‘Ho
was
it for
yo
ng?’
Here’s what
You say...
I ask my partner
to get off his
phone for the
night if I think
he’s on it too
much. We do
remind each
other when we
think we are
on our phones
too much and it’s really
healthy to communicate
about it, otherwise it’ll
cause an unnecessary rift.
Shariah Mear, 24,
StaffordshireI don’t think it’s
an obsession
but more of
a habit. I find
myself going
to pick up my
phone for no
reason and
stop myself. I couldn’t
be without mine, though.
I use it to communicate
with my children as
I work full-time. We don’t
have phones at the dinner
table – that’s my one rule.
Sarah Jauch, 30,
FishguardI took part in
Scroll Free
September last
year, where you
don’t go on
social media
for a month.
In the first
weekend, I was
so irritable
and moody. But after
that, I noticed a change.
It helped my mental health
as I wasn’t looking at what
everyone else was doing,
just focusing on me.
Sam Billingham, 24,
West MidlandsThere’sanapp for that...
FreedomavailableonIOS,
allowsyoutocreateblock
listsandscheduletime
awayfromyourapps,and
offersa freetrial.OfftheGridavailableon
Android,is oneforthose
whoreallycan’tkeepoff
theirphone.Theappcompletely blocks your
phone for a length of time,
but if you crack before the
time is up, you’ll have to pay.Space available on IOS and
Android, helps track your
screen usage and sets
screen-time goals based on
your smartphone habits.In a
poll last year
77% of parents
confessed to feelingguilty about the
amount of time theyspend on the
phone.
a Tinder match on your phone
screen, you get a hit of feel-good
chemical dopamine, shooting
you to cloud nine for a second.
Meaning you’ll soon be on
the lookout for another hit.
And like any addictive high,
there are consequences...
Smartphone addiction can
leave you feeling increasingly
isolated from friends and
family, instead clinging
to relationships with
online friends.
It can also lead
to poor sleep
and broken
concentration.
For the truly
addicted, just
the sight of a
phone battery
slipping into
the red, will be
met with dread
and anxiety.
However, Dr Van
Gordon points out,
‘For most people, the
neuropsychological effects of
engaging with smartphones
are likely to be short-lived.’
Even so, the impact it can
have on relationships can
be longer lasting.
Phones have been
revolutionary in improving
connections between people.
At the touch of a button, you
can connect with friends and
family who live all over the
world. You can even find love
on the go through dating apps.
But when it comes to face-
to-face contact, too often our
mobile phones are getting in
the way.
In fact, a study has shown
that a fifth of family rows are
caused by excessive mobile-
phone use.
‘The rows people have are
about emotional unavailability
and feeling less important than
whatever else it is that
your partner is
doing. We all
need to make
an effort to
switch off
and be in the
moment, in
the physical
not the
digital world,
to be available
for a real
connection,’
Kate Mansfield,
relationship expert and
coach advises.
If you feel like your mobile
phone usage has got out of
hand, how about trying
a digital detox?
Without your phone glued to
your hand, you’ll find more time
for activities such as reading,
sleeping and spending time
with loved ones. Though you
don’t need to banish your phone
for good to reap the benefits...
Soren Kenner, co-author ofOffline: Free Your Mind from
Smartphone and Social Media
Stress, suggests turning off all
notifications and putting your
social-media use on a schedule.
‘You need to take back
control of when you want to
use your device rather than
your device choosing for you,’
he says. ‘Identify situations
when you don’t want your
phone – for example, don’t
bring it to the dinner table or
into the bedroom.’
But he warns a detox takes
willpower. ‘Even I fall off the
wagon every now and again,’
he admits.
While smartphones are
wonderful things, keeping us
connected to networks of people
around the world, it’s important
to remember that, at the end of
the day, it’s a communication
device, not a lifeline.