Smartphone Addiction

Smartphone addiction

How many times a day you check your smartphone for WhatsApp, email, FB and other social media feeds? Your phone is not on silent mode and you still check it every few minutes. You are not expecting anything particular, there is no real reason to move your finger tip over the screen but you do that.

Chances are you are an addict and soon may need professional help.

Psychiatrists around the world have recognized addiction to internet and other digital devices as medical disorder.

Obsession with online gaming was the main manifestation in the past, but addiction to social media and video downloading are now on the uptrend.

Smartphone and digital addiction is defined by a number of symptoms: the inability to control craving, anxiety when separated from a smartphone, loss in productivity in studies or at work, and the need to check one's phone constantly

It is a commonly observed phenomenon that many people have their heads lowered and are now using their mobile devices constantly on the go, while queuing or even crossing the roads. In terms of physical symptoms, more people are reporting "text neck" or "iNeck" pain.

Smartphone addiction has taken real scary proportion in contries like Singapore, South Korea, China and Taiwan and so has in affluent class young adults in India.

In South Korea, a government survey in 2013 estimated that nearly 20% of teenagers were addicted to smartphones. China already has an estimated 300 Internet addiction centres, according to a report on state broadcaster CCTV's website in February 2014. It also cited a survey showing there may be more than 24 million young Chinese addicted to the Internet.

Nanyang Tech University, Singapore has started campaign called 'Put it on friend mode'. Like 'flight mode' or 'sleep mode', one should 'Put phone on friend mode'. When you are with a friend you should keep your smartphone facing down and pay full attention to the company of friend.

With little awareness an some determination it is possible to stay away from your mobile digital devices and problems associated with the addiction. Also parents should not  give tablet or their smartphone to children , so that he or she sits quiet.Doing so parents are introducing the child to an addiction.

Very soon like cigarette pack, we will get smartphones with health/addiction .