Nomophobia, problematic smartphone usage, is this an overlooked addiction? Should we just focus on strategies and solutions to help those who identify as having a problem?

Smartphone addiction, sometimes referred to as “nomophobia” (Rodríguez-García et al., 2020) the fear of being without a mobile phone, is characterised by compulsive and excessive use of a smartphone, often at the expense of health, real-life responsibilities and relationships. Although behavioural scientists aren't suppose to make assumptions, relying purely on studies (to which I do agree) research in this area is thin, and with the problem growing at an exponential rate and people lives being affected daily, the specific term used to describe the issue, whether addiction, problematic use, or nomophobia, seems less significant than the focus on supporting those who are experiencing smartphone use challenges, and may wish to seek help to overcome them.

Behaviours that may be associated with Problematic Smartphone Use, Addiction, Nomophobia.

Hiding the usage. In my recent research on Problematic Smartphone usage, participants who self-identified as being 'addicted' shared that they often hid their phone usage and would often go into another room or bathroom to be able to use it out of sight of family or co-workers.

Feeling shame. Another interesting finding from my research was that participants who self-identified as having an 'addiction' over just identifying as having 'problematic usage' expressed feeling shame over not being in control or able to stop. There was also a sense of shame that they would often hide the usage, or use it knowing its detrimental effects on family life or health. (The study was small so no conclusions can be drawn, however, for these individuals this experience was real)

Another more commonly associated behaviour that is found in current literature on the topic, is an individuals urge to continually check their phone, even without any purpose or real need.

Sleep disruption is also associated, with mindless or un-controlled scrolling late into the night. The blue light emitted from a screen supresses melatonin levels which is one of the important hormones responsible for regulating sleep. This disruption to your sleep cycle may cause fatigue and could lead to a change in mood, such as irritability effecting you and those around you or productivity throughout the day.

In addition to the behavioural effects, smartphones can also cause us to act differently or more openly online than they would in real life interaction. This could lead to disinhibition and result in impulsive, insensitive or out of character behaviours online, such as sexting, sharing personal information or imagery, being quick to trust or engage without really knowing who you are communicating with, or where the information exchanged is going. This disinhibition has the potential to be harmful.

Smartphones are powerful tools that can offer us many benefits, but their overuse can lead to disconnection from real life experiences and outweigh the benefits.

As I acknowledged earlier, clinically, the criteria for smartphone addiction has yet to be settled, thus, smartphone addiction isn't yet (at the time of this article) clinically diagnosed and recognised as addiction in the same vein as alcohol or other addictions are. Even using the word “addiction” when describing excessive usage of smartphones is controversial. However, surly we can not ignore the growing evidence of negative outcomes associated with the use of smartphones and the applications or access to information that the smartphone houses. We already know that many games are designed to 'be' addictive, and there is a growing body of literature suggesting the negative effects on attention and memory, relationship formation, cognitive performance and behavioural and cognitive self-control. 

For those experiencing "addiction", it's real, and we need to do more to help.

Rachel is graduating with her MSc Psychology from Northumbria University having focused her work on Coaching Psychology as a solution for Problematic Smartphone Usage. With extensive experience as a Health and Wellness Coach in both the UK and USA, she has dedicated many years to helping individuals overcome behavioural and Health challenges. Her focus has now shifted to addressing the complexities of Smartphone use. She founded www.smartphonebalance.com as a platform to help individuals using a coaching psychology and solution focused approach, who need support in making positive changes towards healthier smartphone and technology usage.

She is an advocate for educating and encouraging individuals to live beyond the screen, living mindfully in the present moment and thriving in a technological world. You can contact Rachel at info@smartphonebalance.com