Smartphone Addiction

Today, more than 77% of Americans aged 12 and up own a smartphone. While these devices have undoubtedly enriched and simplified our lives with tools, games, easy access to social networks, and a range of information, they’ve also added complications in the form of potential addiction. Smartphone addiction, also known as smartphone use disorder or smartphone dependence is a condition in which individuals experience compulsive and harmful smartphone use, which can interfere with social, personal, and other goals. In fact, the average American spends 2 hours and 51 minutes on their phone, with heavy users spending 6 or more hours. This time can be spent productively but it’s often spent mindlessly scrolling social media, refreshing pages, and participating in activities with no end-value or goal.

While smartphone addiction doesn’t have the same health consequences as a more serious addiction, it is harmful to your health, mental health, and phycological state. Recovering from it requires the same changes in behavior patterns, thought patterns, and impulse control as tackling any other type of addiction.

What is Smartphone Addiction?

Smartphone addiction is defined as dependence syndrome by the World Health Organization (WHO). Dependence defines a condition in which a person is dependent on a behavior or substance to the point that it interferes with normal, healthy life.

Dependence Syndrome includes both substance abuse and behavioral addiction:

Substance Dependent

A condition in which a person is chemically depending on a substance such as an opioid or alcohol and will experience withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of the drug.

Behavioral Addiction

A condition in which a person is psychologically and emotionally dependent on a behavior, such as Internet use, drinking, drug use, or smartphone usage.

Here, one of these conditions typically leads to the other. In the case of behavioral-only addictions, it typically related to the reward system in the brain. Here, the brain is triggered to reward individuals for participating in desired activities such as social engagement, learning about the environment, or providing positive stimulus. Phones offer easy access to this, with social media and clicks and likes, texting and messenger apps, news, and a world of images and video designed to elicit nearly any emotion possible. These activities consistently lead to individuals surviving, meeting people and partners, and being able to maintain relationships. Therefore, when you engage in a “desirable” activity, the reward circuit triggers to offer positive reinforcement. You might get a rush of dopamine and serotonin when spending a day with friends and chances are, you’ll theoretically get close to that same sense of satisfaction when doing so online – even with people you don’t or barely know.

Both of these neurotransmitters are essential in the brain, but they are addictive. In fact, both are linked to behavioral disorders such as drug and alcohol use as well as mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. If you have too much of it, your brain will become depending on getting higher amounts, causing you to repeat the behavior that resulted in dopamine/serotonin production again and again – even when the behavior ceases to reward every time.

Smartphone addiction is also a behavioral problem or a learned problem. Individuals start habits because they afford pleasure, and then build habits that result in mindless scrolling or watching video after video, even when the activity ceases to offer pleasure or actually detracts from happiness.

While smartphones are easily seen as a culprit of addiction, many people argue that individuals aren’t experiencing addiction to their smartphones but rather to the easy access to media, and social connection. One study at the University of Alabama highlights this, by showing that individuals are as likely to become addicted to other solutions offering this access, such as a tablet, smartwatch, or even a computer. This is further proof that “smartphone addiction” is a behavioral addiction, because it’s a learned habit to achieve a desired result of entertainment, social validation, or stimulus.

Does that mean you can become hooked on a smartphone like you can on heroin? Not really. Without chemical dependence on a drug, you’ll never experience physical symptoms and physical withdrawal, which can lessen the severity of the problem. Smartphones also don’t run the risk of causing overdose, damaging organs or your gastrointestinal system, and likely won’t have you end up in jail unless you happen to text and drive. However, they can damage your psychological health, your happiness, and increase your risk of anxiety, depression, and even suicide.

Signs and Symptoms of Smartphone Addiction

Smartphone addiction can typically be identified by consistent patterns of overuse. In fact, WHO officially defines smartphone addiction as smartphone overuse. Dependence-disorders such as smartphone addiction are defined by 11 factors under the DSM-5.

Using longer than intended
A desire to cut down or stop but not managing to
Cravings and urges to use
Not managing to complete tasks or responsibilities because of use
Continuing use even when it causes problems at work, home, or in relationships

Giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of use
Using even when it puts you or others in danger (e.g. texting while driving)
Continuing to use even when you know you have a problem that could be made worse by use
Using more and more to get the same effect desired (tolerance)
Development of withdrawal symptoms when not using

Here, the DSM-5 only requires that an individual develop 3 or more of these symptoms over a 7-month period to be classified as a dependence disorder. While smartphone users will never experience withdrawal when ceasing use, they do experience many of the additional symptoms, with a strong focus on the first 7.

You can look for smartphone abuse using those signs, or ask questions like:

How much time do you spend on your phone?
Do you become irritated, angry, anxious, or violent when your smartphone is taken away?
Do you skip social events or avoid interacting with people in favor of being on your phone?
Do you lose sleep because of your smartphone?

If you’ve answered yes to some or all of these, or can do so for a loved one, you or they likely have a problem.

Effects of Smartphone Addiction

Smartphone addiction does not have any of the physically damaging problems of a substance-use disorder such as heroin addiction. However, it can have numerous damaging effects on your mental and psychological health. Most people are aware that excessive smartphone use can leave them feeling tired, depressed, and anxious. This is especially true in instances where smartphone addiction isn’t met with continuous social validation online. Smartphones have also been shown to affect the mood, long-term shape of the brain, attention span, and other factors.

Short-Term Effects of Smartphone Addiction

Over the short-term, smartphone addiction can impact your life, your mood, and your ability go get things done.

Inattention

Individuals with smartphone addiction are highly likely to have a low attention span, especially for anything that isn’t their phone. This can result in reduced satisfaction in face-to-face interactions, reduced value from instructions or lectures, and a lower attention span at work or at school.

Lost Time

Losing track of time while using a smartphone is one of the classic symptoms of dependence. This symptom results in failing to meet responsibilities, failing to use time in a meaningful way, and often disappointment, drops in mood, and failure to participate in activities or events that could have improved mood.

Reduced Productivity

Multiple studies show that individuals with smartphones in a school or at work are less productive than peers who turn off or put away their devices. In one study, individuals were able to boost productivity by as much as 26% by placing their smartphone in another room. While this type of lost productivity isn’t always harmful, it is important, especially for individuals at work and studying.

Lowered Mood

While phones can be used to interact with others in meaningful ways, many simply aren’t doing so. Instead, they’re perusing social media, looking at the carefully manicured lives of others, comparing themselves, and falling up short. Similarly, refresh habits, posting for validation, and even not receiving the amount of validation or responses expected can prove disheartening. Individuals often suffer from a lower mood after extended periods of smartphone use than before. While this does correlate to extended periods of inactivity and extended periods without meaningful face-to-face interaction or tasks that could create a sense of achievement, the link between excessive smartphone use and reduced happiness is there.

Long Term Effects of Smartphone Addiction

Smartphones have existed in their current form since the late 90s, although most people would relate to the 2007 introduction of the first iPhone instead. They also didn’t reach anything near current levels of popularity until 2013, largely pushed by increasing data availability in the form of WiFi and 4G/5G. This means that any data we have on the long-term effects of smartphone addiction is not based on any more than about 5 years of research at most. New research is still being produced, but for now, our understanding of the long-term effects of smartphone usage is relatively low.

However, we do have evidence that excessive smartphone usage can contribute to insomnia, depression, limited attention-span, and long-term changes in the brain.

Insomnia

Smartphone overuse contributes to insomnia and sleeplessness in several ways. The first is that individuals remain engaged with content and lose track of time, staying up well past when they planned to sleep. The second is that most smartphones emit blue light, which is clinically proven to contribute to wakefulness and to keeping individuals awake even after they close their phones. While many smartphones now offer “dark mode” which cuts out most blue light, most individuals fail to use this mode, resulting in chronic under sleep.

Depression and Anxiety

Smartphones contributing to depression and anxiety is a much-touted but poorly proven fact. However, we do know that the number of teens diagnosed with clinical depression rose by 37% between 2005 and 2013. We also know that heavy smartphone usage tends to result in social isolation, lowered self-esteem, and decreased satisfaction from activities and events. Each of these does contribute to the likelihood of developing anxiety and depression and will exacerbate existing instances of a mood disorder. New studies also consistently link extensive screen-time (including tablets, computers, and smartphones) to increases in anxiety and increases in depression and even suicidal behavior.

Low Attention-Span

While it’s well understood that individuals have a difficult time focusing when using their smartphone, this effect becomes more permanent over time. Long-term smartphone usage actually changes brain development, creating a long-term increase in hyperactivity, low-attention-span, and other ADHD-like symptoms. This means that persistent smartphone abuse can actually cause long-term damage, resulting in an individual who has a shorter attention span for a significant portion of their life, even after smartphone usage is ceased or reduced. While the attention span can always be trained back, this change does have a significant impact on individuals and their lives.

Smartphone addiction is a major problem that impacts as many as one in four Americans to some extent. While seemingly harmless, smartphone addiction contributes to decreases in psychological health, reduced social activity, reduced activity, and to death through distracted driving.

Smartphone Addiction Withdrawal

While no one experiences physical withdrawal from smartphones in the sense that they are not chemically dependent, individuals will experience a psychosomatic withdrawal phase. This is typically characterized by the same anxiety as that experienced by someone physically dependent on a drug.

Smartphone Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms:

Each of these smartphone addiction withdrawal symptoms can be traced to anxiety and to being unable to complete a learned behavior pattern.

Help for Smartphone Addiction

If you or a loved one is addicted to your smartphone, there is help. An increasing body of knowledge exists to study, prevent, and help patients recover from smartphone addiction. Some of the most common forms of treatment including education, behavioral therapy, and group-style help such as 12-step.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and other forms of behavioral therapy are frequently used to treat smartphone addiction. As a behavioral disorder, smartphone dependence is likely best treated using some elements of behavioral therapy, similarly to how internet addiction is treated. Here, individuals learn their behavior patterns, learn their motivations, and work to create new behavior patterns over the maladaptive ones.

Education

Education is a form of supplementary treatment for smartphone addiction, giving individuals the tools to control, curb, or limit their own use. Here, individuals learn about the dangers of smartphone use and are typically given tools such as apps and screen controls to limit total time spent in apps or on their phone at all. This can help to dramatically reduce screen-time but is heavily depending on the individual’s willingness to reduce screen time as well as their levels of self-control and personal willpower.

12-Step Smartphone Addiction Treatment

12-step is a new approach to smartphone addiction treatment, using a spiritual and psychological approach to help individuals overcome their addiction. Here, you can learn the tools to beat smartphone addiction at home and then seek support from 12-Step groups such as Smartphone Addicts Anonymous for social support.

Smartphone addiction affects millions of people in the United States. If you or a loved one is struggling, you can and should get help. Most importantly, if you are struggling, you can recover and get back to your life.

Buy The Twelve Steps for Smartphone Addiction

The Twelve Steps are one of the most effective methods for treating addiction in human history. Originating with Alcoholics Anonymous in 1939, the Twelve Steps have since been used to treat a variety of other addictions, including drugs, sex, gambling, eating disorders, and many others.