Weekly NDM

Smartphones are addictive and should carry health warning, say academics

This article is about how a university study has found smartphones to be addictive and carry a threat as on average students spend 3.6 hours a day on their phones which distracts them from their relationships and real life. 

• A study by the University of Derby and published in the International Journal of Cyber Behaviour, Psychology and Learning found that 13% of participants in the study were addicted, with the average user spending 3.6 hours per day on their device.
• Co-author Dr Zaheer Hussain, from the University of Derby’s psychology department, said he was not suggesting the harmful effects were on a par with cigarettes or alcohol but that nevertheless the devices should carry a health warning.
• “People need to know the potential addictive properties of new technologies,” he said. “It [the warning] could be before they purchase them or before they download an app. If you’re downloading a game such as Candy Crush or Flappy Bird there could be a warning saying that you could end up playing this for hours and you have other responsibilities [that could be neglected].”
• Social networking sites were the most popularly used apps (87%), followed by instant messaging apps (52%) and then news apps (51%).
• Narcissism and neuroticism were linked to addiction and the authors suggest that smartphones can actually create the former in users. They point to the fact that 35% of people said they used their devices in areas or situations when they were banned (eg while driving), with many offering the justification that they knew better than the authorities who created the rules.
• While 47% of people spoke positively of improved social relations, almost a quarter admitted their smartphones create communication issues in “real life”. These included less conversation and a breakdown in communication because of spending too much time on their device in the company of family and friends. Severe distraction from interpersonal relationships leading to a negative impact in familial communications was specified by 60 participants.