The news of a 10-year old girl taking her own life after her sister refused to give her the mobile phone reveals the present crisis that societies and governments seem ill-equipped to deal with. There are questions but no ready answers. Research by psychiatrists show that almost a quarter of young people are so dependent on their smartphones that it has become an addiction. Not much research on this topic is available in India but a study from King’s College London, says such addictive behaviour means that youngsters become “panicky” or “upset” if they are denied constant access. The youngsters also cannot control the amount of time they spend on the phone. The study warns that such addictions have “serious consequences” for mental health. The research, published in BMC Psychiatry, analysed 41 studies involving 42,000 young people in an investigation into “problematic smartphone usage.” The study found 23% had behaviour that was consistent with an addiction – such as anxiety over not being able to use their phone, not being able to moderate the time spent and using mobiles so much that it was detrimental to other activities.
The study says that such addictive behaviour could be linked to other problems such as stress, a depressed mood, lack of sleep and reduced achievement in school. But smartphones are here to stay and there is need to understand the prevalence of problematic smartphone usage. Psychiatrists say they are unsure whether it is the smartphone that can be addictive or the apps that people use but they say there is need for public awareness around smartphone use in children and young people, and parents should be aware of how much time their children spend on their phones. There are other studies which suggest that there is need for further investigation as to whether smartphone use is the problem or whether other reasons drive children to the smartphone to find their comfort there. Needless to say, the human brain today is wired to seek a constant high and smartphones with their range of apps and entertainment provide the human brain with a constant dopamine feed. Not getting a smartphone means depriving the brain of dopamine hence a depressed state.
Today teachers complain of sudden fall in grades of students and attribute that to mobile phone addiction and inability to concentrate on their studies. Smartphone addiction also means reduced sleep time which plays havoc with the body’s circadian rhythm. If sleep is meant to repair the human system then cumulative lack of sleep can take a heavy toll on the productivity of the person. Technology is good as long as it does not control us but that is hardly the case. Smartphone users across ages are constantly checking their phones to see how many likes they have got for a post. Even at the dining table individuals are busy checking their phones instead of having a family conversation. How much more technology will affect the human mind is difficult to predict and there seems to be no solution in sight to de-addict the brain from the smartphone. Add to this the addiction to other substances too and we have a crisis looming large but without solutions.
