Smartphone addiction high among college students
Researchers at Baylor University say they were astounded to discover that college students are spending an average of 8-10 hours a day connected to their smartphones. The excessive use is cause for concern, they say.
Study leaders surveyed 164 college students and asked about 24 different cell phone activities including texting, email and social media. The findings were published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.
Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed admitted to being possibly addicted to their phones and reported they get “agitated” if they lose sight of the device.
“That’s astounding,” said researcher James Roberts, Ph.D., in a news release. “As cellphone functions increase, addictions to this seemingly indispensable piece of technology become an increasingly realistic possibility.”
The article titled, “The Invisible Addiction: Cellphone Activities and Addiction among Male and Female College Students,” noted that, surprisingly, gaming was not a primary use. But instead, students are spending more time on Pinterest, Instagram and other social media platforms.
This extreme amount of time online poses risks, researchers said.
“Cellphones may wind up being an escape mechanism from their classrooms. For some, cellphones in class may provide a way to cheat,” Roberts said. “Excessive or obsessive cellphone use also can cause conflict inside and outside the classroom: with professors, employers and families. Some people use a cellphone to dodge an awkward situation. They may pretend to take a call, send a text or check their phones.”
The findings also showed that texting is the top activity averaging 95 minutes a day, followed by email and time on Facebook.
“We need to identify the activities that push cellphone use from being a helpful tool to one that undermines our well-being and that of others,” Roberts said.
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I definitely see a lot of students at school, including myself, using their cell phones a lot.
If you use a laptop or a tablet computer frequently during the day, you don’t need a smartphone: you can settle for a clamshell phone. And anyone who checks e-mail more than twice a day (unless you’re on a dedline) is on the way to being an addict. Most e-mail really isn’t that important unless it’s work related — and even that isn’t all equally important. The thing to do is simply *not* give you children smartphones nin the first place until they leave for college. They can get by. It’s self-discipline, like everything else: learn it, or regret it.
Kids under 16 shouldn’t have phones anyway; a pager with GPS will do if you want to know where your kids are. Phones are primarily for *talking*, i.e., having a conversation with another person, not a monologue. You learn useful social skills in conversing that you don’t learn in texting. The computer at home is for homework; put it in the dining room, the family room or a corner of the kitchen where you can watch your kids using it and monitor the homework. Smartphones are completely unnecessary for teens, especially if they have access to computers at school and at home; they shouldn’t be texting in school anyway.
If you learn not to be a prisoner of the phone as a child, it’s easier not to be one as an adult.
Its seems out of control. Almost Everyone I see under 40 is ‘glued’ to a smart phone ! Will smart phones make people dull – disconnected ? SO MANY TEXTS Seniors would LOVE to hear the voice of their Adult kids and grand kids . For us texts are impersonal . Am I the only one who feels this way ?
There is something to be said for holding onto an idea in your head for a while and not just texting it right away. There are appropriate times for all types of communication but teaching the next generation the value of phone conversations and talking in person will be a challenge, I think. Remember when you answered the phone and had no idea who was on the other end?
I see these “professionals” on their phones constantly during work hours. An hour cannot go by without a social media check and update. What is going on?