Abuse affects mental and physical health (Getty)
Excessive use of search links the smartphone It has a wide range of physical and mental health damage, including a constant feeling of fatigue, depression and anxiety.
Do you really have a problem?
Develop in South Koreaabout a decade ago, a scale used globally to detect a problem using a particular object when answering “yes” to these questions:
- Are you unable to complete the work you have planned due to using your smartphone?
- Do you feel impatient and anxious when you don’t have your phone in hand?
- Are you constantly checking your phone so as not to miss what’s happening on the social apps?
- Do people tell you that you use your smartphone a lot?
- Do you lose track of the time you spend using the device?
Children and adolescents are the biggest victims
Research indicates that the damage of smartphone use may be even greater for teens and children. A 2021 study found that time spent in front of a screen is associated with binge eating disorder. Teens can overeat, even when they’re not hungry, when they’re distracted by phones and screens, leading to weight gain.
Another study, in the same year, found that phone use and text messaging caused an increase in body mass index (BMI) and weight gain in teens.
This year’s analysis linked excessive phone use to disruptive behavioral disturbances in children.
There are also a myriad of mental health implications. According to a review published in 2022, excessive smartphone use can exacerbate anxiety, stress and depression.
Another recent study concluded that smartphone overuse is associated with suicidal ideation and even suicide attempts.
How do you use your smartphone in a healthy way?
Readers don’t have to sacrifice their devices completely. You just need to make the following changes as summarized by Time:
Manage notifications
Turn off the sounds and notifications that flash on the screen to let you know that you have a new Facebook message, email or video on Tik Tok. Collect them and they will reach you all at once, every hour or less. Research has indicated that this can reduce stress.
Simplify access to your phone
One of the best ways to disconnect the phone is to leave it far away, for example on a shelf. Holding the phone behind you or upside down can be effective. Of course, keeping your phone in another room while you sleep is another useful strategy.
Hide social media apps
Drag all your social media and email apps into a single folder that doesn’t appear on your home screen. So opening up will require some work. Even better, delete them from your phone and only access them via your laptop, which can drastically reduce the amount of time you spend browsing them.
Make it difficult to unlock your phone
Instead of taking advantage of useful features like Face ID, it uses a passcode that you have to enter manually. Researchers have found that adopting this method can reduce phone use?
To do list
Before you pick up the phone, make a list of what you want to achieve with it: maybe check your email, find a recipe for dinner, text some friends. Don’t do anything that’s not on your list.
Set the phone screen to grayscale
Using the screen in black and white instead of color can help reduce screen time and anxiety, as it makes the phone less attractive.
Choose the old technology
Try to buy the smallest phone possible and keep it as long as possible.
