Are you addicted to your mobile phone?

By Niall Mulrine on March 11, 2013 in MOBILE PHONE ABUSE

Brought to you by Niall Mulrine, Pc Clean and www.CybersafetyAdvice.com

The fear of being without contact with the World

A condition called “nomophobia” is described as the fear of being without mobile contact. This has happened so fast that it’s not in medical text books yet, but it’s known and discussed between medical professions. In Spain, 2 young teenagers were admitted to a mental health facility to get treated for their over reliance on their mobile phone. When quizzed how often they used it, the answer startled doctors, that they spend a staggering 6 hours a day using the phone. In Ireland alone, I have come across teenagers in the age bracket from 13 -17 years old would send between 150 and 250 text messages a day. This has been enabled more with the widespread of free apps on phones that allow free calls and texts such as Viper and Skype. If it was costing the normal 11 cents per message, these teenagers would not be so willingly sending this amount of messages.

“You take my wallet but not my phone”

Some may think what kind of strange oddity has occurred out there, that people are getting worried when their phone is not with them. 66 % people in the UK are affected with this condition and 75% people in India. These numbers are alarming that such emotions are placed on a motionless product. But, to most people, these devices are what are keeping relationships with friends and family alive. How? Well, some people that may never have picked up a phone to call or make a physical visit to a relative or friend would actually stay in contact much easier via text messages or social media. It is less intrusive and it’s more casual.

Mobile phones are miniature computers

The uses of the mobile phones are far beyond what they were 5 years ago even. Texts and phone calls were the main instruments available within the handset. Now, phones come packed with so much power and resources, that they are practically mini laptops. Apps, email clients, online banking, internet and many more gadgets are necessary to make an attractive Smartphone in the 21^st century. This is evident from the high sales of iPhones, BlackBerry’s and Android handsets. A survey also found that 41% people had another phone as a backup to their main handset in case they were left without.

33% UK teenagers are sleep deprived

A Melbourne psychologist claimed that people get panic attacks when they realise they do not have their phone in their possession. People have claimed that they would rather be without their wallet or toothbrush than not have their phone. In the UK, recently found that school children are getting less sleep due their addiction to the phone. 33% have admitted that when they go to bed, they take the phone with them and find it hard to leave it down. When they do leave it down, they place it beside them like a teddy bear on their pillow so if a text or alert comes in, they can react to it as quick as possible.

Can we manage without phones

In America, a new study conducted by Michelle Drouin, which appeared in a journal “Computers in Human Behaviour” stated that 89% of undergraduates have spoken how they have “Phantom Vibrations” in their pockets. These are the vibrations people feel on their legs that makes them think their phones are vibrating with either an incoming phone call or incoming text message. What this illustrates is that people are so aware of their phones than when it’s not vibrating they imagine it is. Can we manage without our phones?