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Most Gen Zers worry about being addicted to their phones

A new survey of over 2,000 adults by OnePoll indicates that almost 75% of young people worry about smartphone addiction. Should we be surprised at the numbers?

Every wondered if you rely on your phone too much?

Taking gadgets to the bathroom, sleeping next to a charger, or catching up on the latest episode of Love Is Blind via your bathtub are all fairly common behaviours, and are indicative of a greater reliance on our smartphones.

A recent study of over 2,000 adults in the UK found that young people are acutely aware of โ€˜smartphone addictionโ€™, with nearly 75% saying they were actively worried about how much time they spend on their screens.

Checking emails, contacting colleagues or teachers, and keeping up with notifications on every platform imaginable is now easier than ever, though research suggests itโ€™s having a negative effect on our work-life balance.

50% of those surveyed said that the new โ€˜working from homeโ€™ model โ€“ introduced to most last year by the pandemic โ€“ had made them increasingly reliant on phones. 26% noted theyโ€™d checked emails in the bathroom over the last week.

Are you guilty of the same? No shame here, folks.

72% of Gen Zers said they were worried about phone addiction, and nearly 40% expressed a desire for a digital detox.

While itโ€™s appealing to throw your tech out the window and call it a day with constant notifications, most of us worry weโ€™ll miss something important, such as a family emergency or work meeting.

Workarounds are available that donโ€™t require you to fling your iPhone on the scrapheap, mind. Browser extensions or apps that limit your social media time are useful tools, for example, as well as online blockers that remove content you may find addictive.

Itโ€™s worth keeping in mind that this research was conducted as part of an effort to highlight the new Vauxhall Mokka, a smart car that has technology included to limit mobile distractions. This is not an adequate substitute for in depth, academic papers.

Still, it absolutely does highlight a generational dependency on smartphones and instantaneous communication that has become the standard.

From 2016 to 2026, itโ€™s projected that the number of smart phone users across the globe will double, as will social mediaโ€™s grip on everything from shopping to free speech.

Statistic: Number of smartphone users from 2016 to 2021 (in billions) | Statista

It is understandable that many are unsettled by their screen use time and are eager for a break. I myself often wish I could delete all my social media platforms and go rogue โ€“ but modern living dictates this be impossible.

Ultimately, it will take a huge societal shift in attitudes to make a dent on our internet-heavy lifestyles. Perhaps itโ€™s best taking things one step at a time and simply limiting your screen hours for each day.

Giving yourself a goal is a start. The less emails youโ€™re reading on the bog the better, frankly. Itโ€™s what nature intended.

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