Teens fly their thumbs over the screens of their smartphones or smartphones with increasing frequency. But what effect does this unprecedented behavior have on teens?
A team of researchers from the NGO Common Sense Media wanted to delve into this matter. To do this, they conducted a questionnaire with 1,240 parents and adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years to monitor the consequences of this massive use of mobile devices in their lives and in their relationships with others.
The data revealed that half of the adolescents said they felt addicted to mobile phones and 60% of the parents believed the same. Despite whether parents thought whether or not their children were addicted to mobile phones, 66% considered that they spent too much time with the smartphone; in the case of adolescents, 52% saw it that way as well.
In addition, 77% of parents agreed that their children were continuously distracted – at least three times a week – due to mobile phone use.
Almost 80% of young people admitted that they checked or checked their notifications on their mobile at least every hour and 72% confirmed that they felt the need to respond to messages received on social networks almost immediately after receiving them.
Time for a pause, but with caution
The phenomenon of mobile addiction is relatively recent, so there is no official diagnosis in this regard. However, psychologists warn of negative reactions to parents by young people if said “object of desire” is removed very abruptly in order to eliminate this addiction.
“ For teens, social media and contact with friends are a primary developmental task and focus. When the lifeline of a teenager with his friends is removed, there will be a significant emotional reaction, a breakdown of the parent-child relationship , ”warns Bet Peters, a clinical psychologist in Westminster (England).
