What are the Symptoms of Mobile Addiction, How to Detect it and Fight Them?
Nomophobia surely sounds to you, which is the irrational fear of being without a mobile phone. Is it a symptom of smartphone addiction? Could be it. Here we are going to review some of the most common symptoms of mobile addiction, how to detect it in time and be able to fight it.
And it is that the mobile phone has been an essential part of our day to day for years, to the point that we can no longer do without it. What used to only be used to call or send an SMS, has now become a tool with multiple uses. From taking photos, writing WhatsApp to friends and family, surfing the Internet, uploading images to social networks, playing games … And hundreds of other things that the entire article would take us to write about.
Symptoms of Mobile Addiction
The truth is that its widespread and daily use has caused addiction in a large part of the population. What is known by the term nomophobia? Some studies agree that more than half of mobile device users are totally dependent on them.
For example, people who suffer from nomophobia have high degrees of anxiety and discomfort when they realize that their mobile has run out of battery or they have forgotten it at home. Is it your case? Do not stop reading to find out if you have a mobile addiction.
There are some keys that reveal if we suffer from nomophobia. Below we list some of them.
1. You can’t live without your phone
One of the clearest symptoms that reflect that you may have a mobile addiction is that you cannot be away from it. You always have to have it by your side, whether you go to sleep, to the bathroom, to cook … You take it with you throughout the house, and also outside of it (in your hand, bag, backpack …). You should think if there is any logical reason for this, and if not, allow yourself to leave it for a while in a specific place and not be aware of it at times when you do not need to use it.
2. You look at it compulsively
Another of the signs that you may be suffering from a mobile addiction is that you look at it all the time, regardless of whether it rings or not. You just left it, but within seconds or a few minutes, you are already turning on the screen to consult things. There are even times when you don’t even know what you want to look for or what to do. I mean, you have no reason to use it.
3. The battery lasts very little
Now, today’s phones do not allow long days of use without charging them as they did some years ago. However, the battery does not last a day for you. In fact, there are times when you have to charge it up to two times for the terminal to arrive at night alive. Without a doubt, you are facing a serious problem of mobile addiction.
4. You use the phone when you are with friends or family
If you usually go to bars or cafes, surely you have seen more than once couples or groups of friends who instead of talking are all looking in ecstasy at the screen of their mobile. Or maybe this happens to you too. You cannot avoid being with the mobile in meetings with friends or family. This is another clear symptom that you suffer from nomophobia.
5. You hear it even though it doesn’t sound
Mobile addiction can get to the point that you hear it ringing, or even vibrating, even if it doesn’t. In this case, consider stopping using your mobile for a few hours a day. The stress that its use is causing you makes you hear it without receiving calls, messages, or notifications.
6. You postpone tasks to be with your mobile
If you are putting off important tasks or stopping meeting friends to use your mobile, it is clear that you have a major addiction. If you prefer to be alone anywhere writing WhatsApp, playing games, using social networks, or browsing, instead of going for a run with someone, going out to eat, or enjoying the day just taking a walk, simply observing the world. If so, in that case, you have to immediately stop using the mobile.
7. Usage apps are alerting you
If you usually look at an app to know how long you are in front of your mobile, and it is telling you that it is too much, in that case, you have no choice but to admit that you may have a problem with mobile addiction. If you haven’t used one yet and you think you may have nomophobia, we encourage you to install one or else use the ones that come standard on iOS or Android.
How to Fight Mobile Addiction
At this point, you may be interested in knowing how to combat your addiction. Is there a way? Sure, but we also tell you that you need to do your part.
- Put the mobile on silence or in airplane mode
- Leave it somewhere in the house and don’t take it until it rings
- Mute your WhatsApp groups and disable notifications
- Set goals for yourself. For example, use it only 10 minutes every hour and then go to 20 every two …
- Try not to take it some afternoon when you go out for a walk or have met with a friend for a drink
- Turn it off at a specific time of day so you don’t use it at night. For example at nine o’clock before dinner
- Try calling instead of texting
Delete all those apps that waste your time and that you don’t want to use too much
Make plans with friends and family in which the mobile does not enter into them. For example, make a trip to the mountains with the camera or the telescope.
We are sure that by following these tips you will end up fighting your mobile addiction little by little. Keep in mind that there are wonderful things outside of that addictive screen, a reality that we are ceasing to observe, and hundreds of details that will make you change your current perspective on life.
Also Read: 10 Best Chinese Smartphone Brands
