The Disturbing Results of Smartphone Use

Ever since smartphones were introduced to the world, the negative effects of using them have been made more and more widely known. It's been proven that Smartphone use can have negative effects on cognitive performance, like attention and memory.

To add to the body of research, in 2023, researchers from the University of Fribourg set out to understand what specifically bothers students about their own and others' smartphone habits; problematic smartphone use refers to behavior that significantly impairs daily functioning.

The study's participants ranged in age from 18 to 41 years and represented various academic fields, including humanities, science, medicine, law, and social economics. They were asked three open-ended questions about what they find disturbing about smartphone use.

The study identified three themes under the overarching theme of "Consequences of use": life management, social life, and online life. These themes represent different aspects of participants' lives that are affected by smartphone use.

Life management: Participants expressed concerns about wasting time on their smartphones, feeling addicted and dependent on them, experiencing a lack of sleep due to late-night phone use, and feeling a sense of uselessness or unproductivity.

Social life: Participants mentioned negative experiences like phubbing, where people ignore others by using their phones, leading to feelings of isolation, disrespect, anger, and irritation.

Online life: Students described many times when online content took precedence over real-life conversations.

Research has shown that they can lead to physical health issues like musculoskeletal disorders, eye strain, and headaches. They can also impact our psychological well-being, causing anxiety, depression, and decreased overall well-being.

This range of negative outcomes due to smartphone use serves as a waning of the physical and social detriments that are self-perceived, perceived by others and observed by doctors and other professionals.

To prevent these, there are many apps and tools that help people balance their smartphone use with real life interactions. It's wise for everyone to strategize how to utilize their smartphones in healthy ways.

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