“That phone isn’t good for you!” I bet pretty much everyone has heard this sentence at least a million times in their life. I most definitely have. However, have you ever actually stopped and considered that it might be true?
When they hear this sentence, most people just brush it off completely and go back to scrolling mindlessly. Before I say anything, I’m not innocent either! Trust me, I’ve spent many days rolled up in blankets doomscrolling on TikTok. Nonetheless, the hours spent thoughtlessly intaking the media your algorithm feeds you are obviously not doing you any good.
First and foremost, your phone has immense effects on your circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal alarm clock. When you’re on your phone at night, the blue light that emits from the screen is actually hindering your melatonin production. Without that production of the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle, falling asleep and waking up in the morning prove to be much harder. The quality of your sleep being reduced leads to consequences towards your awareness, immune system, and brain activity the next day. Intermountain Healthcare says “Aside from the fact that late-night scrolling can make you less efficient, it can also lead to significant and chronic deficiency in sleep.”
Aside from sleep, your alertness is influenced by your phone in other ways such as addiction to the device. A study done by the National Library of Medicine reveals that 74.3% of participants felt dependent on their smartphones. Feeling reliant on your phone is very common, and those who feel this way often experience anxiety when separated from their phone. Having that anxiety takes away the ability to actually focus on what you’re doing. Mood can also be depleted when one is away from their phone. Having constant thoughts about your smartphone when it’s not on you has proved to sour moods and promote inattentive behavior.
When being supplied with videos, advertisements, or apps that are tailored to what you enjoy, the screentime minutes are destined to go up. Constantly retaining short 15-second videos and media that you’ll forget less than a minute later is having detrimental effects on your brain. Memory consolidation becomes harder as you continue to frequently use your phone. A study done by the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research found that “Taken together, these results suggest that the mere presence of one’s smartphone may reduce available cognitive capacity and impair cognitive function, even when consumers are successful at remaining focused on the task at hand.”
One of the biggest, and arguably most important, issues stemming from phones and social media is mental health conditions. Columbia University Department of Psychiatry stated “Moreover, studies have shown a correlation between heavy social media use and depression, anxiety, loneliness, and suicidal ideation.” In addition to this, heavy social media use also plays a part in low self-esteem and feelings of not being enough. The images and videos you see on your phone are often times heavily edited and curated to make it look perfect. Instagram posts, TikTok videos, etc. are all posts of the best parts of people’s lives. The attention to detail makes it look like these influencers look like they have the most exciting, perfect lives that you should feel bad about yours. Comparison to these people online is common in many with phone addictions, ultimately leading to a distorted self-image and even worse body dysmorphia.
Nonetheless, it’s never too late to detach yourself from your phone. Doing something as simple as taking five to ten minutes away from your phone is one step closer to breaking that addiction. Or even setting limits on certain apps that you know you use a lot. Gradually increase the time in those breaks, and you’ll find yourself thinking about your phone less and less. For those in school, try to lock it away in your backpack and don’t use it during class. If that proves to be impossible, give it to someone else to keep for class so you can’t give into the temptations.
Phone addiction is killing your brain, mental health, and overall physical health. This is your sign to put your phone down and take a moment to yourself to break this harmful habit.
