Since the advent of digitalization, phone addiction is very prominent in young adults. And thus phone addiction could be life-threatening if not done something about it. In fact, high chances you won’t even realize you
are an addict until it’s too late. Research says that 33% of teens do not even turn off their devices during day and night. Young teen girls are usually in a habit of using phones to increase their social interface while teen boys like using devices in risky situations. Researchers have found the overuse of gadgets can lead to severe health issues like headaches, depression, anxiety, and making people more vulnerable to phone usage. It can even lead to conflicts in relationships, self-isolation, and low performance in educational and professional life.
Ways you can break off the chain
First things first, it is important to have self-realization. When you feel that your device use is affecting the other aspects of your life, you will be more efficient in taking the required action. There are a variety of ways you can rid yourself of this kind of phone addiction:
Start off with some changes in your gadgets:
It is more likely for young adults to spend more time on their phones due to the latest trends and development in technology. The tech-savvy generation basically knows about every know-how of the gadget they are using. If you’re too addicted to your gadget and you think it’s high time you change that, start off by maintaining such changes in the device itself. Try limiting your social media usage and if that does not work for you remove such applications from your phone. You can rather choose to install these time-consuming applications in another gadget, like your laptop or tablet, something you don’t use all the time. Another thing you can do is, keep your
phone out of your sight. If you spend most of your time in your room, try keeping your gadget where you go not so frequently. In the meantime, if you are not working or studying you can try developing some skills like playing the guitar, painting, etc. This is you will be busy and will not
have much urge to go through your gadget.
Place some barriers :
It is true that teens do not like it when their guardians interfere with their device usage. Thus, it is better they take control of themselves. The basic thing to do as a teen is to start off by placing some basic barriers between you and your gadget. You can try by putting some simple lock screen questions like “Why now?” or “Do you really need it?” or “What’s the purpose?”. Questions like this might make you question yourself and trigger your usage level. Also to keep track of how much time you spend on your gadget you can keep a check on the phone usage settings. This way you would know if you are really improving.
Maintain a schedule:
Discipline is the baseline of every behavioral process in teens. Have a schedule ready for the things you need to cover the next day and stick to it. Limit your phone usage through your schedule. If you are very addicted to the usage of social media applications, make its usage a reward system. Reward yourself by using your gadget for 10-15 minutes for completing a major task like finishing an assignment or doing some other household activity. This way you will find an equitable balance in your life without having much to do it with gadget usage and with the phone addiction.
A proper sleeping pattern:
Your phone should not be the last thing you use before going to bed. Research shows usage of phones at night interferes with your sleeping habits and makes you spend time looking at your screen for longer
than you have planned. If you need to put alarms , use a normal alarm clock. Try keeping your phone in places out of your reach at night.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT is a therapeutic approach that approaches a strong foundation towards your thoughts and emotions. It basically helps you focus within yourself and consequently behave in accordance. Forgoing through such therapy you need to consult a doctor or a therapist.
The essence point.
People with phone addictive behavior lose self-control in the nick of time. Not being able to touch their gadgets make them impulsive and uncomfortable. If things go worse, it is better to seek medical help or
go through digital detox programs. The teens of this generation may feel like it is okay to swipe through their phone screens every now and then, but the bottom line lies on whether they can face the repercussions of it. And in most cases, the answer is “NO.” Thus, as the old saying goes ‘Prevention is
better than cure.”
