Smart Phone Usage is an Addiction

An unhealthy vice we are all guilty of and how it affects our focus, productivity, and mental health

Credits: Unsplash

Can you imagine having an intervention for a friend when you are guilty of the same vice? How do you confront an addiction when our entire society has normalized it? Whether you’re in the library, the airport terminal, the waiting room at the doctor’s office, or strolling down the street, everywhere you go, every single person is glued to their smart phones.

In 2015, Gallup surveyed nearly 16,000 people in all 50 states about their phone usage. The numbers are depressing, but not surprising. Nearly three quarters of Americans check their phone at least once an hour, with roughly half checking it several times an hour. Six in ten people believe they checked their phone less than their peers; another three in ten said they use their phone an average amount, which means only ten percent of Americans admit they use their phones more than average. We can’t all use our phones less than our peers because logically that makes no sense. This particular statistic perfectly illustrates our warped perception of our phone usage. It is also a clear sign of denial, which is one of the most obvious traits of addiction.

I don’t want to dramatize things here. Smartphones provide endless entertainment, connect you with any friend or person you’ve ever…