In today’s society, many people cannot live without their smartphones which have become a necessity to their everyday lives. For some, however, smartphones have become an addiction.
According to Locket, an Android app, users unlock their phones an average of 110 times a day.
Yunha Kim, CEO and co-founder of Locket, said, “We don’t think we are unlocking our phones that many times because we don’t sit down and count.”
Locket compiled data on its 150,000 users and found that people are most active in checking their phones between 5 and 8 p.m. During these peak hours, people checked their phone on average nine times an hour. This included messaging, calls, apps and checking the time.
Chinese language teacher, Lingli Zhang-Micco, said, “I wouldn’t say that I’m addicted, but I do use my phone many times throughout the day. I don’t really call a lot of people, but I do text.”
Junior Reinalyn Macadangdang said, “I naturally look at my phone all the time because I get bored on the bus. It’s like a habit. Half the time, I only look at the time and stare at the screen.”
Although cell phones can be useful for many reasons, they can become as addictive as any other behavior such as overeating, gambling or drinking. In several studies, young adults have reported physical and mental withdrawal symptoms when they’ve been separated from their phones. People may start to hear phantom ringing, get headaches or become jittery.
Sophomore Nia Fernandez said, “I use my phone all the time. When I got my phone taken away, I felt like I was going to die because I wasn’t able to contact my friends. Now I have it back and I always have it with me. I sometimes feel that I’m addicted, but other times not. I would say, though, that I use it a lot.”
Smartphone obsession may not seem like a problem, but it can affect people’s social interactions with others. People become obsessed with their phones and would rather spend time using their phones than talking to others.
Sophomore Geena Bruno said, “At restaurants I notice that people, instead of talking to each other, are each on their phones. It’s like their eating by themselves. What’s the point then eating together if you’re not going to even talk to each other?”
