Starting from the year 2013 to present day, teens within the age range of 12-17 years old have spent 5+ hours per day on mobile devices, not only impairing their brain development but causing major health effects such as depression, anxiousness, and anxiety.

By being glued to a mobile device for an extended amount of time, it can easily become an addiction.

This can cause problems for those who are younger and are still going through brain and body developments for those at home and those that go to school or work.

Have you found yourself constantly looking at your cellphone?

1 out of every 2 teens feel as though they are addicted to their mobile device! Teens on their smartphones or any other screening device for more than 5 hours a day are more likely to develop suicide risk factors than a person who would normally spend an hour on a cellphone in a day.

What are the effects of being a cellphone addict?

The most common effects of addiction associated with cellphone addiction include: isolation, disconnection, depression, and anxiety. Other effects include long-term challenges such as high blood pressure and weight gain.

The average time spent on cellphones and tablets in 2018 has gone up to 4 hours and 33 minutes.

Average statistics show that 89% of parents believe that they are responsible for the cause of their children’s addictions, while 47% of parents acknowledge the fact that their childen have become addicted to their devices and notice the subtle changes in their attitudes.

What are ways we can lessen device usage?

On average, 1 in 10 Americans check their phones every 4 minutes and feel stress and anxiety while being away from their device. Ways that we can reduce the amount of phone usage is turning off phone notifications. By doing this, it lessens the itch of wanting to check phones for every message that beeps through.

Another way we can lessen this addiction is training ourselves to step away and take time away from our devices. Doing this allows us to use our time in a more productive manners and allows us to go out and do things.

Another suggestion is setting alarms, to know when or when not to use the phone.

Sources
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nurturing-resilience/201801/teens-and-dangerous-levels-cell-phone-use
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/well/family/is-your-child-a-phone-addict.html
https://www.foxnews.com/health/teen-cellphone-addiction-how-bad-has-it-gotten
https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/smartphone-addiction/#chapter3
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/phone-usage-infographic