Smartphone Addiction and Depression: Adolescents on the Front Lines

A girl talking on the phone call

In this era of smartphones, kids are dependent on their phones for every activity. Smartphone addiction among kids has become a major issue for parents. According to a study, this addiction could have various harmful consequences on mental health.

According to an annual meeting in Chicago by the Radiological Society of North America, the results of a study on the effects of cell phones were revealed. And the results were very far from positive, especially for the teenagers.

Do you allow your child to watch 3–4 hours of television every night?

Is it healthy for a kid to be occupied by the screen all the time?

The reality is, it is not at all healthy to be occupied over phones all the time. The teenage smartphone addiction goes way beyond texting and being on call. It involves using various apps, playing games, and extreme usage of social media in particular. For teenagers, cell phones have become a way to comment, criticize, approve, and admire. They are even addicted to checking on their likes and responses to their posts.

The saddest part is that there is even biological involvement in this type of behaviour. The brain reacts to cell phones as if it was a drug. According to the studies, phone ringing, as well as a message alert, releases dopamine from the brain.

A Behavioural Disorder

According to the clinical community, cell phone addiction is defined as a behavioral disorder. These disorders are the obsessive usage of cell phones that affects everyday functioning. Smartphone addiction goes beyond actually using the phone to talk. Teenager’s smartphone addiction generally includes repetitive usage of the device for various activities. If such activities are done in moderation, it is perfectly normal. But once it becomes an obsessive compulsion, it can become dangerous for your kid.

Major Signs of Smartphone Addiction

• Texting with friends and family, and checking for incoming texts.
• Listening to music and viewing videos using headphones.
• Checking social media and e-mail accounts regularly.
• Worrying about the cell phone battery life all the time.

Teenager’s smartphone addiction has become a major concern.

Teen Cell Phone Addiction Statistics

Here are some statistics on teen mobile usage:

1. More than 55% of the parents feel their teens are addicted to their mobile phones.
2. More than 75% of the kids check their phones on an hourly basis
3. More than 70% of teens feel an urgent need to respond to texts immediately.
4. More than 40% of the kids believe that they spend too much time on call.
5. More than 75% of the parents feel that their teens get distracted by their cell phones.
6. More than 40% of the teens use their mobile phones even at the dinner table.

Mobile devices are the primary source of communication for teens. Text messages and social media messages are also some of the most common ways that teens communicate.

Is your smartphone addiction making you anxious or depressed?

This technology which seems like magic has misled various lives. It is very easy to find various information, purchase items, and communicate with a lot of people around the world. According to a study, adolescents who were dependent on or addicted to their smartphones were more likely to show signs of depression and loneliness. Anyone who has spent, time on social media knows that it comes with a mixed bag of emotions. It is very tough to completely abandon your smartphones, but it is very necessary to take out some technology detox, to breathe peacefully.

How can parents save the kid from addiction?

The next major question to deal with is, how to prevent the kids from being addicted. Parents can surely save their kids from developing these types of addiction, with the usage of Phone Agent 007. The parents allow to monitor the usage of smartphones by their kids and then control it according to their preference. If we talk about the features of this app, you can:

• View all the incoming calls and outgoing calls including the durations and time stamps.
• View all the sent/received messages and the multimedia files exchanged by the user.
• Monitor the WhatsApp chats, calls, images, etc.
• Track and monitor all the social media information through the best monitoring app.
• View and track the live location of your kid’s phone and check their route history.
• View all the multimedia files including the images, videos, gifs, etc.
• Check all the installed applications, you can even block the undesired applications.
• Monitor the online activities of your kid and block the undesired websites.
• View all the monitored data from your control panel.

The Bottom Line

Smartphone addiction and depression have become common in people’s lives these days. It is very necessary to use parental control and protect your kid from the adversities of the internet.