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How many hours a day do you spend on your phone?
If you go out in Kyiv and ask people this question (as we did for this video), you can find out that some people spend up to nine hours a day in front of screens.
Smartphones are a great invention of mankind, no one disputes that. But like any technology, they have a dark side.
And it's not just about a lot of screen time. The compulsive use of the phone, when we mindlessly scroll in search of quick pleasures, is also a concern. And when the hand involuntarily reaches for the gadget, as if to a pricked orange.
And here I am again watching a video about how someone's oven makes creaking sounds similar to the name "Andrey".
This is the moment when the technology that should serve and help begins to control our thoughts and behavior.
When parents scold their children for being stuck on their phones, often the main argument is the deterioration of their eyesight. But studies show that this is far from the only thing that a smartphone can harm both children and adults.
Brain drain
There is a lot of research on mobile phones. However, we are still far from fully understanding how exactly they change our lives. After all, the oldest people who were born and grew up with smartphones are only a little over 20 years old today.
On the other hand, this is enough for us to understand: excessive attachment to mobile phones does not bring anything good for our physical and mental health.
First, researchers talk about a decrease in cognitive abilities. Or, to put it simply, phones can make us dumber.
In 2017, the University of Chicago conducted an interesting study. Students were asked to solve tasks that required the mind, memory and concentration. All this without the help of phones. At the same time, the first group of participants was allowed to leave their smartphones nearby on the table. The second group was asked to hide them in a bag. And everyone else handed over their gadgets for storage in another room.
The results showed that those who did not have their phones nearby coped with the tasks much better. The very presence of the phone in the room – whether on the table or in the bag – absorbed part of their attention and mind. Even if the phone just existed nearby, did not ring or beep.
Researchers called this phenomenon brain drain.
The most interesting thing is that when the participants were asked how the presence of the phone affected their result, the majority confidently said: no way.
That is, we may not even realize that phones are changing something in our heads.
Excessive use of smartphones is also associated with disturbed sleep, memory impairment, and mental laziness. Why memorize movie titles or routes when you can Google it all?
And the quality of reading. Numerous studies show that if we read the text from a paper book, and not from a screen, we understand it much better.
Our emotions and social connections also suffer from being stuck in screens. People need to see other people's eyes. And excessive dependence on phones is associated with a tendency to depression and anxiety. This is especially true for young people, as evidenced by research from King's College London.
So what to do with children's phones?
Telephones in schools
My friend's son once asked him: "Dad, is it true that once during the breaks, the students ran out of the classroom with noise to play outside?" The boy couldn't believe it, because at his school recess is a time for phone games and scrolling.
It is not surprising that more and more schools in Europe do not allow students to use gadgets either in class or during breaks.
In Belgium, for example, if a child has a phone at an early age, it is a sign of neglect and a dysfunctional family, says psychologist Sophia Terlez, co-author of the podcast "In Simple Words."
Just think: for some Europeans, a child's phone is a sign of a dysfunctional family.
There are restrictions on phones in schools in many other countries. In Britain, for example, this issue is taken care of at the government level.
What about Ukraine?
There are no official bans on the use of phones in Ukrainian schools. And it is unlikely that during the war parents would agree not to have direct contact with the child. On the other hand, it would be difficult to imagine such a ban even in peacetime. And it seems that the government has come to terms with this.
On the website of the educational ombudsman, a publication dedicated to this topic makes a simple conclusion: "The ban on the use of gadgets in schools will still lead to its violation."
Okay, the government has no plans to restrict gadgets in schools. But how to make children spend less time on their phones?
We warn you, you may not like the answer of psychologist Sofia Terlez.
"You should start with yourself. Adults should limit the use of phones themselves. Because when adults will not hang on their phones, they will have more opportunities and time to communicate with children, play board games in the evenings, go for walks, spend quality time. But we see that due to the high level of stress, adults are the first to "fall" into the phone, and then it is much easier to hand the phone to the child as well."
A word with the letter N
But why do we, adults, "fall" into the phone so easily? And why is it so difficult to fight this habit? If you dig deeper, everything rests on one word with the letter H, which we will come to now.
At its core, phone addiction has the same chemical nature as any other addiction: alcohol, sugar, or gambling. The key here is the neurotransmitter dopamine. It is a substance that is released by the brain in anticipation of pleasant stimuli and which is important for the system of motivation and rewards.
When we reach for our phones out of the blue, our brain releases some dopamine – and it actually makes us happier. For a few minutes. Over time, the brain's tolerance to dopamine increases. And then, to feel the usual pleasure, we need an even bigger dose. That is, even more pleasant incentives. Preferably those that appear randomly, such as during gambling or scrolling through social networks.
Both humans and animals need dopamine for normal functioning. But the brain cannot constantly produce it in horse doses. And the problems begin when the low level of dopamine becomes simply unbearable for us. This phenomenon is known to everyone and is the word with the letter H - boredom.
Have you noticed that modern people panic and avoid boredom? It can be so unpleasant that some people would rather suffer physical pain than boredom, according to research.
But it is precisely in the ability to be bored that huge opportunities for development and understanding of one's true needs lie, say psychologists.
Philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, the author of best-selling books on human development, also speaks about this. Due to constant information overload, he says, we have simply learned to be bored, as our ancestors knew how to do it: "Inability to cope with boredom is one of our greatest weaknesses. Almost every meaningful trip has an element of boredom. I know from my own experience that when you have a conversation in which there is no room for boredom, then this conversation will not lead to anything."
Fortunately, there are simple tips that will help you get rid of your neurotic addiction to your phone and not die of boredom at the same time.
Three steps
If you feel like you're depending on your phone more than you'd like, try these three steps: awareness, limitations, and system settings.
Let's start with awareness.
Compulsive phone use is somewhat similar to overeating. When we absorb much more food than we need. We are not guided by hunger, but by appetite.
It can be the same with the phone: we overeat with information, chewing with it our real needs: for love, communication, approval or social acceptance.
If you find yourself reaching for your phone every time you have a free moment, try this. Allow yourself to be deliberately bored. At least two minutes a day. But it's important to do it every day to develop a new habit.
Look at the sky. Consider people. Observe your breathing and the sensations in your body. walk through Listen to the surrounding sounds.
But don't rely on willpower alone. Some psychologists say that willpower is an exhaustible resource, and it will not be possible to constantly control yourself.
Therefore, step two: set clear physical limits on the use of the phone.
"On weekends, I tell myself that I will not scroll today, and I take the phone to another room," says Sofia Terlez. - As research shows, if the source of instant gratification is in another room, then we are less likely to go and overcome all these obstacles to get that shot of dopamine.
You will be surprised how effective this simple tip is. If the phone is in another room, it seems to partially cease to exist for our subconscious.
In some families, it is customary to leave phones at the entrance in a special place. Where landlines used to be. Of course, this does not mean that you cannot use your mobile at home. But after use, please return it to its place. This simple habit will help you be more aware and free up a lot of time for more useful activities.
And the third step: change the settings in the mobile so that it interrupts you as little as possible. Turn off messenger sounds. It is not necessary to read all messages at once. And if there is something urgent, they will call you.
Turn off Wi-Fi and mobile Internet in the evenings and on weekends. At first, your friends will think you're weird, but then they'll get used to it.
Get into the habit of checking your screen time. This can be done in the settings of both Android and iPhone.
If you want something completely exotic, switch the screen to black and white mode. This will immediately make the phone less interesting and look like a TV from the 1970s. And the surrounding world, in contrast, will seem colorful and exciting. What he really is.
