Cell Phones, With or Without Addiction, Can Sabotage Relationships

Almost a quarter of young people are so dependent on their smartphones that it becomes like an addiction, suggests research by psychiatrists.

The study, from King's College London, says such addictive behaviour means that people become "panicky" or "upset" if they are denied constant access.

For most of us, we like to have our cell phone or other device close to us, but if we forget it or leave it behind, it isn’t too big of a deal, other than some mild anxiety. There is debate about whether or not you can have an addiction to a cell phone. But, it seems that there can be an addiction, as many compare devices to mini gambling devices.

The youngsters also cannot control the amount of time they spend on the phone.

The study warns that such addictions have "serious consequences" for mental health.

The research, published in BMC Psychiatry, analyzed 41 studies involving 42,000 young people in an investigation into "problematic smartphone usage".

The study found 23% had behaviour that was consistent with an addiction - such as anxiety over not being able to use their phone, not being able to moderate the time spent and using mobiles so much that it was detrimental to other activities.

Such addictive behaviour could be linked to other problems, says the study, such as stress, a depressed mood, lack of sleep and reduced achievement in school.

"Smartphones are here to stay and there is a need to understand the prevalence of problematic smartphone usage," says one of the report's authors, Nicola Kalk, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London.

"We don't know whether it is the smartphone itself that can be addictive or the apps that people use," said Dr Kalk.

"Nevertheless, there is a need for public awareness around smartphone use in children and young people, and parents should be aware of how much time their children spend on their phones."

Co-author Samantha Sohn warned that addictions "can have serious consequences on mental health and day-to-day functioning, so there is a need for further investigation into problematic smartphone usage".

But Amy Orben, research fellow at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, warned against assuming there were causal connections between problematic smartphone use and outcomes such as depression.

"It has been shown previously that smartphone effects are not a one-way street, but that mood can impact the amount of smartphone use, as well," said Dr Orben.

There are many things. Behaviorally, this can include the reinforcement of staying connected at all times and being engaged on social media. Also, the reinforcement of “likes” and activity on one’s account. This reinforcement is variable, which is the most reinforcing kind. You never know when you may or may not have your “needs” met by the phone. We get instant gratification. Data suggests that children and adolescents who spend more time on electronics do have increased rates of anxiety and depression; however, they can be protected against this with more time outside and activities that don’t involve screens.

There is also some data to suggest that use of devices reinforces dopamine pathways, a neurotransmitter that is a “feel good” chemical involved in our reward-seeking behaviors. When this pathway isn’t reinforced, we actually experience chemical withdrawal in our brains.

Cell phones, with or without addiction, can sabotage relationships! When we are talking to someone and look to our watch or our phone, we are telling them that something has come to our attention that is more important than they are, and you are essentially rejecting them. If we let our cell phones distract us during meals and quality time together, we aren’t able to truly engage and be present in the quality time, which then conveys to those involved that there is something happening that is more important than them. It is incredibly important to stay present and if you do have to check your phone/device, make sure you are letting the other person know why, and creating and agreeing about expectations about checking the phone, if that is needed.

When we think about the effects of smartphones and technology on well-being, we often focus on what people are doing on these technologies. Is it social media? Is it gaming? What is the effect of that?

These are important questions. But I focus on the context in which that use happens. Gaming could actually be good for your well-being, but there’s an opportunity cost: if you’re spending five hours a day gaming, then you’re not doing other things.

What are those other things that technology displaces? We all know that screen time isn’t kind to those important eight hours of sleep. It could also be physical activity. It could also be real-world, in-person social interactions. All of those are pretty important for happiness.

To the extent that we’re spending more time in front of a screen and less time sleeping, exercising or interacting with others, phones can hurt our happiness.

For some people with Artificial Intelligence or AI, it could certainly get worse because now you have these apps that make you feel like you’re developing a real relationship with a girlfriend, boyfriend or friend. There’s exciting new research going on looking at whether AI can be good for loneliness, mental health and happiness.


Mahfuz Ul Hasib Chowdhury
is a contributor to different
English newspapers 
and magazines.