Topic : Phone Addiction

Title : Everything you need to know about phone addiction

Access date : 6 February 2020

Reference website :
-https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/smartphone-addiction.htm
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449671/
-http://www.thewisdompost.com/essay/addiction/mobile-addiction/cell-phone-
addiction-meaning-symptoms-causes-effects-and-treatment/1045#causes
-https://www.greenbot.com/article/3095414/10-tips-to-help-you-beat-smartphone-
addiction.html
-https://psychcentral.com/lib/coping-with-cell-phone-addiction/

Authors : Ash Turner, Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal,
Ph.D, Sehar Shoukat, Sophia, Sarah, John M. Grohol,Psy.D.

This report was done by :

- Aries Handoko ( 190010005 )
- Ruth Novita Sari Tambunan ( 190010001 )

Class : Howard Hughes

Lecturer : Darwan tanady

Definition of Smartphone Addiction / Nomophobia
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.

Purpose
The purpose of this report is to inform the reader about the dangers of phone
addiction and the way to curb with it.

Facts about Phone Addiction

-The average smartphone user checks their device 47 times a day / 17,155 a year.
-Conversation killer! 85% of smartphone users will check their device while
speaking with friends and family.
-80% of smartphone users check their phone within 1 hour of waking or going to
sleep, 35% of which will do within 5 minutes.
-47% of smartphone users have attempted to limit their usage in the past – only
30% of which feel they were successful.
-The average time spend on smartphones AND tablets is 261 minutes a day (4hrs
33mins)
-The average user will tap, swipe, click their phone 2,617 times a day

Background Information
Smartphones can be wonderful communication devices. It is easy to search
for directions or look up information with a voice command or app. Friends can send
photos back and forth, message, or talk to their friends and family from anywhere. All
this connectivity lies within a tiny rectangle that fits in the palm of your hand and uses
a swipe of your index finger to work.
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.
The rapid advancement in technology has made many gadgets, a smartphone
is one of them (Nishad and Rana, 2016). People spend their time more likely on
social media, do business emails, academic search, finding answers to questions,
and playing games. Almost 95 percent of Americans own cell phones and 77 percent
own smartphones. Around the world, smartphones were used by 1.85 billion people
in 2014 which is expected to be 2.32 billion in 2017 and 2.87 billion in 2020 (Cha and
Seo, 2018). Such too much dependency makes us “Mobile addictive”. Mobile phones
make our lives easier, but on the other hand, it ties us. Mobile addiction not only has
physical effects but also psychological and academics effect at the same time. Sleep
deficit, anxiety, stress, and depression which are all associated with internet abuse,
have been related to mobile phone usage too (De-Sola Gutiérrez et al., 2016). All
entities which can stimulate a person can be an addiction.

Causes of Smartphone addiction

Dopamine is often referred to as the ‘feel good chemical’ that released by our
brain to make us feel good, happy, and a surge of ‘high’.When you exercise, when
you accomplished your work, you will feel good, satisfied and fulfilled. This is the
phenomenon where dopamine is at work. Dopamine plays a critical role in both our
mental and physical functions in forming our reward seeking behavior.

Dopamine is there to drive and motivate you to take action and to seek
pleasure such as food, sex, alcohol and some cases, the internet. Whenever you first
experience something new, you will anticipate the rise of dopamine level inside your
brain. Just like whenever you think about going to travel to a country that you have
never been before, you will instantly feel the excitement and joy.

According to Nir & Far, smartphones able to give us three types of rewards
that will increase our dopamine level.

1. The first type of reward is called reward of the hunt.

This is where we are expecting new experiences and information whenever we check
our phones. Ever wonder why people are so addicted to their phone? This is simply
because they are expecting to see something new through their phones.

2. The second type of reward is known as the reward of self.

This is where people are looking to get validation and agreement from other
people.We have to admit it, humans are creatures where we are always seeking
approval and validation. We want others to agree with us and like. Thus, whenever
you posted a photo to your social media account, you will want to check it constantly
to see if people comment or like your photo.

3. The third type of reward is the reward of the tribe.

As human beings, we resist being alone and we wanted to be part of a bigger family.
Guess what, social media and our phone give us this connection with other people
that we crave. We wanted to feel like we belong to a larger group and always being
accepted. This is why social media has skyrocketed and used by millions.Whenever
you are accepted into a group, you feel excited for what’s coming. Whenever other
people like your status, comment and agree with what you have to say in social
media, you feel great and want more.

Signs and Symptoms of Smartphone Addiction

At least 4 of the following signs and symptoms are thought to comprise criteria
for cell phone addiction, and the problematic cell phone overuse must cause
significant harm in the individual’s life:

 A need to use the cell phone more and more often in order to achieve the

same desired effect.

 Persistent failed attempts to use cell phone less often.

 Preoccupation with smartphone use.

 Turns to cell phone when experiencing unwanted feelings such as anxiety or

depression.
 Excessive use characterized by loss of sense of time.

 Has put a relationship or job at risk due to excessive cell phone use.

 Tolerance-need for newest cellphone,more applications, and increase usage.

 Withdrawal, when cell phone or network is unreachable.

Psychological Effect of Smartphone Addiction

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.

Ways to curb Smartphone Addiction

1.Don’t use phone in your bed.

2.Get a real alarm clock.

3.Make meals a phone-free zone.

4.Turn off notifications.

5.Delete Unnecessary apps.

6.Complicate your lock mode.

7.Focus on the person you are talking to.

8.Track your cellphone use.

9.Turn it off.