What if it’s More Than Addiction: Are Youth Emotionally Attached to Their Smartphones?

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Post by Natasha Parent, Graduate student in the Human Development, Learning, and Culture Program at the University of British Columbia. Author of: “Moving beyond addiction: An attachment theory framework for understanding young adults’ relationships with their smartphones”

Although this blog and website is primarily focused on the issue of cyberbullying, there are other topics relevant to kids and technology, such as problematic smartphone use and addiction, that are having a negative impact on youth’s mental health.

Why problematic smartphone use/addiction?

The widespread use of smartphones in modern culture has given rise to many concerns among parents and researchers alike. Specifically, overuse of these devices by young people has been associated with several problematic behaviours, including the compulsive use of smartphones in inappropriate situations, such as when one should be sleeping, while driving, or while in class. To date, researchers have conceptualized these problematic behaviours as a new form of behavioural addiction, such as gambling or overeating, where instead of being addicted to a substance the individual is addicted to the behaviour, or the feeling experienced by acting out the behaviour.

What if it’s not just an addiction?

Several researchers have voiced concerns over applying this medical-addiction model to such a novel, common, and potentially functional dependence on smartphones. In other words, they are concerned that using this medical-addiction model, in which excessive smartphone use is compared to a substance use disorder, is an oversimplification of the psychological motivators driving these behaviours.

An attachment theory framework for understanding problematic smartphone use/addiction

Recent work has applied the use of an attachment theory framework, rather than that of addiction, for understanding youth’s relationships with their smartphones.

Attachment theory is a well-established biologically adaptive framework used to describe human relationship bonds. Though it was originally conceptualized to help understand relational bonds between two people, it has also proven useful for understanding human relationships with objects, such as smartphones.

Youth’s relationships with their smartphones can be conceptualized using the four key characteristics of attachment bonds:

  1. Proximity Maintenance: constant connection to their smartphones.
  2. Safe Haven:use of their smartphones to feel relaxed, escape problems, lift mood.
  3. Secure Base:increased feelings of confidence and security in the presence of their smartphones.
  4. Separation Anxiety:feeling of anxiety upon being separated from their smartphones.

Implications

Understanding that youth may be using their smartphones as a source of security, confidence, and anxiety reduction (to satisfy their attachment needs), here are a few things to keep in mind when dealing with your children’s smartphone use:

  • Avoid judging, blaming, or shaming youth for their smartphone use.
  • Find other ways to bolster youth’s feelings of safety/anxiety reduction (e.g., encouraging screen-free family time; being accountable/reliable – be a consistent source of support and trust for your children).
  • Provide an alternative to smartphone use: suggest that you watch television or play online games
  • Model the behaviour you would like to see in your children.

Takeaway: Navigating youth’s technology use is a difficult process (for both of you!) so be transparent and negotiate boundaries together.

Check out the rest of this website for other suggestions https://cyberbullying.primus.ca/how-kids-use-tech/the-changing-nature-of-your-teens-online-relationships/

 

 

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Social Media, Cyberbullying, and Sleep

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guest blog post by: Kristina Miladinovic, Sleepline.com

Check out how social media affects children’s and teens’ sleep – we go into physical and psychological reasons why screens and social media should not be used before bed. Take a look at how cyberbullying and sleep are related and read on to find useful tips for ensuring a good night’s rest to your kid.  

Dopamine and melatonin 

Dopamine is a chemical that gives us a rewarding feeling after doing pleasurable activities. It makes us repeat feel-good activities over and over (eating delicious food or checking social media). 

Another role of dopamine is to increase alertness. Checking social media in the evening gives teens an unnatural spike in dopamine, killing their feeling of tiredness.

Melatonin is a hormone released in the evening, helping us relax and become sleepy. Unfortunately, blue light from screens and LEDs suppresses this hormone, telling our brains it’s still daytime. With low melatonin in our system, we are more alert and our sleep (when it finally comes) is not refreshing.

That’s why many teens stay up late looking at their smartphones – and when they do go to bed, their sleep just isn’t good enough. They need deep, restorative sleep that simply isn’t going to come with social media as their bedtime routine. 

Research shows that sleep problems are highly correlated with social media usage. In fact, those who check social media 30 minutes before sleep time are even more likely to have sleep problems.

Cyberbullying and sleep

There are many ways in which young people can get emotionally hurt online – it’s easy to be mean to others anonymously. Malicious posts can stay online for a long time – known and unknown people can see them, which makes humiliation worse.

Every party involved in cyberbullying has increased chances of having poor sleep – kids who are victims may have trouble falling asleep (anxiety about the posts, frequent visits to the websites). 

Kids who engage in bullying behaviors, however, also often have irregular sleep schedules. They may be having mental health problems or other factors going on that are disrupting their sleep.

Teens who own cell phones are more likely to be cyberbullied.

How to solve sleep problems related to social media?

Your kid can benefit from these prior-to-bed rules:

  • Maintaining the sleep/wake schedule throughout the week, weekends and holidays. 
  • Leaving a 9-hour window dedicated to sleep every night. Teens need about 9 hours of sleep for healthy development. Important hormones like human growth hormones and reproductive hormones are excreted during deep sleep. Sleep quality is essential in adolescence.
  • Sunlight exposure and sports are good for mood, confidence, and sleep.
  • Sleep environment should be cool (65°F or 18°C) and completely dark.

Teens are more likely to comply if they understand why this is important – encourage them to do their own research.

At first, teens may be unable to fall asleep at the right time and this is ok – their body will slowly adjust. Instruct your teens to educate themselves about the negative effects of using gadgets late at night.

 

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