Adults and teens concerned about their screen time are turning in their smartphones for “dumber” models.

Buried in the settings of many smartphones is the option to look up how much on average you are staring at your phone per day.

It can bring an uncomfortable realisation, that what was supposed to be a useful piece of technology has become an obsession.

According to a study by Harvard University, using social networking sites lights up the same part of the brain that is also triggered when taking an addictive substance. This has raised concerns about phone habits among youth.

In the UK, research by Ofcom estimates that around a quarter of children aged five to seven years old now have their own smartphone.

Links have been shown in some studies between use of social media and a negative effect on mental health - especially in children.

  • soloner@lemmy.world
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    25 days ago

    Are people really so addicted to social media that they can’t use their own willpower to simply not have those apps installed?

    • li10@feddit.uk
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      25 days ago

      Yes!

      It’s a problem that a lot of people have, some are willing to acknowledge it and try to take steps to work around it.

      Some people were born into the social media generation and have been fed a product designed to be addictive their entire lives.

      • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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        25 days ago

        I don’t really understand poor self control, but I concede it exists and many people have it.

        I can’t really imagine what it’s like to decide to do a thing and then just… don’t. Not like “I decided to run a mile and discovered I physically couldn’t”, but “I decided to uninstall the app and then I just didn’t”

        Who’s in charge? What’s happening in there?

        • prole@sh.itjust.works
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          24 days ago

          Whoa dude, these are questions nobody’s ever asked before!

          Try reading a book or something, damn… This shit has been talked about and studied to death, you don’t need to hypothesize.

          Or just see if you can hold your breath until you die. You can’t? WHO’S IN CONTROL? Spooky.