Aitken College Newsletter

Be Well and Prosper

Teenage Cell Phone Addiction: Are You Worried About Your Child?

It’s no big secret that teens have a complex relationship with technology. They are expected to use technology both in and out of the classroom to make the grade, they manage their social lives through various apps and social media platforms, and they use technology to stay organised and on top of their many, many activities.

 

Today’s teens face intense levels of pressure. Sometimes their phone use is tied to recreational activity and can help them relieve stress, but other times they use their phones to keep up with their busy lives. Ensuring that kids’ technology use doesn’t result in more stress for them isn’t an easy task; there’s no clean-cut way to delete stressful technology activity.

 

So how can parents, let alone kids themselves, navigate the often stressful world of tech?Although there isn’t a recognised “smartphone addiction” diagnosis, it’s natural for parents to wonder if a teen’s apparent obsession with a smartphone qualifies as addictive behaviour. After all, it can be incredibly frustrating to attempt to hold a conversation with someone when they can’t peel their eyes away from their phone.

Teen Cell Phone Addiction: The Stats

As it turns out, parents have reason to worry. Results of a 2016 Common Sense Media Report found that 50% of teens “feel addicted” to mobile devices, while 59% of parents surveyed believed that kids are addicted to their devices. This survey also showed that 72% of teens and 48% of parents felt the need to immediately respond to texts, social-networking messages, and other notifications; 69% of parents and 78% of teens checked their devices at least hourly.

 

A 2018 Pew Research Report showed that 45% of teens said they use the Internet “almost constantly,” and another 44% said they go online several times a day. According to this report, 50% of teenage girls are “near-constant” online users, compared to 39% of teenage boys; 95% of teens have access to a smartphone.

 

The most recent data from Pew Research Reports showed:

  • 46% of teens say they use the internet “almost constantly”
  • 48% of teens say they go online several times a day
  • 48% of teenage girls say they’re online “almost constantly”
  • 43% of teenage boys say they’re online “almost constantly”

Given that teens use their smartphones for a variety of reasons, both personal and academic (often simultaneously), it helps to focus less on counting the minutes of use and more on how they use their smartphones. Parents hear a lot about the importance of teaching balance, but part of evaluating for a healthy balance lies in understanding how teens actually use their phones and what purpose that use serves them. YouTube, for example, can be both recreational and academic.

Recognising the Symptoms of Cell Phone and Internet Addiction

A 2016 report published in Frontiers in Psychiatry suggests using the DSM-5 criteria for compulsive gambling and substance abuse to measure problematic smartphone use. While problematic smartphone use is not defined as an addiction, it can be evaluated as a behavioural disorder.

 

Using this model, potential symptoms might include the following:

  • Conscious use in prohibited contexts or potentially dangerous situations (e.g. texting while driving)
  • Excessive use that causes conflicts with family; withdrawing from family or shared events in favor of smartphone use
  • Negative effects on school, family, social, or emotional functioning
  • Continued excessive use despite negative effects
  • Impulsive, frequent, constant checking of phone, even in short bursts (feels strong need to check every few minutes)
  • Insomnia or sleep disturbances related to frequent checking
  • Excessive urgency or need to be connected
  • Increase in use to achieve satisfaction or counteract dysphoric (sad) mood
  • Need to respond immediately to messages and alerts
  • Increased anxiety and/or irritability if phone is not accessible
  • Feelings of unease when unable to use the phone

It can be difficult to distinguish between normal (or slightly elevated) daily use and problematic use. It helps to ask yourself the following questions:

  • Does my teen become angry, irritable, anxious, or even violent when the phone is taken away or unable to be used?
  • Does my teen skip or avoid social events or extracurricular activities to use the smartphone instead?
  • Is my teen’s personal care (hygiene), friendships, family relationships, or school work negatively affected by smartphone use?
  • Does smartphone use interfere with my teen’s normal sleep routine?
  • Are there any major changes in my teen’s eating habits that can’t otherwise be explained?
  • Are there any major changes in mood that can’t otherwise be explained?

How to Help Teens Overcome a Smartphone Addiction

Believe it or not, smartphone use can be beneficial for teens. Teens use smartphones to connect with peers, seek help on school assignments, and they can even use apps to help them get organised. Although it might seem like teens are constantly connected, many use their devices within healthy limits.

 

It’s important to empower teens to take control of their own use of smartphones and create and maintain a healthy balance. This isn’t a one-time conversation. A few things you can do help provide guidance and support include the following:

  • Educate: Talk openly about the benefits and potential pitfalls of screen time. Lecturing rarely yields positive results, but asking your teens for input about the pros and cons can spark lively conversations. How does too much screen time affect us physically, emotionally, academically, and socially? What can we gain from using our smartphones responsibly?
  • Make a plan: Talk about setting healthy limits and boundaries for the family and what checks and balances you can use to stick to them, like not allowing phone use during dinner. Remember, teens aren’t the only ones prone to overuse. What happens if parents are pushing the family screen time limits?
  • Monitor use as a family: Teens look for workarounds when they feel like they’re being watched. Make monitoring a family goal so that teens own up to their usage and behavior online. There are several apps available to monitor how and when your teens use their phones. Some phones have built-in monitoring, such as the iPhone's Screen Time setting. Talk with your teens about healthy and realistic limits.
  • Create a check-in policy: Phones, tablets, and laptops should be removed from the bedroom at night to curb sleep disturbance and insomnia. Create a plan to check devices in at a certain time in the evening and out in the morning.
  • Establish screen-free zones: Meals, family outings, and social gatherings are examples of times when frequent checking negatively affects relationships. Set boundaries for screen use in these settings and stick to them.
  • Model healthy boundaries: When parents are glued to their phones, teens learn that this is appropriate behavior. Stick to the limits and boundaries you set.

From: https://www.psycom.net/cell-phone-internet-addiction

 

Mr Ben Lawless

Researcher