The consequences of cell phone addiction

We talk about cell phone addiction with Matías Miguel López Ruiz, psychologist at BarnaPsico.

The use of cell phones has burst with force in our life habits, and it is already a constant in most of the countries of the world, even in those countries where we live.It is already a constant in many countries around the world, even in those where there are large pockets of poverty. This has meant that the use of smartphones and the like must be addressed by psychology in general, and by clinical and health psychology in particular.

For this reason, here we we will talk to Matías Miguel López Ruiza psychologist with extensive experience in cell phone addiction, which mainly affects younger people.

Matías Miguel López Ruiz: psychology applied to cell phone addiction

Matías Miguel López Ruiz is a General Health Psychologist and member of the team of the psychology center BarnaPsico, located in Barcelona, in the district of Les Corts. Here he talks about his experience helping people who have become constantly dependent on their cell phones.

What is mobile addiction for you?

I think that mobile addiction arises when the user has a dependence on the cell phone that affects him emotionally, mentally and physically. Emotionally on their mood and personality, mentally on their academic and work performance, and physically on their physical health. That is, when it affects their daily life, incapacitating them when trying to lead a healthy life.

What is the most numerous age group that is addicted to this dependency? Does it coincide with the group of people who ask you for help to try to eliminate this need to be with the cell phone all day?

Addiction can appear at any age, but it may be that between 18 and 25 years of age this dependence is more prevalent.

Mostly children and adolescents, addiction to cell phones is one of the most common concerns of parents. For the little ones it is easier to limit their time, but in the case of teenagers it becomes more difficult, because Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook are the tools they use the most in their communicative and social interactions.

My opinion is that apps, video games, and social networks are designed to be integrated into the collective consciousness in a natural and automated way, that is, to be part of our daily needs, at the forefront of what motivates us. In other words, it has become an automated and therefore unconscious need. For example, our hands automatically need to have our cell phone in our hands, whether or not it is useful at the time.

In your opinion, do you think that people who suffer from this dependence are aware of it? Or is it a larger group of people who, despite denying it, have the main symptoms that dictate whether or not they are dependent on their cell phone?

Fortunately, this addiction or dependence does not occur in all people, usually only in the cases of those who present this psychological alteration that affects their personality and behavior.

Addicted people usually deny it because they do not want to get out of this dependence. People who are aware of the negative effect on their lives usually ask for help, because the use of the cell phone is deteriorating their personal, social and physical well-being. Instead of a productive tool, it becomes a suffering and their worst enemy.

To what extremes can a person with this type of dependence go? What are the worst consequences of cell phone addiction?

Nomophobia is the irrational fear of the factors that can cause not having a cell phone, such as: lack of battery, out of coverage, lack of credit, when it stops working... There are people for whom this becomes a drama, it alters their emotions, they become nervous, anxious and even aggressive.

It can also lead to social isolation and lack of real communication. In adolescents, it facilitates poor school performance, even school failure. In adults, lack of family communication (partner, children, etc.) and poor job performance with the possibility of dismissal, among others.

Addiction to cell phones can be one of the factors that cause some kind of mood, personality, sexual disorder... and this can lead to the need for psychological and/or psychiatric treatment.

What are the symptoms that a person must have to be considered addicted to the cell phone?

The main ones are:

• Emotional, mental and physical dependence.
• Compulsive, unimportant and non-urgent consultations.
• Eating with the cell phone
• Lack of active listening and attention in conversations, because one is simultaneously attentive or using the cell phone.
• Loss of social and communication skills.
• Stopping doing sports or other healthy habits. Loss of interest in activities that are not related to the use of the cell phone.
• Need for coverage in all places where the person is present.
• The cell phone is always on and available.
• Compulsive search for outlets to recharge the battery.
• Bad mood, frustration, rage, anger, nervousness, restlessness ...

Do you think that the new generations suffer more from this type of dependence, since they use their cell phones inappropriately (number of hours spent with them) or have they had one since they were in elementary school?

Children are already predisposed to this addiction from an early age. There are parents who practically give the cell phone to their children to entertain themselves and leave them alone. Of course, the child gets used to it, becomes addicted in a natural way and it becomes a fixed habit, which like all fixed habits is very difficult to change, especially in adolescence and adulthood. We must be aware that the technological innovations of cell phones are increasingly seeking to capture more and more of the user's attention, making him more and more dependent on this tool.

So we should ask ourselves, among other questions: Am I at the service of the cell phone and does it control me? Is the cell phone at my service and do I control it? Why do I use the cell phone? Is it necessary for me to spend so many hours on the cell phone? How is the cell phone affecting my personal and social life?

Do you think that the benefits of having a cell phone as a work tool or as a recreational device outweigh the consequences of being addicted to it due to the large number of hours that are usually spent on the phone?

As in everything, extremes are not good. You can make good use of new technologies, use the mobile in a constructive way for work, to investigate, explore, have more culture, study, communicate (break the ice for the more timid), play a video game from time to time, as entertainment .... I think the issue is to set limits and seek or recover other motivations and activities in life that do not require the use of mobile.

Is it possible to avoid being addicted to the cell phone? How?

Like any addiction, it can be treated and a professional can be found to help the addicted person. This professional will offer you psychological tools and techniques to cope with this dependency. I usually (and depending on the case) recommend, among other things, a search for other motivations.

For example, if I have always been motivated to do sports and I have stopped because of the addictive use of the cell phone, I should recover this hobby. I also need to become aware of the harm caused by the use of cell phones: How does it affect me emotionally? How does it affect my relationships and social life? How does it affect my physical health? What has cell phones turned me into?