How Cell Phone Addiction Affects The Brain

Nomophobia is a new term used to describe the fear of not being able to use a cell phone or other devices. Many teens and young adults can now say that they most likely have this fear. Today, it is very rare to see a person with a cell phone in their hand. Some may say this is harmless while others say it could be life threating. Research has shown that not being able to stay away from your cell phone may have a connection with depression and anxiety. There is no face to face conversations anymore which can cause anxiety if you do not know how to talk to someone in person. Staying in all day on your phone can cause depression by not getting out and being active. Exercising and socializing has been shown to decrease depression in teens and young adults. Another way this is life threating is teens and young adults are now on their phones while driving. Distracted driving kills at least one person a day whether it is the distracted driver or the person in the other car. It has become a very serious issue and many teens and young adults have confessed to being on their cell phones while driving. Distracted driving has also become one of the top killers in teens and young adults. Many teens have also been hit by cars because they were on their phones and were not paying attention to where they were going. Being bent over your cell phone all day long can cause bad posture which is very bad for your spine. Having nomophobia also causes insomnia since people cannot stay off their phones long enough to get some sleep. The lack of sleep can cause some major health problems in the future and it is even life threating.

Addiction has become a very serious problem whether it is being addicted to drugs or being addicted to your cell phone. Being addicted to something means that you have become reliant of the substance and your brain is telling you that you must have it to survive. When you first try a drug and you think it is the best feeling ever, you want to reach that same high, so you keep doing the drug. After you do the drug so many times, your brain changes to where you constantly need the drug.

I took the quiz to find out if I am addicted to my cell phone and it turns out that I am. I did not think that I used my phone that much, but I got a high score on the quiz. This worries me because it has become a very big issue in teens and young adults. Whenever I am driving to school or work, I always leave my phone in my purse and wait until I am parked to look at it. I do panic a little when I cannot use my phone because I want to keep up with the time and I worry about someone trying to get ahold of me but cannot. Who would have thought being addicted to a cell phone would turn out to be such a serious problem.