Psychological Effects of Cell Phone Addiction
• Sleep disturbances.9
o Cell phone addiction has been linked to an increase in sleep
disorders and fatigue in users.
o Using your cell phone before bed increases the likelihood of
insomnia.
Bright light may decrease sleep quality.
Smartphone use could increase amount of time it takes to fall
asleep.
Light emitted from the cell phone may activate the brain.
• Depression.10
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.10
• Relationship problems.
o Offline relationships may suffer as a result of neglect in favor of
excessive cell phone and social media use.11
• Anxiety.
o Research has found that college students who use their cell
phones the most are more likely to feel anxious during
downtime.12
Am I Addicted to my Smartphone?
This self-assessment is not meant to officially diagnose you with cell
phone addiction. If you are concerned about your problematic
behaviors, speak to your doctor or mental health professional about
possible treatment.13
1. Do you find yourself spending more time on your smartphone than
you realize?
2. Do you find yourself mindlessly passing time on a regular basis by
staring at your smartphone even though there might be better or
more productive things to do?
3. Do you seem to lose track of time when on your cell phone?
4. Do you find yourself spending more time texting, tweeting, or
emailing as opposed to talking to real-time people?
5. Has the amount of time you spend on your cell phone been
increasing?
6. Do you secretly wish you could be a little less wired or connected to
your cell phone?
7. Do you sleep with your smartphone on or under your pillow or next
to your bed regularly?
8. Do you find yourself viewing and answering texts, tweets, and
emails at all hours of the day and night, even when it means
interrupting other things you are doing?
9. Do you text, email, tweet, or surf the internet while driving or doing
other similar activities that require your focused attention and
concentration?
10. Do you feel your use of your cell phone actually decreases your
productivity at times?
11. Do you feel reluctant to be without your smartphone, even for a
short time?
12. When you leave the house, you ALWAYS have your smartphone
with you and you feel ill-at-ease or uncomfortable when you
accidentally leave your smartphone in the car or at home, or you
have no service, or it is broken?
13. When you eat meals, is your cell phone always part of the table
place setting?
14. When your phone rings, beeps, buzzes, do you feel an intense
urge to check for texts, tweets, or emails, updates, etc.?
15. Do you find yourself mindlessly checking your phone many times
a day even when you know there is likely nothing new or important
to see?
If you or a loved one is concerned about maladaptive behaviors and
feelings associated with cell phone addiction, don’t hesitate to call to
learn more about the treatment options available to you.
References
1. Mobile Technology Fact Sheet. (2013, December 27). Retrieved
November 30, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-
sheets/mobile-technology-fact-sheet/
2. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-
5. (5th ed.). (2013). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric
Association.
3. Singh Bhatia, M. (2008). Cell Phone Dependence — a new
diagnostic entity. Delhi Psychiatry Journal, 11(2), 123-124.
Retrieved November 30, 2015,
from http://medind.nic.in/daa/t08/i2/daat08i2p123.pdf
4. Digital Eye Strain Report 2015. (2015). Retrieved November 30,
2015, from http://www.thevisioncouncil.org/digital-eye-strain-
report-2015
5. Hansraj, K. (2014). Assessment of Stresses in the Cervical Spine
Caused by Posture and Position of the Head. (25), 277-279.
Retrieved November 30, 2015,
from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25393825
6. Health Risks of Using Mobile Phones. (n.d.). Retrieved November
30, 2015, from http://source.southuniversity.edu/health-risks-of-
using-mobile-phones-137310.aspx
7. Dangers of Texting Whilst Driving. (2008). Retrieved November
30, 2015, from http://www.trl.co.uk/case-studies/behaviour-
dangers-of-texting-whilst-driving/
8. Deepinder, F., Makker, K., & Agarwal, A. (2007). Cell phones and
male infertility: Dissecting the relationship. Reproductive
BioMedicine Online, 15(3), 266-270. Retrieved November 30, 2015,
from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S14726483
10603380
9. Patel, R. (2015, June 17). Cell Phone use before bedtime might
impact sleep, and daytime tiredness. Retrieved November 30, 2015,
from https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2015/06/17/cell-phone-
use-before-bedtime-might-impact-sleep-and-daytime-tiredness/
10. Babadi-Akashe, Z., & Zamani, B. (2014). The Relationship
between Mental Health and Addiction to Mobile Phones among
University Students of Shahrekord, Iran. Addict Health, 6(3-4), 93-
99.
11. Andreassen, C. (2015). Online Social Network Site Addiction: A
Comprehensive Review. Curr Addict Rep Current Addiction
Reports, 2015(2), 175-184. doi:10.1007/s40429-015-0056-9
12. Lepp, A., Li, J., Barkley, J., & Salehi-Esfahani, S. (2015).
Exploring the relationships between college students’ cell phone
use, personality and leisure. Computers in Human Behavior, 43,
210-219. Retrieved November 30, 2015,
from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S07475632
14005822
13. Greenfield, D. (2013). Smartphone Abuse Test. Retrieved
November 30, 2015, from http://virtual-addiction.com/new-
smartphone-abuse-test-now-online/
