Is it Bad for Your Mental Health to Use Your Phone for a Long Time? New Study Debunks Myth

Urian B., Tech Times 02 December 2020, 12:12 pm

A common belief has been circulating around for quite many years now is that using a mobile phone or smartphone for a long period of time could actually be bad for a person's mental health. Although this was previously believed, there is a new study that claims this is not true.

Are smartphones bad for mental health?

According to an article by TimesNowNews, for those worried about kids spending countless hours on the convenient smartphone, there is no need to panic. A new study had suggested that poor mental health was actually not related to the time spent using a smartphone.

The official Technology, Mind, and Behavior journal has published its findings stating that general usage of smartphones is actually a poor predictor of depression, anxiety, or even stress when it comes to the known digital detoxes. According to Heather Shaw, the lead author coming from the known Lancaster University located in the UK, a certain person's daily usage of smartphone or even screen time did not actually predict depression, anxiety, or even stress symptoms.

How do cell phones affect human behavior?

The study consisted of a research team that measured the total time that 199 iPhone users as well as 46 android users all spent with their own smartphones for the period of one week. Participants were then asked questions regarding their mental and physical health which then completed the clinical scales that had measured symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The participants then completed a scale which worked by measuring just how problematic they saw their own smartphone usage. Surprisingly, the amount that the users spent on the smartphone was actually not related with poor mental health.

Are smartphones bad for mental health?

Additionally, those users that exceeded clinical "cut off points" for both the major depressive disorder as well as general anxiety did not actually use their own phones more than those that scored lower. Instead, the study actually found that mental health was more associated with the concerns as well as worries that participants had with regards to their smartphone usage.

Other previous studies focused on the more potentially detrimental impact of total "screen time", but the study actually shows that people's own attitudes or their worries are more likely to drive the findings. Researchers then stated that mobile technologies have actually become even more useful for certain work or day-to-day life during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

What are the effects of being on your phone too much?

It was then stated by the study author known as David Ellis who comes from the known University of Bath, the results add more towards a growing body of research that calculatedly suggests that reducing the general screen time of users will still not make them happier.

Ellis then stated that instead of spending efforts to push the benefits of what is known as a "digital detox", the researchers have suggested that people might actually benefit from measures in order to address certain fears and worries that have been growing around the total time users spend on their phones.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian Buenconsejo