How to break free from your smartphone

What are the signs of smartphone addiction?

Phone and/or tablet addiction has a name: nomophobia – the fear of being without one’s mobile phone. It stems from internet addiction, a need to be constantly “connected” and/or to use various applications. This can manifest as an addiction to virtual relationships via social networks, dating sites, and various messaging methods (emails, text messages, etc.), a compulsive need to access news, information, or even, in some cases, pornography. Finally, some people are addicted to online games, gambling, stock market transactions, auctions, or online shopping.

Addiction is not defined by the number of hours spent per day on the smartphone, but by the fact that it distracts you from “real” social relationships, your hobbies, your work, or school.

Some warning signs

• Difficulty (or slowness) in completing tasks at work or at home
• “Social” isolation means that even in the presence of friends or family, you spend time on your smartphone, sometimes losing track of conversations with those around you.
• Using your smartphone in secret
• The fear of missing out on information or news on social media, the worry that others might be having a good time without you. Fears that make you wake up in the middle of the night to check your phone.
• Forgetting your phone at home, or having a dead battery, makes you panic and anxious.

A study identified five symptoms of smartphone addiction: disregard for negative consequences, preoccupation, inability to resist urges, loss of productivity, and anxiety. A risk profile for addiction may also exist: the more solitary and timid a person is, the higher their risk of becoming addicted to their smartphone.

In people with addiction, trying to reduce their smartphone use will cause withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, anger, difficulty concentrating, an urgent need to access their phone, or sleep disturbances.

Smartphone addiction–what are the consequences?

Thanks to its size, the smartphone can follow us everywhere and satisfy our compulsive needs at any time. Its use can trigger the release of dopamine and alter our mood. Addiction to our smartphones or the internet has negative impacts on our health, particularly mental health, such as: 

• Increasing loneliness and depression: by constantly comparing themselves unfavorably to others on social media, young people (especially) reinforce their feelings of loneliness and their depressive symptoms. 
• Fueling anxiety.
• Increased stress: the ever-present smartphone makes it impossible to “disconnect” from work. Professional life encroaches on home, and personal life, and we constantly find ourselves under pressure to check and frequently respond to emails. These are risk factors that can lead to burnout.
• Exacerbating attention deficit disorders: the brain can be overwhelmed by the constant flow of messages and information. It then becomes unable to concentrate on one thing because it is constantly bombarded with “new” stimuli.
• Reduced concentration and creativity: a ringing phone that makes frequent noises can distract from important tasks and disturb the calm needed for reflection and creativity.
• Disrupting sleep and thus reducing cognitive and learning performance.
• And finally, to become totally narcissistic and egocentric by constantly sharing photos and personal thoughts.

But excessive smartphone use can also have physicalrepercussionss such as neck pain or accidents on public roads, affecting pedestrians or drivers when the smartphone is used in a car.

In practice, how to reduce your smartphone use?

The first thing is to determine when you use your smartphone most, for what reasons, what motivates you to do so, etc. The better you understand your usage patterns, the easier it will be to change your habits and regain control.

Here are 8 steps to return to a more reasonable and healthier use of your smartphone:

1. Set times when you can use your smartphone: at a certain time of day or after completing a task.
2. Turn off your phone at certain times of the day (in the car, while exercising…).
3. Avoid taking your phone to bed: the blue light emitted by screens can disrupt sleep. Charge it in another room.
4. Replace smartphone use with healthier activities: reading, listening to music, sports…
5. Play a game with other “phone addicts”: at a restaurant or bar, place your phones upside down on the table. Even if they ring, don’t turn them over. Whoever gives in pays for everyone.
6. Remove social media apps from your phone so you can only access them on your computer.
7. Stop systematically and frequently checking messages, alerts,s or emails.
8. Resist the fear of missing out on information, gossip, or an invitation. You can’t keep up with everything, so you have to accept that.

If these measures are insufficient, several other options are available: following a “digital detox,” a kind of digital fast, which helps disconnect from smartphones and the internet. Individual cognitive behavioral therapy or joining a support group are also possibilities.

How can you help your teen who is addicted to their phone?

According to the results of a 2015 survey, alcohol and tobacco use declined among 12- to 17-year-olds, coinciding with a surge in mobile phone use. Could their near-constant phone use and hyperconnectivity represent a substitute for certain drugs? This is a question some researchers are exploring. Young people lack the maturity to limit their smartphone use. Rather than confiscating their phones, parents can implement measures to help them find a better balance.

• As parents, setting a good example is essential.
• Install apps to monitor and limit smartphone usage
• Create “phone-free” zones, such as the bedroom and dining room.
• Encourage other social activities
• Talk to children to check that there are no underlying problems related to their excessive use of the internet and social networks (relationship problems, stress, anxiety, etc.)
• Asking for help: the same information given by someone other than the parents will have a greater impact on the teenager.