Tech Addiction

Identifying Addiction

“The average teenager spends around 7.5 hours on their phone per day.
Kids 8 to 12 years old spend about 4.5 hours per day.”

Signs and symptoms that may indicate a tech/smartphone addiction:

Constant and impulsive phone-checking.
Tech is causing negative impacts on school, social, or emotional functioning.
Worsened sleeping patterns, insomnia, or inability to fall asleep at night without access to a device.
Severe anxiety if phone is not nearby, visible, or accessible. Unable to regulate emotions without access.
Need to respond to text messages and notifications immediately.
Excessive use that causes family tension, such as withdrawing from family events in favor of tech use.
Their mood is severely altered (either positively or negatively) after checking their phone.
Continued use in prohibited contexts or dangerous situations, such as texting while driving.
The first and last thing they do each day is check their phone.
They are overly concerned with getting a post “just right” and monitoring how it performs.
They constantly think they hear their phone buzz (even when it doesn’t.) These phantom vibrations often occur during school or other times when your child is not supposed to access their phone.
They start detaching from activities and people they used to enjoy in favor of scrolling.
They have tried but failed to use their phone less often.
They turn to their cell phones to deal with any unwanted feelings they are experiencing.
They lose a sense of time when using their phone.