Journal of Forensic Psychology

The Effects of Smartphones on Mental Health

¹Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington South, New Zealand
^*Correspondence: Markoni Gabriella, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington South, New Zealand, Email:

Received: 30-Mar-2022, Manuscript No. JFPY-22-16733; Editor assigned: 04-Apr-2022, Pre QC No. JFPY-22-16733(PQ); Reviewed: 20-Apr-2022, QC No. JFPY-22-16733; Revised: 27-Apr-2022, Manuscript No. JFPY-22-16733(R); Published: 04-May-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2475-319X.22.7.221

Description

The mobile phone is the most common sort of information and communication technology, and its use has increased dramatically in recent years as a result of its societal impact. Mobile phone addiction has been brought to the attention of psychologists, sociologists, and educational scholars as a mental handicap caused by modern technology. Mobile phone addiction can be classified as a type of technological addiction.

Many mobile phone addicts have low self-esteem and bad social interactions, so they believe they need to be constantly in contact with others. Silence on your phone might cause anxiety, anger, sleep disruptions, tremors, sleeplessness, and digestive issues. Anxiety, sleeplessness, sadness, psychological anguish, and an unhealthy lifestyle are all linked to excessive usage of mobile phones.

Users' emotional tie to mobile phones is such that they believe they cannot live without one. Excessive use of mobile phones has been shown to have a harmful influence on students' physical and mental health in studies. According to medical study on the consequences of mobile phones, this mode of communication does not act to keep its users healthy.

Smart phones have the potential to make the brain sluggish. These days, mobile devices aren't merely for entertainment. We no longer need to remember phone numbers because everything is neatly kept in our phone's contact list.

Instead of pondering questions about the world around us, we can just pick up our phone and Google the answers. Instead of straining to recall key appointments, meetings, or dates, we can simply rely on a Phone app to remind us of our daily obligations.

Some experts advise that relying too heavily on smartphone for all the answers can lead to mental lethargy. In fact, one recent study discovered a relationship between smartphone use and mental laziness.

If we give people the opportunity to retain information remotely, outside of their brain, they become more reliant on it, which can be detrimental to their memory." Because they grow overly reliant on that external aid, they lose the ability to recall information as quickly as they could without it.

Using a smartphone or tablet before bedtime could disrupt sleep. Some sleep specialists warn that the sort of light emitted by a mobile device's screen may be disrupting sleep cycles long after the device has been turned off.

The researchers discovered that those who read on an iPad before night had lower levels of melatonin, a hormone that builds during the evening and makes us sleepy. Additionally, these participants took longer to fall asleep and had less REM sleep during the night.

Conclusion

To boost the brain health, we don't have to fully give up the smartphone. The main thing is to be conscious of how each individual uses their phone and other devices, and to prioritise other activities and in-person relationships wherever possible. Some people find that deleting social media apps from their phone or downloading software that limits the amount of time they may spend on that site is beneficial. Others set aside "phone-free" hours during the day to protect family time. Swapping screen time for reading or focusing on a pastime can be liberating. The improvement in our mental clarity or mental health when we reduce our phone use may be enough encouragement to keep going.