Sunny Health

In the middle of March this year, The Straits Times did a social experiment at an Outward Bound Singapore camp to find out how youngsters cope with not having their gadgets (handphones, iPads, iPods, notebooks…) with them.

The result was, “nervous twitching, phantom scrolling and even singing songs from playlists they could not access. They felt lost.”

Sounds a little like withdrawal symptoms a drug addict gets from staying off drugs. And just like addiction to drugs, addiction to technology can be unhealthy, dangerous and negatively affect all aspects of life in many ways.

From years ago, parents and experts have expressed worries about young people being addicted to their computers, with some cooping themselves up in their rooms to ensure they get their daily dosage of computer use, in serious cases, skipping school or work. These days, with technology getting more intrusive, one doesn’t have to skip school or work or hole up in front of the screen to be deemed an addict. They could be out at the mall and still be tapping away at their own little virtual world, or be in class or at their work desk, concentrating on the little screen when nobody is supposedly looking.

Cell phone addiction can be even more serious than other gadget addictions. Firstly, as mentioned above, it can be touted around everywhere. Secondly, it has many more functions than any other handheld devices like the PSP – one can game on it, watch the latest Korean dramas, surf the internet, go on Facebook… if the person enjoys all of these, good luck prying that device out of his hands.

Not all addicts are Twitter-crazed or enjoy slinging stones at virtual pigs. In fact, some phone addicts are constantly checking emails from work, and usually not because their bosses want them to. The portability of a smart phone has allowed workaholics to bring their workaholic tendencies to even greater heights, which is not at all good for their stress level and social life.

With technology so handy, multi-functional and trendy these days, how can you tell the difference between a zealous user who’s just keeping up with times and an addicted user who has dedicated his life to his phone?

Phone addiction can be classified as an obsessive-compulsive disorder, because the user has a constant need to have his phone with him at all times and is constantly using it, even in the middle of activities like eating, watching television or when out and about.

Some major traits that can be observed in an addicted cell phone user:

- Cannot keep eyes off the screen, whether it’s for checking for text messages and emails or responses to the latest tweets or Facebook statuses, or how quickly the harvest is growing.



- Anxiety level increases when unable to use cell phone. Visible signs include rising tempers, losing focus, constantly trying to keep fingers busy (i.e. finger nail biting, phantom scrolling)

Addicts often find it difficult to realise or admit their addiction. But some extreme emotions or lifestyles shouldn’t go unnoticed:

If your answer is Yes to these, you will need to overcome that addiction. Being a savvy smart phone user makes you look smart, but letting your phone dictate your life simply makes you look stupid.


In my next article, I will share tips on reducing dependency on the phone.