One thing experts agreed on: To forge a healthy relationship with technology, you need to be in control of it and not the other way around. Think about your gadgets as tools that you decide how to use.

“Make it work for you, not against you,” said Ms. Martin, the productivity expert at Google. “Whether it’s an email program or your dishwasher, it’s the intention behind how you’re using it that really makes the big difference.”

Eric Athas is a deputy editor on the Newsroom Development & Support team at The Times, which trains reporters and editors on new skills and tools. More about Eric Athas

How to Make Your Smartphone Better

These days, smartphones include tools to help you more easily connect with the people you want to contact — and avoid those you don’t. Here are some tips .

Trying to spend less time on your phone? The “Do Not Disturb” mode can help you set boundaries and signal that it may take you a while to respond .

To comply with recent European regulations, Apple will make a switch to USB-C charging for its iPhones. Here is how to navigate the change .

Photo apps have been using A.I. for years to give you control over the look of your images. Here’s how to take advantage of that .

The loss of your smartphone can be disruptive and stressful. Taking a few simple steps ahead of time can make things easier if disaster strikes .

Many default settings make us share superfluous amounts of data with tech companies. Here’s how to shut those off .

Essay on Mobile Phone for Students and Children

500+ words essay on mobile phone.

Essay on Mobile Phone: Mobile Phone is often also called “cellular phone”. It is a device mainly used for a voice call. Presently technological advancements have made our life easy. Today, with the help of a mobile phone we can easily talk or video chat with anyone across the globe by just moving our fingers. Today mobile phones are available in various shapes and sizes, having different technical specifications and are used for a number of purposes like – voice calling, video chatting, text messaging or SMS, multimedia messaging, internet browsing, email, video games, and photography. Hence it is called a ‘Smart Phone’. Like every device, the mobile phone also has its pros and cons which we shall discuss now.

Advantages of Mobile Phone

1) Keeps us connected

Now we can be connected to our friends, relatives at any time we want through many apps. Now we can talk video chat with whoever we want, by just operating your mobile phone or smartphone. Apart from this mobile also keeps us updated about the whole world.

2) Day to Day Communicating

Today mobiles phone has made our life so easy for daily life activities. Today, one can assess the live traffic situation on mobile phone and take appropriate decisions to reach on time. Along with it the weather updates, booking a cab and many more.

3) Entertainment for All

With the improvement of mobile technology, the whole entertainment world is now under one roof. Whenever we get bored with routine work or during the breaks, we can listen to music, watch movies, our favorite shows or just watch the video of one’s favorite song.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

4) Managing Office Work

These days mobiles are used for many types of official work From meeting schedules, sending and receiving documents, giving presentations, alarms, job applications, etc. Mobile phones have become an essential device for every working people

5) Mobile Banking

Nowadays mobiles are even used as a wallet for making payments. Money could be transferred almost instantly to friends, relatives or others by using mobile baking in the smartphone. Also, one can easily access his/her account details and know past transactions. So it saves a lot of time and also hassle-free.

Disadvantages of Mobile Phones

1)  Wasting Time

Now day’s people have become addicted to mobiles. Even when we don’t need to mobile we surf the net, play games making a real addict. As mobile phones became smarter, people became dumber.

2) Making Us Non- communicable

Wide usage of mobiles has resulted in less meet and talk more. Now people don’t meet physically rather chat or comment on social media.

3) Loss of Privacy

It is a major concern now of losing one’s privacy because of much mobile usage. Today anyone could easily access the information like where you live, your friends and family, what is your occupation, where is your house, etc; by just easily browsing through your social media account.

4) Money Wastage

As the usefulness of mobiles has increased so their costing. Today people are spending a lot amount of money on buying smartphones, which could rather be spent on more useful things like education, or other useful things in our life.

A mobile phone could both be positive and negative; depending on how a user uses it. As mobiles have become a part of our life so we should use it in a proper way, carefully for our better hassle-free life rather using it improperly and making it a virus in life.

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