Our smartphone is both our best friend and our worst enemy. Frankly useful when it comes to keeping in touch with our loved ones (or to find a recipe on the web, or to locate an open bakery…), it can also harm our mental health and be the cause of a real addiction.
Exactly: according to investigation carried out recently by the Ramsay Health Corporate Foundation and conducted with 500 French people aged 15 to 25, 34% of young people would have a “negative” relationship with their telephone, and 38% would even declare themselves “addicts”. Smartphone addiction would particularly affect women.
How do you know if you have a “toxic” relationship with your smartphone?
Respondents’ responses identify several “warning signs” to watch out for. Thus, 31% of the young people questioned complained of sleeping troubles : they sleep less, they go to bed later, they suffer from insomnia… because of their telephone.
In addition, for 17% of respondents, the telephone is a factor ofsocial isolation ; they thus believe that their mobile phone tends to alter their relationships with others. “People who are dependent on their phone tend to neglect other activities: they therefore make themselves less available for their loved ones” develops the Ramsay Health Foundation.
Finally, for 8% to 9% of respondents, smartphone addiction results in psychological signs : a loss of self-confidence, persistent anxiety, even a direct impact on professional or school life.
“If screens are a real asset in everyday life, excessive use can cause physical and mental health problems.” sums up the Ramsay Health Foundation. What if we took a break?
Read also :
- Blue light blocking glasses: the most effective models
- A smartphone to take the temperature: useful or gadget?
- What if your smartphone is making you gain weight?
