The internet has been around quite a while and there is plenty of documentation and and research about how it influences society. Smartphones, however are a fairly new technology that have taken over how many people interact. The constant contact may not be a good thing for our brain or body.
An example of improper Smartphone usage is with driving. My state of Minnesota has recently banned the use of any hand-held media while driving. All conversations while driving a vehicle must be ‘hands free’.
This attempt at safety, however, has been met with resistance. The simple act of putting down the Smartphone and going ‘off-line’ causes anxiety, depression and feelings of emotional loss. (1,2,3) This is coupled with the effects of withdrawal , which can be as physically stressful as trying to stop using opiates and other addictive drugs. Who would think that simple things, like using a Smartphone or Social Media could have such devastating and lasting effects on people?
So, the next time that you see someone in traffic acting a bit erratically or being mean, they may not be impaired, they may actually be suffering from symptoms of mental and physical withdrawal of the Smartphone and Internet.
- Kim YJ, Jang HM, Lee Y, Lee D, Kim DJ. (2018) . Effects of Internet and Smartphone Addictions on Depression and Anxiety Based on Propensity Score Matching Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. Apr 25;15(5).
- Barrault, S., Durousseau, F., Ballon, N., Reveillere, C., Brunault, P. (2019). Smartphone addition: French Validation of the Internet Addiction Test-Smartphone version (AIT-smartphone) and associated psychopathological features. Encephale. Feb;45(1): 53-59.
- Romano, M., Roaro, A., Re, F., Osborne, LA., Truzoli, R., Reed, P. (2017). Problematic internet users’ skin conductance and anxiety increase after exposure to the internet. Addictive Behavior. Dec;75:70-74.