Downside Of Smartphone Use

A survey of more than 3,400 university students in the U.S. foundĀ widespreadĀ problems linked to excessive smartphone use, includingĀ lower grades, trouble concentrating in class or at work, feeling fretful or impatient without their phones, missing work due to smartphone use and developing light-headedness or blurred vision due to excessiveĀ screen time. Researchers from the University of Chicago, the UKās University of Cambridge and the University of Minnesota developed the survey and analyzed the results. Their findingsĀ suggestedĀ significantly higher alcohol misuse among studentsĀ reportingĀ problematic smartphone use compared to a controlĀ group butĀ foundĀ no significant link with any other type of substance abuse orĀ addiction. Excessive phone use was also linked to lower self-esteem, depression,Ā anxiety,Ā attention deficit hyperactivity disorderĀ and post-traumatic stress disorder.Ā In addition, the survey revealed that students with problematic smartphone use tended toĀ engage in sex less frequently than their peers.Ā However,Ā theĀ percentageĀ ofĀ studentsĀ reporting two or more sexual partners in the past year was significantly higherĀ among excessive phone usersĀ than among sexually-active students with no problem phone use.Ā Ā Ā
Furthermore, theĀ percentageĀ of students reportingĀ six or more sexual partners was more than double among problem smartphone usersĀ comparedĀ toĀ sexually-active students with no smartphone problems, the survey found. Bottom line: the findings donāt show whether problematic smartphone use leads to mental healthĀ concernsĀ or vice versa, the researchers wrote.Ā Ā Ā Ā
Source:
Jon E. Grant et al, āProblematic smartphone use associated with greater alcohol consumption, mental health issues, poorer academic performance, and impulsivity,ā Journal of Behavioral Addictions, July 8, 2019,Ā doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.32Ā
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