The average teen today spends more than half of their life on their phone. Whether it be for conversing with friends, scrolling on social media or taking care of important matters, the modern-day phone can contain someone’s entire life, making it impossible to be left alone.
With the non-stop notifications, it can become impossible to ignore. The mental health effects of this distracting content can cause a person to become unnaturally dependent on their cellphone, increasing stress levels among other things.
Constant connectivity to your smartphone can create an unhealthy relationship, causing compulsive behaviors, according to Lone Star Neurology. Every time a person picks up their phone and scrolls through social media, they are essentially taking a hit of dopamine. So, the longer they scroll through social media, the more the brain becomes addicted to receiving those small dopamine hits, making it harder to pull themselves away.
Addiction to dopamine hits isn’t the only concern with frequent use of your cellphone. Lone Star also shared that it can affect your memory and reduce focus. The brain becomes so dependent on short-term information that it almost loses its ability to retain any of the information you get while scrolling or even in daily life. The non-stop notifications from the phone make it hard for someone to focus because their attention is continuously drawn.
According to Utah Valley Pediatrics, “Attention fragmentation happens when a child’s environment is packed with competing factors or when they can quickly seek new stimulation”. Teenagers are at a crucial stage in brain development. Because teens are in an environment that constantly competes for their attention, they struggle to keep their focus drawn on one thing for an extended period of time.
Signs you may be addicted to your phone:
According to Utah Valley Pediatrics, you may be addicted to your phone if you exhibit any of the following symptoms:
- Always bored. Especially when not using the device
- Long periods of time scrolling on a cellphone
- Irritation when asked or forced to complete tasks that require sustained focus
- Simple tasks are taking longer to complete because of a loss of focus
If someone exhibits even one of the previous symptoms, they may already be addicted to their cellular device. Making once-simple tasks a chore to complete. The brain is losing its ability to focus and retain information in the long term. These symptoms are worrisome, but not permanent.
It is recommended that when engaging in conversations, users leave their phones on silent to the side, out of their field of view. Also, when it is time for bed, leaving the phone on sleep mode or silent will make it so individuals are not awoken or tempted by notifications. This way, any alarms set will still go off without the distraction of constant buzzing.
Just taking these precautionary steps will begin to rebuild the brain’s focus. Allowing a person to retain more information and complete simple tasks without feeling bored.
