The Impact of Cell Phones on Mental and Physical Health

Introduction

The usage of cell phones has been ever growing in today’s generation. With the benefits cell phones offer such as connectivity and communication, people of all ages heavily rely on them. However, this poses numerous health risks for people. Especially with the excessive use of cell phones, it can have detrimental impacts on one’s mental and physical health.

Physical Health

The excessive use of cell phones can lead to various physical problems in one’s body. It can lead to heavy eye strain due to the brightness of the cell phones from watching for hours. It can also cause strain and pain in the neck, leading to “text neck”. Surprisingly, even the thumb can be detrimentally impacted from constant typing and lead to conditions like “texting thumb”. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a more severe impact of using cell phones repeatedly.

Extensive use of cell phones, especially for leisure activities, can contribute to a sedentary lifestyle, which can lead to physical health issues like obesity, cardiovascular problems, and poor fitness. With a lack of physical exercise and outdoor time, people can suffer from various severe health problems in the future as well.

Mental Health

Cell phone addiction can develop from overusing them, especially for social media and entertainment purposes. This can have detrimental effects on mental health, including anxiety, depression, and decreased productivity. With the heavy use of social media comes thoughts of self-doubt, FOMO (fear of missing out), and can even lead to self-harm thoughts. In fact, 25% of people aged 18-25 report mental illness or problems due to social media.

The use of cell phones, particularly before bedtime, can disrupt sleep patterns. The blue light emitted by screens can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. This can lead to lack of sleep, messed up sleep schedules, and lead to dark under eye bags too.

Cell phones can be used as a platform for cyberbullying and online harassment. Victims of such behavior often experience significant mental distress, including anxiety, depression, and a sense of helplessness.

​​Excessive use of cell phones can also lead to reduced in-person social interactions, which are vital for mental health. Isolation and loneliness can result from spending too much time on screens rather than engaging with others face to face. This will result in mental health issues and also separation from reality.

Compulsive phone use can cause anxiety, despair, and a decrease in general life satisfaction when people continually check their phones for messages, likes, and notifications. There are individuals who report experiencing "phantom vibrations," in which they mistakenly believe their phone is vibrating or sending notifications. A dependence on phones too much and worry may result from this problem.

What Can We Do

Limiting the negative health impacts of cell phones involves adopting healthy and responsible habits. Here are some tips to limit the use of cell phones and improve both your mental and physical health:

• Establish daily or weekly limits on screen time and stick to them.

• Use screen time to track and notify you when you've reached your app time limits.

• Take regular breaks from your phone (anywhere from an hour to a few days)

• Limit phone use during vacations or weekends to recharge

• Engage in face-to-face conversations and activities with friends and family.

• Turn on Do not Disturb to minimize distractions.

• Set heavy screen time restrictions on social media platforms.

• Block or restrict any accounts that directly or indirectly hurt you.

• Maintain good neck and back posture when using your phone to reduce physical strain.

By adopting these strategies and maintaining a balanced approach to cell phone usage, you can reduce the negative physical and mental health impacts and enjoy the benefits of this technology.

Author: Meghana Kothamasu