Could you be addicted to your smartphone (and social media)?

From AndResilience

Could you be addicted to your smartphone (and social media)?

It is becoming increasingly common for young people to show addictive behaviours towards their smartphones, such as constantly checking for messages and notifications, anxiety if separated from their phone and anger when it is taken off them. Recent research found that 1 in 4 teens are addicted to social media (Caner et al, 2022), as such, young people need to be involved in classroom discussions around social media and smartphone apps so they are aware they have been created and developed to be addictive.

The features they have such as the constant notifications, unlimited scrolling, likes, shares, follows etc. work on the brain to release dopamine, a feel good hormone which is also released when people consume drugs and alcohol. This may sound good, but excessive smartphone use has been linked to a decrease in mental health as users become reliant on the constant dopamine but needing more and more to get the same hit. 

It is important that teachers, parents, and peers have open conversations with young people about how addictive social media is and how they can build their resilience around overuse. Although most schools have a ‘no phone’ policy, social media use is still very high with the average teenager spending 4.8 hours a day on social media (Gallop, 2023). Therefore, students need as many opportunities as possible to take part in screen free activities at break times and after school and have screen free areas in their homes and schools. 

Some schools have introduced screen free relaxation areas and found them to be very effective in reducing stress levels. Some parents have introduced a screen free evening every week or healthy boundaries such as no phones at the dinner table or a central charging station where all phones go at 9pm each night.

Young people need to see healthy boundaries and limits around the use of smartphones and social media but also need to feel heard with their worries and concerns of missing out too. Building up screen free time over days and weeks can be a great start. Students need to know this will feel very uncomfortable to start with but will get easier each time and having something fun to do to distract them from the discomfort can help. 

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• The impact of social media
• Teens and social media: What's the impact?
• Digital Detox

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