Almost a quarter of young people are so dependent on their smartphones that they feel panicky or upset when the phone is unavailable, according to a global study.
By analysing literature published since 2011 when smartphones first became widespread, the range of studies showed that 10-30 per cent of children and young people used their smartphones in a dysfunctional way. This means an average of 23 per cent of them were showing problematic smartphone usage (PSU), according to researchers from King’s College London in the UK. PSU was defined as any behaviour linked to smartphones that has the features of an addiction, such as feeling panicky or upset when the phone is unavailable, they said.
It is also characterised by people finding it difficult to control the amount of time spent on the phone. They also investigated the links of this type of smartphone usage and mental health, and found a consistent association between PSU and poor measures of mental health in terms of depressed mood, anxiety, stress, poor sleep quality. (PTI)
