Abusing the mobile can entail risks for health

abussing-of-mobile-phone

The mobile allows us to be connected with the world, our friends, our family… However, this dependence on mobile distances us from them, which has serious consequences.

Today we show you some of the most important consequences of mobile phone addiction, one of the modern addictions that most affect youth.

Symptoms of mobile addiction

A person addicted to the mobile must present 4 of the following symptoms:

  1. Need to use mobile more and more
  2. Failed attempts to reduce mobile use
  3. Concern about mobile use
  4. Using the mobile when we feel anxious or depressed
  5. Overuse is characterized by a loss of sense of time
    Putting a relationship or job at risk due to excessive mobile phone use
  6. Tolerance: needing the newest phone, more apps, or increased usage
  7. When the person does not have a cell phone appear: depression, irritability, anger, restlessness, and tension…
    In addition, the use of mobile usually causes significant alterations in their lives.

6 consequences of mobile addiction

  1. Increased stress levels
    Mobile-addicted people compulsively check their phones every minute. Your body and mind are constantly activated waiting for your phone to ring or checking every certain interval of time if a notification has arrived. Sometimes, the mobile does not allow you to disconnect, for example, you are on vacation, and the first thing you do when you get up is looking at the mobile to talk with your friends, keep up with work, etc. What makes you not really disconnect and your stress levels not decrease?

Research has found that the need to read and respond immediately increases stress. In some cases, this stress causes the person to hear vibrations from their mobile that are not real. A study from the University of Zurich shows that those participants who use the mobile phone constantly have a higher level of brain activity every time their fingers touch the mobile screen. This increase in brain activity leads to increased stress.

2. Insomnia
Sleeping our mind and body rest. However, allowing cell phone use to invade your sleep can lead to increased stress, less productivity, low energy levels, difficulty concentrating, and low brain activity.

Research has shown that the amount of caffeine in a double latte has less effect than exposure to cell phone light at night. However, many people find it normal not to have a double cup of coffee before going to sleep, but they see it as completely normal to bring their phones to bed.

Exposure to mobile phone light can delay sleep due to its ability to suppress melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep time, which can cause various sleep disorders, such as insomnia.

3. Anxiety and Depression
Being in front of a mobile screen for a long time can produce high levels of anxiety and even depression, since many people are constantly waiting for their friends to talk to them, and they worry if they do not answer them. Research suggests that the longer you spend on your mobile, the more likely you are to suffer from depression.

4. Aggressiveness
Addiction can be so serious that when these people take away their cell phones they can become very aggressive. A large number of teenagers do not let anyone touch their phones. When they lose them, they can show signs of aggression causing mood swings, feelings of unhappiness, irritability, etc.

5. Not doing healthy activities
The time spent using the mobile prevents the person from being able to carry out healthy activities such as physical exercise, socializing, and learning… The person finds the solution to their problems with the help of a click, and that is the reason why effort is avoided. They begin to communicate solely through technology. Instead of playing sports with other children, they can even play on the mobile phone, without actually doing any physical exercise.

6. Difficulty relating to other people
Although they are with friends and family they need to be checking their mobile continuously. Because of this, people around you feel disappointed, causing possible conflicts.

When we use our phones we disconnect from the real world, which creates problems in face-to-face social relationships. Despite the fact that phones allow us to be connected to the world, people become completely isolated from the real world

Recent studies have shown that “addicted” people who stop using their mobiles have as a consequence what can be called the “psychological and physical withdrawal syndrome” . This syndrome has symptoms such as great anguish, anxiety, nervousness, irritability, etc. And all this disappears when, again, they have the opportunity to use their mobile. Surely you have observed, in your own group of friends, the image of gangs of boys walking together, but each one talking on their mobile or sending a text message at breakneck speed… thousands of messages are sent a day.

Other negative health consequences.

In addition to the social and mental consequences that we have indicated in the previous section, being addicted to a mobile phone can also have physical consequences such as the following:

  • Chronic tension in the neck from looking down at the mobile phone.
  • Eye strain and blurred vision as a result of focusing on a small screen
  • Decreased neural connectivity, leading to poor emotional regulation
  • Bad eating habits, such as junk food so as not to waste time on other activities and be able to spend more time on the mobile.

Mobile addiction can cause significant physical and mental disorders. It is important to control the use of mobile phones.

Play Video