Bertrand Appia 

ENG 210 

Professor Zayas 

Research Paper  

Cellphone/Device Addiction 

We’ve been living in a technological age for many years now and made many achievements that benefit mankind. One of the greatest achievements that we made in technology was the inventions of electronic devices, mainly smartphones. Over the years a new problem has started rising, the progressing generations have become more attached to these devices. This involves our society since a good chunk of the population has access to electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, gaming consoles, and television. Even young kids who are growing up with these devices in hand already find themselves attached and possibly addicted to their electronic devices. With the invention of electronic devices, they have become incredibly popular over the years to the point where it’s now the center of our lives. Things like smartphones are amazing inventions that make many things in life easier, but a convenience can also become a reliance and in time, an addiction. 

A question that we should start off with is how smartphones rose in popularity so quickly. Smartphones became a large part of our lives since they were the essentially a multi-tool that everyone had easy access to. About 3.5 million people in the world have access to smartphones (Statista). Some of the amazing things a smartphone can do besides communicating through long distances include, playing games, shopping online, looking up information, and anything else you could imagine. Since smartphones can do these things it will increase the importance of having these multi-tools. 

Although these devices are truly one of the greatest technological achievements, we can’t ignore the risks that come with using them. Smartphone addiction, also known as “nomophobia” (the fear of being without a mobile phone), is often fueled by an internet overuse problem (HelpGuide). The internet is a platform that is almost limitless in size and content that allows anyone to have some sort of social interaction. Social interaction stimulates the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that sends signals to other nerve cells. It’s a chemical that, when it interacts with the brain, gives a person feeling of pleasure and happiness. “Genetic vulnerability contributes to the risk of developing an addiction. Twin and adoption studies show about 40% to 60% of susceptibility to addiction is hereditary. But behavior plays a key role, especially when it comes to reinforcing a habit.” (Harvard Med School). There’s a high probability that anyone with family members who had been addicted to something to become an addict themselves. The trait for addiction is passed on genetically so there’s a good chance of future descendants becoming addicted in the future. But the main reason why someone could become addicted is the repetitive use of something like smartphones. If you combine this with the hereditary trait of addiction, then the chances of becoming addicted rises even further. 

Dopamine also plays an important role in learning and memory. Dopamine interacts with another neurotransmitter called glutamate to take over a system in the brain responsible for learning followed by a reward if an activity is seen as something beneficial to the brain. “This system is important in sustaining life because it links activities needed for human survival (such as eating and sex) with pleasure and reward. The reward circuit in the brain includes areas involved with motivation and memory as well as with pleasure.” (Harvard Med School). Being rewarded for completing a task is important because it gives us an incentive to complete these tasks. The reward circuit in the brain is also connected to the area involved with motivation, memory, and pleasure. When it comes to smartphones/devices addiction these are the three reasons why it can become a problem. Every time you use a smartphone you release dopamine with each use which ends up affecting the motivation part of the brain system. With the constant use of devices, you feel more motivated to use it more. Using a device and being rewarded for it has a clear effect on your memory. If basic activities such as eating and sex becomes imprinted into your memory as something we must do or live without then the same thing can happen with smartphones. Since constant device usage leads to a surge in dopamine it will start to benefit from the reward system. The brain will remember activities like the use of devices as something that is good since its able to receive pleasure with each use.  

With a constant flow of dopamine, the brain is forced to act by reducing dopamine’s effect on the brain’s reward system by producing less dopamine or eliminating its receptors. “People who develop an addiction typically find that, in time, the desired substance no longer gives them as much pleasure. They have to take more of it to obtain the same dopamine “high” because their brains have adapted.” (Harvard Med School). Because of dopamine’s effect being reduced people who will develop an addiction find themselves getting less satisfaction or pleasure from a substance or activity. To supplement the dopamine deficiency people find themselves making the mistake of consuming more to reach their dopamine high once more. An example of this is when someone addicted to their smartphone start to become board or less interested in using it. To fix this the addict will increase the amount of time spent on the phone until they average way above the normal hours for phone usage. Being able to access the three parts of the brain’s rewarding system (motivation, memory, and pleasure) and the individual taking in more dopamine to get their desired amount of pleasure are the factors that lead to addiction.   

 Many people use their phones as tools of social interaction and as a result, they become accustomed to constantly checking them for that hit of dopamine that’s released when they connect with others on social media (Healthline). People start use the internet to interact with others instead of doing it in the real world. It’s the same either way but the main difference is the ability to stay connected with people 24/7 by using major social media platforms. The internet is one of the main reasons why any electronic device that has access to it is in high demand. 

Teenagers are the age group that’s most at risk for addiction since they use their phones the most. Studies show the earlier a teen starts using a phone, the higher the risk of problematic use patterns (Healthline). To reduce the chance off them getting addicted, parents should reduce the amount of times their children interact with their phones. There are other groups that are most at risk for addiction. According to Healthline, anyone who has low self-esteem, low impulse control, anxiety, depression, or whose highly extroverted run the highest risk of becoming addicted to their electronic devices. There are other ways to tell whether someone is addicted to their devices instead of assuming they do since they display traits of people who are most at risk. The symptoms of people who are addicted to their phones are reaching for their phone when alone or bored, waking up multiple times to check their phone, if it causes you to have an accident or injury, or if the phone interferes with your job performance, schoolwork, or relationships (Healthline). These are the most reliable symptoms to tell whether someone is obsessed or can’t live without a phone in their hand. The side effects of being smartphone addiction is texting while driving, anxiety, depression, sleep deficits and insomnia, and poor academic and work performance (Healthline). Any type of addiction isn’t healthy if it starts to negatively affect your life. These side effects all have a terrible impact on the physical and mental health of the individual.  Lack of sleep will affect your memory, ability to concentrate, and reduce your cognitive and learning skills (HealthGuide). The biggest problem that comes from these side effects is the issue regarding texting and driving. Out of all the other side effects, texting and driving is the only one that effects more than just the person who is addicted. A single car accident has the possibility of taking the life of more than one person.         

We now find ourselves in quarantine with nothing much to do. A lot of people will start using their electronic devices to pass time, take classes, and work from home. These devices are convenient, easy to use, and accessible to most of our population, which makes it easier for someone to become addicted to them. Being confined in your house leaves you with a limited number of things you can do.  

Bibliography 

Harvard Health Publishing. (2011, July). How addiction hijacks the brain. Retrieved May 20,          2020, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/how-addiction-hijacks-the-brain 

 O’Dea, S. (2020, February 28). Smartphone users worldwide 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020,                  from https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/ 

Shoukat, S. (2019, February 4). Cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health               in adolescents. Retrieved May 15, 2020,              from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449671/  

Smartphone Addiction. (2020, May 5). Retrieved May 15, 2020, from                          https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/smartphone-addiction.htm  

Stanborough, R. J. (2019, October 17). Cell Phone Addiction: Is It Really a Thing, and What Can     You Do? Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/cell-phone-addiction