Harmful Effects of Constantly Being on the Phone

 

Until 1996, cell phones were not very much heard about. With the then growing popularity in the market of different models of Nokia 3310, Bird, Alcatel, Motorola, Siemens, and Samsung phones, events took a unique turn as lots of people shifted to using cell phones more than their landlines for calls and texting. 

In the 2000s, following the availability of the internet on phones, human dependency on mobile phones grew in leaps and bounds, and even up till this moment, more mind-blowing features for better user experience are being introduced into the world of cellular phones. 

Consequently, time spent staying glued to the phone screen and the general usage of the phone for music, emails, and social media messaging has increased, with scientists frequently foretelling the disadvantages of that lifestyle. 

In this blog post, we’ll be sharing with you the harmful effects of constantly being on the phone. 

  1. Less mindfulness of one’s immediate environment

Almost every phone presently in use all over the world is a smartphone; communication is swifter, videos can be live-streamed, and phone notifications are as common as having dust on the table. 

Attention starts and ends on the phone, and if ever it is demanded outside the phone, it’s short-lived. The phone alertness that is characteristic of everyday phone usage takes away rest from the mind and prevents it from being aware of time and space in the real world. 

That is why a simple desire to skim through updates on Facebook can eat up as much as 3 hours without one realizing how time flew past. Children and parents are most likely to lose friends as a result of cell phone dependency. 

Memorable moments with family and friends are either completely missed out on or are less regarded. Instead, virtual friendships that are fleeting are more valued than real-life bonds with real friends. 

Distractions from a phone buzzing or jingling for immediate attention frequently interrupted conversations that should be meaningful. Cases of accidents that happened as a result of texting or answering calls while actively on the steering have been making the books.

  1. Eye strain and damage

Regularly staring at the screen of the phone has a harmful effect on the eyes. The much tension in the muscles of the eyes could lead to blurred vision, eye itchiness, redness and dryness of the eyes, and headaches. 

The blue-violet light released out of the phone is capable of causing macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness on a constant phone user.

  1. Insufficient sleep

The blue-violet light released from the screen of the phone has a way of suppressing the levels of melatonin released in the brain. Melatonin is a hormone that aids in making one sleep. 

When the brain is engaged as a result of the glaring of the light from the phone, sleep will be far from the body, and before one would know it, it’s already morning. 

Habitually done, there will be scores of inadequate sleep recorded in the life of a person, an occurrence that does not spell out well with the body’s health.

  1. Fearful concern and worry

Facebook and Instagram are filled with accounts of people who flaunt their flashy lives for others to see, through pictures and big words. 

Regardless of how false many of those lifestyles could be, people who are always glued to their phones watching those who they feel are better than them could develop issues with their mental health in the areas of worry and concern about their future. 

They could be burdened with thoughts that they are losers, incapable of fairytale happiness and luxury living. Oftentimes, this has caused a lot of young persons to become desperate to acquire riches overnight, so that they too can join the league of the rich and classy. 

Their minds are preoccupied with thoughts that are unrealistic given their current positions in life. In the true sense of it, pictures on social media are not the precise depiction of the real-life state of a person’s life. Many have failed to understand that.

  1. Depression

Following their inability to meet up with the trend among their peers on social media, those who frequently feed on what they see online could get sad; feel unimportant, and dissatisfied with their lives. 

The affirmation that comes from others through photos, likes, and comments may not come as they are expected, leading to low self-esteem in a person. 

Records of cyberbullying people are incomplete without reports on the depressing after-effect it had on victims. When one believes everything shown online, there is that urgent feeling of wanting to show off what one isn’t in the real-life setting. 

The pressure to show the world a perfect person could be so high that it is capable of breaking a person into pathetic pieces. Even more difficult is discovering a person whose life is messy through the phone. 

That is why it is heartbreaking when a seemingly happy person on social media is reported to have died by suicide out of depression. That is a deadly disadvantage of constantly using the phone for such frivolities.

  1. Less attention span

Nowadays, many youngsters are finding it difficult to concentrate on school activities and tasks at home as a result of their addiction to their phones. 

Because their brains have been exposed to many activities viewing and listening to different things at the same time, they find it difficult to face a particular activity with their full attention. It is not surprising that many of them find it quite laborious to sit for two hours to read pages of textbooks. 

They have become used to short texts and emojis, and so have not developed or trained the stamina to stay focused on one thing at a time. They get easily distracted by what catches their fancy within moments.

  1. Poor posture

Staying hunched over to chat or watch a video on the phone can lead to postural defects, which may make walking sluggish and body carriage pitiable. The shoulders would appear slouched and will send out messages of the poor self-image of a person to others.

In conclusion, it’s needful to learn the art of disconnecting from the phone at least 3 times in an hour of phone usage. This prevents the eyes from being strained over time. Develop healthy relationships outside the virtual world of the internet, and learn to bond with people without your phone in view. 

Always be conscious of your sitting posture when using your phone, and do not text or chat while on the steering or walking down a busy road. Stay safe to live longer.

 

Thank you. 

 

 

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