Tech Trouble: The Dangers of Cell Phone Addiction
Everyone knows someone who constantly stares at their cellphone. They’re playing games, checking email, tweeting, and Facebooking. The problem is that, if your eyes are always on your device, you’re not watching what’s in front of you. This is incredibly dangerous. If you’re suffering from this kind of problem, here’s how to fight it.
What’s The Real Problem?
Most people secretly believe that they live on the cusp of an emergency – that if they cannot access their phone immediately, that something dramatic and drastic will happen. They’re addicted to their phones, really.
According to Baylor University, texting is the number one activity students engage in while on their phones, spending an average of 94.6 minutes every day. Sending emails came in at 48.5 minutes, with Facebook browsing taking third place. Surfing the ‘net was next in line followed by listening to music.
The most addictive websites and areas were not Internet surfing and gaming, contrary to initial speculation. Rather, the most addicting websites were Pinterest and Instagram.
Complications That Can Result
By spending so much time on your phone, you’re not only developing anti-social tendencies, you’re also risking your life, and possibly the lives of your family and friends. Car accidents, for example, are very commonly caused by texting or talking while driving. Watson Goepel, a Vancouver car accident lawyer, deals with cases like these all the time.
A car accident resulting from driving while texting can be very serious – both from a medical and legal standpoint. The legal ramifications are huge, but a texting accident could be fatal. There are about 160,000 road accidents in Canada every year. Don’t become a statistic. Put the phone down when you’re driving.
Set Specific Phone Time Limits
Fortunately, breaking the cycle of texting isn’t all that difficult. The first step is to set hard and fast rules about how you will use the phone and when. On most phones, you have an alarm that can help you. Setting a simple alarm can help remind you that your phone time is up and it’s time to find something else to do.
Yes, it’s difficult to change habits, and it may take a while to get into the swing of a new behavior pattern. But, take it one step at a time and you’ll find that changing isn’t all that difficult.
Map Out Your Day Beforehand
If you map out your day before you leave the house, you can better control your phone usage. If you map out your week, you’ll have even better control over phone usage.
A daily planner can keep you occupied so that you’re not constantly staring at your phone during school or while you’re supposed to be working.
Practice Living In the Moment
One of the things that really helps people break their addiction is a constant, slow, but meaningful and conscientious effort to live in the moment – to live consciously. Think about what you’re doing every second of the day. Don’t live your life on autopilot. Most people whip out their phones and text out of habit. It becomes an unconscious response to boredom.
Break that habit by spending more time thinking about what you’re doing and you’ll live a happier, safer, healthier, life.
Richard Wright has had to deal with his own phone addiction issues. An avid blogger, he likes to help others by sharing his insights on the web. You can find his helpful posts on a variety of websites and blogs.
