Smartphone indulgence should STOP now!

It’s no secret that smartphones are everywhere these days. It seems like nearly everyone has one, even if they’re not sporting some fancy new model. Mobile phone usage among youth has reached unprecedented levels of use and mobile phones are a fundamental element of children’s lives. Research from the internet showed that approximately 22% of young kids (ages 6-9), 60% of tweens (ages 10-14), and 84 % of teenagers (ages 15-18) possess a mobile phone.

About half of children and younger teens own a smartphone and use it for web browsing, downloading apps, streaming or uploading music/videos, managing social media accounts/chat rooms, or sharing “selfies” because smartphones are convenient and provide them with on-the-go information. Smartphones begin to consume the majority of children and younger teens’ time. As children and younger teens use texting, snapchatting, instagramming and other abbreviated forms of communication a lot, they forget to “talk” and the need to have face-to-face interaction. Many teens act as though their life is in ruins when their phone is taken from them.

Smartphones have changed the way people receive information. Our phones can do so much these days that some people have trouble tearing themselves away long enough to reconnect with the real world. You’ve likely seen them around town, on public transportation, and in stores with their eyes and fingers glued to their mobile device. Instead of interacting with the people around them, they ignore face-to-face conversations for virtual ones. Many believe that children and younger teens are actually less capable of normal socializing because of this. They’ve gotten so little practice that they’re simply not comfortable with chatting with someone they meet out in public. Face-to-face or verbal communication is essential in how we relate to one another. The continuous lack of real life connections may run the risk of becoming a huge problem for society.

Some doctors have identified a series of possible physical side effects of being addicted to smartphone that are a lot more serious than people think and could have long-lasting consequences:

1. Back pain caused by the neck and back muscles being hunched over the smartphone;
2. Eyestrain, blurred vision, dizziness, dried eyes, headaches and even migraines can result through centering continuously on a small display screen;
3. Finger cramping, sore hand muscles and digital thumb due to continuous scrolling, texting, typing on tiny buttons and gaming on smartphones; and
4. Anxiousness and feeling upset because the phantom vibration was not real.

Some parents set a contract and think it is a great way to lay out the rules and establish ahead of time what is expected. However, how many of the rules and regulations to using the smartphone are meant to be breached!!!