40% of Young Adults May Have a Smartphone Addiction

Nearly 40% of students at King's College London have shown signs of smartphone addiction, a new study has found. Researchers looked at 1,043 students aged 18 to 30.

Students were judged to be addicted if they couldn't control how long they spent on their phones, felt stressed when they couldn't access their phones, or ignored more important things around them because they were on their phones.

The study also found that students with high levels of smartphone use had poor sleep quality. And students who used their phones after 1 a.m. were most likely to be addicted — three times more likely than students who put their smartphones away before 1 a.m., in fact.

The authors wrote that previous research on smartphone use among young people has shown similar rates of addiction.

Other studies have also found that using smartphones too much can make it harder to fall asleep. People who use their phones too much also get fewer hours of sleep and can feel more tired during the day.

Speaking to CNN, Dr. Vsevolod Polotsky of Johns Hopkins University said that people should avoid looking at screens in bed, and also shouldn't look at them at least one hour before bedtime.

To fight smartphone addiction, experts suggest turning off your phone at certain times of day, such as during meals. Some people even remove social media apps like Facebook, Twitter or WeChat from their phones and check them on their laptops instead.

Another option, experts say, is to change your smartphone colors to grayscale. Compared to bright colors, gray feels boring and may discourage you from picking up your phone so often.

Discussion

1. What are your thoughts on the findings of this study?

2. Do you know anyone who you'd say is addicted to their smartphone?

3. Do you often use your phone in bed?

4. Have you ever thought about changing the colors on your phone to grayscale? Why? Why not?

5. In your opinion, what are some of the best ways to fight smartphone addiction?

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