Công nghệ - Game

Mental health declines because of smartphones

A report by Sapien Labs The publication indicates that smartphone use may be the cause of the continued decline in health mental health of young people between the ages of 18 and 24.

According to PhoneArena, the report notes that before the internet, by the time someone turned 18, they had spent “15,000 to 25,000 hours interacting face-to-face with friends and family. But when there was the internet, that number dropped to between 1,500 and 5,000 hours”, especially after smartphone gradually popular.

Mental health declines because of smartphones - photo 1

Youth More and more glued to smartphones leads to limitations in social communication

iStock screen capture

Tara Thiagarajan, head of research at Sapien Labs, says that young people are spending too much time on smartphones instead of learning social skills. This decrease in social interaction prevents people from learning important skills such as how to read facial expressions, body language, body touch, appropriate emotional responses, and conflict resolution. Thiagarajan notes that people who lack these skills may become socially isolated and feel suicidal.

The data were collected in 34 countries, where the decline in mental health of 18-24 year olds began to be documented before the pandemic. The decline that began after 2010, coincided with the rise of smartphone use. Before 2010, young adults had the highest levels of psychological well-being. Since then, the trend has gone in the opposite direction.

If you know a smartphone addict between the ages of 18-24, look out for the following symptoms that could be signs of a mental problem: obsessive, strange, or unwanted thoughts; low self-image and self-worth; sense of detachment from reality; limited relationships with others; have think suicidal; often scared and anxious; feelings of sadness, distress, or hopelessness.

Mental health declines because of smartphones - photo 2

Young people’s mental health has plummeted since smartphones are easier to buy thanks to good prices

reuters

Also according to Thiagarajan, data shows that people now spend 7-10 hours online. This leaves them with little time to directly socialize, leading to social isolation.

The report suggests that these symptoms point to a decline in the “Social Self,” a composite measure of how people see themselves in order to form and maintain relationships. It’s basically an indicator of how an individual relates to society.

What should users do?

If you feel the need to monitor your smartphone use more to prevent mental health harms caused by smartphones, users are recommended to use these features. Screen Time on iOS or Digital Wellbeing on Android to track smartphone usage.

To turn on Screen Time on iPhone, users can go to Settings > Screen Timetouch Turn On Screen Time > Continuechoose This is My [thiết bị] or This is My Child’s [thiết bị].

Mental health declines because of smartphones - photo 3

Screen Time is a feature on iPhone that gives users better control over usage

Screenshot Phonearena

As for Android, Digital Wellbeing is still a beta version and is hidden from the list of applications even if the user has installed it on the phone. After installing Digital Wellbeing on your Android device, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls. Since the icon is hidden by default, users need to scroll down and will see an on/off switch that says “Show icon in the app list”. Toggle the switch to see the Digital Wellbeing icon in the list of apps. If you want to use the app every day, you need to make sure that this toggle is on.

Both Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing aim to reduce a user’s device time, reduce the number of daily notifications received, and create a time each night for users to relax with their phones and get a good night’s sleep. There is also some control over how children use smartphones.

You are reading the article Mental health declines because of smartphones

at Blogtuan.info – Source: thanhnien.vn – Read the original article here

Back to top button