Are you guilty of getting into bed with your smartphone rather than your partner for some quality time? It seems that most couples are flaming on Facebook rather than steaming up the bed these days which may pose a problem for intimacy in the long run.
Crave to click
Smartphone addiction – which may not be as harmless as it seems – has reached a new high according to recent findings which says that 20% of young adults continue using their device even during sex. And not for taking intimate pictures either!
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A 2013 Mobile Consumer Habits study commissioned by U.S.-based tech company Jumio, was conducted online to 1,102 participants. Nearly one in ten respondents admitted to using their phone for other purposes during sex, with this figure doubling for younger adults.
From handy to handicapped
The basic utility of mobile phones to call and text has given way to smartphones which can do way more than that. From instant chat to instant purchases, the generic use of smartphones have given rise to millions of apps that invite distraction and addiction.
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Perhaps because it asks for so little (just an extra charge once its battery is flat), smartphones have become more like a companion rather than a mere device. Smartphone addiction brings us to ask the question, ‘Is my smartphone an asset or has it become a liability?’
Smartphone addiction should not be considered as any less as harmful as drugs, liquor or any other other form of substance abuse. It’s just as difficult to get someone off the hook when he is addicted, be it on marijuana or Candy Crush. Here are the stats that prove it.
No more safe
Despite warnings and laws in most states which make it illegal to use smartphones while driving, 55% said they do tap away on their handsets behind the wheel. An additional 12% boast that of their ability to multitask with their cells in the shower too.
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Many of those surveyed displayed smartphone addiction in social situations.
Private gatherings
More than a third of those surveyed said they continue to check their phones while watching a movie in a cinema and 19% sneaked off to check e-mails and social media sites during religious services they were attending. Meanwhile 32% of parents got twitchy fingers during their child’s school functions when they had to have their phones turned off.
Love or lying
Even when trying to woo a potential partner on a dinner date, 33 % couldn’t bear to part with their tiny touchscreen. Overall, three in four said they were within five feet of their mobile most of the time.
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Breaking bonds
Many felt guilty at how technology was ‘cramping their love life’. 12 % of respondents in a relationship admitted their smartphone addiction was a problem. Almost a third said they had broken trust by ‘snooping’ on a friend or partner’s mobile to find information.
Psychologists share that people with smartphone addiction may display the following symptoms:
• Prefer to contact people using the social networking platform on their phone, to avoid actual physical contact,
• Become restless and easily get irritated when not with their smartphone, and
• Unable to focus on almost anything not related to their smartphone activities.
Keeping a regular tab on the amount of unnecessary use of smartphones is a better option to use our phones smartly. Set some easy-to-follow rules before it’s too late. For instance, put away your smartphone whenever you’re with someone with whom you can have a live conversation. Or only allow yourself to play smartphone games when you’re on public transportation and never at home.