An adult with a phone addiction. How can I stop my phone addiction from ruining my life?

Phone addiction affects about 6.3% of the more than 6.8 billion smartphone owners worldwide, a US mobile company found in 2024. 

The positive impact of wireless technology, the Internet and smartphones cannot be understated. From students, parents, CEOs, people in corporate, to workers in different industries, the smartphone has been a constant reliable productivity tool. They have made people’s daily  access to information and productivity easier and faster by connecting us to the Internet where most of our work is tied to. 

Phone addiction

The topic of phone addiction may be a little difficult to talk about because our phones have been so indispensable to our daily lives that we do not even think about how it affects our body and mind.  

Here are some questions formulated to assess if we have problems with excessive smartphone use. These questions also give us an idea of what areas of our lives are affected. 

• Does your use of your phone affect your sleep? 

• Has your phone use negatively affected your personal relationships? 

• Have you ever regretted the way you use your phone? 

• Does your phone use decrease or increase your self-esteem? 

• Does your phone use negatively impact your performance at work? 

• Does your phone use get you in financial trouble or cause financial issues? 

• Do the rewards you feel from phone use make you use it more and more even though you feel you should stop using it? 

• Have you tried managing your phone screen time but failed to control it? 

• Do you find yourself escaping feeling bored or lonely by using your phone? 

• When you stop using your phone for a little while, do you then feel the urge to use it again? 

The term “addiction” is considered controversial, but for the purpose of discussion, it can mean a person’s dependence on an activity, thing, or substance. 

Scientific studies across the world also support the negative impact of smartphone addiction to one’s mental, physical and neurological health. 

Smartphone addiction is also linked to a problem with Internet overuse or Internet addiction disorder. In a 2024 study, half of the American population do not spend less than 5 hours on their smartphones daily.  The act of constantly checking one’s phone constantly for updates has become a habit that is hard to break. 

Though using one’s phone in our free time is not bad in itself, the problem happens when our responsibilities, relationships and rest are negatively affected. 

Relationships have become more virtual. Instead of valuing real-life relationships with loved ones, people who have become entangled with incessant phone use start to neglect their social responsibilities, and loved ones may have expressed concern over this. 

Because of 24/7 access to the Internet, people have formed habits of surfing the web through their phones with no apparent purpose, losing precious time that they would have spent on creativity, rest or productivity. 

Studies have shown that while people are connected online, they tend to feel more lonely, bored, or more anxious. A link between depression, anxiety and social media use has also been shown in multiple studies. 

When your phone use has reached this level, or you are worried that you might have phone addiction, you can reach out to a mental health counselor online and start receiving the help you need. 

Also, be conscious of the triggers that make you reach for your smartphone like stress at work, anxiety-inducing situations, so that you can plan healthier ways to manage your stress and anxiety. For example, integrate more physical activity in your schedule. Moving your body more has been shown to decrease the impact of stress and anxiety. 

Having healthy coping skills have also become increasingly important in this busy society we live in. Invest in your connectedness skills especially with people you interact with in person, and channel some of your energy to your health-promoting and/or stress reducing hobbies. 

Use technology responsibly and let it bring you closer to a happier and fulfilling life. 

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