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Almost a quarter of young people are so dependent on
their smartphones that it becomes like an addiction, suggests research
by psychiatrists.
The study, from King's College London, says such addictive behaviour
means that people become "panicky" or "upset" if they are denied
constant access.
The youngsters also cannot control the amount of time they spend on the
phone.
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The study warns that such addictions have "serious consequences" for
mental health.
The research, published in BMC Psychiatry, analysed 41 studies involving
42,000 young people in an investigation into "problematic smartphone
usage".
The study found 23% had behaviour that was consistent with an addiction
- such as anxiety over not being able to use their phone, not being able
to moderate the time spent and using mobiles so much that it was
detrimental to other activities.
'Here to stay'
Such addictive behaviour could be linked to other problems, says the
study, such as stress, a depressed mood, lack of sleep and reduced
achievement in school.
"Smartphones are here to stay and there is a need to understand the
prevalence of problematic smartphone usage," says one of the report's
authors, Nicola Kalk, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and
Neuroscience at King's College London.
"We don't know whether it is the smartphone itself that can be addictive
or the apps that people use," said Dr Kalk.
"Nevertheless, there is a need for public awareness around smartphone
use in children and young people, and parents should be aware of how
much time their children spend on their phones."
Co-author Samantha Sohn warned that addictions "can have serious
consequences on mental health and day-to-day functioning, so there is a
need for further investigation into problematic smartphone usage".
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But Amy Orben, research fellow at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences
Unit at the University of Cambridge, warned against assuming there were
causal connections between problematic smartphone use and outcomes such
as depression.
"It has been shown previously that smartphone effects are not a one-way
street, but that mood can impact the amount of smartphone use, as well,"
said Dr Orben. |