Types and Managing of Smartphone Addiction

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), addiction is defined as “a complex condition, a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence” (Parekh, 2018, para.1). Most people assume that addiction will only manifest itself in the form of alcohol, prescribed medication, or illegal substances, but it can take the form of commonly found items, such as food, over the counter medications, and the internet.

A common addictive item that is found in the majority of households is a smartphone.

“Smartphone Addiction is when an individual can’t stop from repeatedly checking texts, emails, or apps—even when it has negative repercussions in his/ her life” (Smith, Robinson, Segal, 2018, para.1). Smartphones, like any other addictive property, can lead to addiction, but there are many ways to treat and manage the addiction.

A smartphone can be similar to most addictive materials because of the same properties it shares of causing the brain to react in an abnormal manner. The only difference is that smartphones are not ingested.

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An addiction, according to International Journal of Preventive Medicine, “Behavior science experts believe that any source which is capable of stimulating an individual could become addictive”(Alavi, Ferdosi, Jannatifard, Eslami, Alaghemandan, & Setare, 2012, para.1), which causes a change in a brain’s wiring, prompting a person to have intense cravings for the object (Parekh, 2018, para.2).

Craving the object causes dopamine to be released in the brain which induces a happy state, causing a person to want to be in that state of mind on a daily basis.

Just like using drugs and alcohol, smartphones can prompt the release of the brain chemical, dopamine, and change a person's mood (Smith, Robinson, Segal, 2018, para 7). When smartphones cause this reaction in the brain, people can become addicted (Carter, 2017, para.4-5). The more time spent on smartphones, the more resistance is built up, and in order to derive pleasure, more time will have to be spent on it (Smith, Robinson, Segal, 2018, para 7).

Smartphones, a powerful and dangerous tool, has a rich history of how it came about to its current state. Portable phones started as car phones, then advanced to simple handheld communication devices. Then around 2007, the first smartphone was released, by Apple. No longer were phones just used to communicate, but other features were added, such as ‘apps’, email, and an internet browser (Ray, 2015, para). According to the Pew Research Center, currently, around 77% of Americans have a smartphone (Smith, 2017, para.3).

Recent studies are showing that the smartphone and social media companies are employing scientists and psychologists to create the technology in the most enticing and addicting manner (Cooper, 2017). According to CQ Researcher, “Several former employees of companies such as Google and Facebook say tech companies intentionally created technology designed to hook users in order to make money by selling their data” (Ladika, 2018, para.4). Similarly, USA Today reports, “Former Facebook and Google employees and investors who helped build the services used by billions are putting pressure on the technology giants to make their products less addictive, particularly for kids” (Guynn, 2018, para.1).

Smartphones are created with distinctive properties that can cause overuse. Rarely the phone itself is what creates the addiction, but rather the apps create the impulse, because of what it connects us to. Apps, which are programs downloaded onto smartphones, contain social media, shopping sites, games, and web browsers. All four of these different categories of apps have their own individual addictions.

Social media apps are notoriously known for its addictiveness. In 2018, Pew Research conducted a public survey about Social Media use, and they found that 88% of 18-29 adults use Social Media, and 64% of all Americans use Facebook (Smith, & Anderson, 2018, para.3&8). Also found; 51% of 18-29 adults say that it would be extremely hard to separate from their social media (Smith, & Anderson, 2018, para.21). An average person will spend about two hours a day on social media, which is about five years and four months in his/ her lifetime (Asano, 2017, para.4). A huge factor in social media overuse is accreted to smartphones because 60% of social media time is spent on a mobile device (Asano, 2017, para.1).

Another category of apps is shopping apps, which are apps designed solely for the purpose of shopping. Shopping apps are formulated with marketing tactics, to encourage shoppers to purchase items that are not needed (Lee, 2017, para.2). These strategies include customized a shoppers profile, interests, and previous shopping, and browsing history. According to Addictions.com “because modern technology has made online shopping easier and more accessible, everyday shoppers are more susceptible to online shopping addiction than ever before” (Lee, 2017, para.2). Out of 71% of people who are online shoppers, 51% of the shopping takes place on smartphones (Lee, 2017, chart.2).

Gaming apps are also highly addictive. Americans spend 30 billion dollars on video games annually (Carter, 2017, para.1). In 2017, games became the most popular App category on Apple products (Carter, 2017, chart.1). An average American spends five hours daily on her/his mobile device, and 11% of the time is spent on gaming accounts (Carter, 2017, chart.1).

Internet apps are created for the purpose of searching the internet, which can lead to internet addiction. Internet addiction is a huge issue that many people grapple with; about up to 8.1% of people struggle with it (Cash, Rae, Steel, Winkler, 2012, para.1). Internet addiction involves spending hours on the internet, which often leads to the loss of a relationship, job, or a career possibility. Out of the five hours that are spent on smartphones daily, 8% of the time is spent on a web browser app (Perez, 2017, chart.2).

Smartphone addiction encompasses a variation of urge-control issues. Dr. Dale Archer, who is the Founder/CEO of The Institute for Neuropsychiatry, claims that Nomophobia- fear of being in absence of your smartphone- affects 40% of the American population (Archer, 2013, para.1). According to a survey, 71% of people who misplace their phones feel panicked, 14% of people feel desperate, 7% of people feel sick, and 6% of people feel relieved (Archer, 2013, illustration.1).

There is no clear amount of time spent on a smartphone, that indicates an addiction (Smith, Robinson, Segal, 2018, para.17). However, spending a lot of time on a smartphone becomes an issue when it absorbs too much time, and it causes neglecting relationships, work, school, hobbies, and daily functioning (Smith, Robinson, Segal, 2018, para.11). A healthy individual spends around 5 hours daily on his/ her smartphone and is able to part with it during work/class. An unhealthy individual will have a hard time ever putting down the smartphone, he/ she will always be craving access to a smartphone (Smith, Robinson, Segal, 2018, para.1).

As a result of he/ she spending hours on a smartphone, he/ she will have trouble completing tasks, be irritable, have difficulty concentrating, will be self-absorbed, and will have sleep problems (Smith, Robinson, Segal, 2018, para.10). Symptoms for smartphone addiction include; trouble finishing tasks or concentrating on work, isolation from family and friends, hiding or covering up smartphone use, and fear of missing out when disconnected (Smith, Robinson, Segal, 2018, para.11).

Smartphone Addiction affects the quality of life of the addict.