The Addiction
Did you know that over 50% of cell phone owners never switch off their smartphones. 71%
of smartphone owners sleep with or next to their mobile phones on a typical night. An
average person looks at their smartphone at least 220 times a day. A study shows that we
check our phones every 4.3 mins.
Good Morning. I am GV Dhiya Dheeraj.
We all can admit that we at least look at our phone 25 times a day. Including me. I do the
same thing. But there are some people who are addicted to their phones. This is also known
as nomophobia. The term NOMOPHOBIA or NO MOBILE PHONE PHOBIA is used to
describe a psychological condition when people have a fear of being detached from mobile
phone connectivity. There are people who start freaking out when they can’t find their cell
phone. Some people even have panic attacks when they lose their phones. Nowadays,
people are so addicted to smartphones and internet. This is the addiction that can destroy
the world one day.
As I have told you that a person looks at their smartphone every 4.3 mins, or lets round it off
to 4 mins, I want to give you a challenge. According to this study, you will feel the urge to
look at your phones at least 3 or 4 times during my speech. I want you all to resist this urge.
Now, why are people so addicted to their cell phones? When we check our phones, our
brains release a small amount of dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for allowing you to feel
pleasure, motivation and satisfaction. The problem of dopamine is that it can cause
addiction. This is exactly how drugs work. First, you feel happy and excited, but, after some
time, you will have to take another dose to feel excited again. Social Media follows the same
principle. When you post a picture, let’s say in 3 to 4 mins you get 8 or 9 likes. At that
moment 8 or 9 likes are nothing. But then, the next day you get 80 likes, and your brain
releases the dopamine. You feel very excited, but, after sometime, that feeling fades. So now
you want to get even more likes. You post another picture and you get 90 likes, You get the
same feeling. Then you post another picture, then another one and another one. This is how
phones are designed. They are designed in a way that will attract you to it.
Not only social media, but even video games also follow the same tactics to addict you. Let’s
say you played a game and when you completed a level, you got a reward. This also caused
your brain to release dopamine. When you get these rewards, you feel happy and proud of
yourself. This is the dopamine making you happy. As a result, 93% of people aged 18 to 23
play games and scroll through social media to prevent boredom instead of reading books.
When you are attracted to your phones, you are completely depended on it. When you are
bored, you go to YouTube and start watching videos. When you are lost or you want to go
somewhere, you open google maps or your GPS. This shows that you are not only addicted,
but you cannot live without your phones.
When you can’t live without your phones, you lose track of your time management. Let’s say
you wanted to watch an episode of your favourite series. You watch an episode, but then
you get an urge to watch another episode. So, you say ‘I’ll watch one more, only one and
then I’ll stop and study for my test tomorrow.’ So, you watch another episode, and another
and then another and eventually you realize that it’s 9 PM. You started watching at 4 PM and
then you ended at 9. Now, you don’t have time to study for the test. This is how you lose
track of time when you’re on your phone.
Not only time, but your body and brain too! Do you know how your phone is changing you? If you’re
looking at your phone like this, then your spine angle is equivalent to an 8-year- old sitting on your
back. A person looks at their phone at least 6 hours a day. Imagine letting an 8-year-old or a 3rd
grader sit on your back for 6 hours a day? Ouch, I can’t even imagine! Your smartphone can even
disrupt your sleep! The blue light that it transmits into your eye can cause a decrease in the hormone
that helps you to sleep. This can lead to the development of cancer, diabetes and obesity.
Smartphones can cause a lot of harm to our body.
We all know who Steve Jobs is right? The co-founder of apple. Apparently, Steve Jobs thought it was
not a good idea to let his kids use gadgets. His whole family were addicted to books. They used to
read a lot of books. Steve Jobs is not the only one, Bill Gates too. Bill Gates did not let his kids use a
gadget until they were 14. They weren’t allowed to bring gadgets to the table to eat and they had a
time limit to using their gadgets. These famous people did not allow their children to use gadgets.
But why? 7 – 8-year-olds use phones. This is because Steve Jobs and Bill Gates knew that social
media is not safe.
In 2020, Netflix had released a documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’. This documentary tells us how
social media is designed to addict people for profit, how it controls a person’s emotion, views and
behaviour.
As you can see, internet is so harmful that even a movie is filmed to tell us about it. So, the next time
we want to take our phones and scroll through the internet, let’s ask ourselves, what is triggering me
to use the phone? Will this do any good to me? And, when everyone understands that scrolling
through the internet will not do any good to them, people will start communicating and having fun
with each other. Eventually, the world will be a better place!
And, did you look at your phone during my speech?
Thank You
