IT’S HERE TO STAY

This week I would like to discuss the issue of mobile technology and its place in adolescents’ lives. To make it clear from the outset, ethere is a difference between habitual use of smartphones and other devices and the issue of addictive behaviour itself. Let’s make that clear. The distinction between leaving a device on all day and never leaving the home without it is manifest. There is evidence though of increased levels of mobile device use based on gaming and associated applications.

The impact  of the mobile phone on young people‟s peer  groups has been extensive. Adolescence is a

Adolescence is a time of change and increasing influence of the peer group and thus communication amongst peer group members is central to the identity of the individual. The impact of the mobile phone on peer relationships has transformed the peer group into a truly networked society.

However, we must at least acknowledge this view:

‘Smartphone users feel they’ve got more control to communicate with whoever they want, whenever they want. Ironically, it’s that sense of control that creates the anxiety. It has made younger people more reliant on maintaining those contacts – which can create issues from bullying, to being marginalised and excluded. People lose track of time, becoming socially isolated and before they know it, cannot stop.. Not having your phone raises your heart rate and signs of panic. These symptoms are almost identical to alcoholism or addiction to gambling, food or drugs”

(Hope, 2013).

We have all experienced the spectacle of people at a dining table so immersed in technology that human interaction suffers. I once witnessed a grandmother sitting at a restaurant alone with her thoughts as the children stared at their blue screens. I recently had the opportunity to view one student from my classroom window who spent his entire recess on a phone while friends interacted with each other around him  There is a time and place for everything but I would argue that breaking bread together in a meal or a friendship table require full engagement with others. There is a correlation between these devices and slot machines and studies have shown that thee over-use of such technology may have a detrimental influence on memory and deep knowledge.

If a person answers ‘yes’ to six or more of these statements, it may be indicative of a problematic and/or addictive use of a mobile device:

• My mobile phone is my most important possession
• “My mobile phone is the most important thing in my life”
• “Conflicts have arisen between me and my
• I am not truthful to family about the amount of time I spend on my mobile phone”
• My mobile phone gets in the way of other things I know I should be doing
• Conflicts have arisen about the amount of time I spend on my mobile device
• I use my mobile device as a way of changing my mood
• Over time I have increased the amount of time I spend on my mobile device
• If I am unable to use my device I feel anxious and/or irritable
• “My mobile phone use often gets in the way

However, just remember that excessive use does not necessarily mean addiction, and the difference between a healthy enthusiasm and addiction is that healthy enthusiasms add to life, and addictions take away from them (Griffiths, 2005)

Strategies such as the maintenance of supportive parent–child relationships that encourage disclosure, parental involvement in the activities of their children, and the avoidance of overly restrictive or coercive monitoring will help to support adolescents and keep them safe online, just as they do offline.

Mobile phones and other devices are here to say. The technology is not the problem, only the frequency and the level of immersion in it. We adults must model appropriate moderation in our own lives, particularly at the dinner table, during family time and at social functions. It is easy to use it as a child -minding device but there are other pleasures in life as well.

Paul Cullen

Paul.cullen@cg.catholic.edu.au

Acknowledgements:

Beranuy, M., Oberst, U., Carbonell, X., & Chamarro, A. (2009). Problematic Internet and mobile phone use and clinical symptoms in college students: The role of emotional intelligence. Computers in Human Behaviour, 25, 1182–1187.

Carbonell, X., Chamarro, A., Beranuy, M., Griffiths, M.D. Obert,U., Cladellas, R. & Talarn, A. (2012). Problematic Internet and cell phone use in Spanish teenagers and young students.

Carbonell, X., Guardiola, E., Beranuy, M., & Belles, A. (2009). A bibliomet- ric analysis of the scientific literature on Internet, video games, and cell phone addiction. Journal of Medical Library Association, 97(2), 102-107

Hope, L. (2013). Help, we’re addicted to our smartphones. The Sun, March 21, p.17