The story of my mobile phone addiction

I am tethered to my mobile phone as if it's the placenta sustaining life for me. For the better half of the day, I sit at the corner of my bed and continue to either scroll, watch videos, listen to songs, read something, play games, write notes, or check emails on it. This excessive use has caused cervical spondylolysis, as revealed by my recent X-ray report.

Excessive mobile phone use is affecting my attention span, changing my personality, and playing havoc with my sleep – and my overall health. I am aware of it all. Yet I spend eight hours a day on my mobile phone, as calculated by my activity app.

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It all began during the Covid-19 lockdown, with watching "harmless" cooking shows, travel stories, and comedy skits. But now, all I devour is nonsensical content. I am processing way too much surface-level information, without delving deep into anything, and we all know that deep thinking is an exercise that is required for an old-age brain like mine.

I am hooked on social media handles for entertainment and what I consume is hogwash content at best. My favourite Instagram hero is Coconut Rice Bear, a fluffy Samoyed dog who can apparently communicate in full sentences with his howls and barks.

In a desperate attempt to cut the umbilical cord and return to normalcy, I have uninstalled all gaming and social media applications from my mobile phone, and I am trying to use the phone just for making or receiving calls.

The Korean mukbang star Hamzy, another favourite of mine, is a skinny, pretty girl, cooking up a storm by stuffing herself with a full-course meal that could feed four people.

I have no clue why these entertain me.

My friends have similar stories to share. They, too, spend a better portion of their time consuming such mindless content. They all say that this addiction is the cause of our absentmindedness and brain fog. And I think it's true.

I am always on another imaginary, (apparently happy) plateau that is not in sync with reality. I cannot concentrate on work, and my attention span has been vastly reduced. I am not interested in keeping my home or talking to family – not even giving time to my lonely mother. Instead, I am always looking for distractions or amusement on social media to keep me happy.

Wondering why I am checking my phone so frequently, I read up on this compulsion of mine. I found out that reels or short videos are created for the sole purpose of entertainment that is addictive. It makes for a distraction from real life.

An easily digestible, upbeat, fun 10- to 15-second video clip gives our brains a hit of dopamine, the neurotransmitter and hormone that our brains love and take in as a reward. As in the case of many addictions, this creates a feedback loop that pushes us to redo the things that give us pleasure. So, when a user does not like a video, they will constantly scroll to achieve the desired reward. This results in a significantly diminished attention span.

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I checked with my therapist and came to know that even children are prey to this condition. This is particularly worrying because at the stage of cognitive development (10-14 years of age), all meso-ecological factors like social media can influence a child's personality.

When I see little children hooked on smartphones, I wonder how right that is. If an adult can get obsessed with the things you can do with this device, what influence will it have on children? I shudder to think of it. In fact, the debate should be about whether children should be allowed phones to play and stay occupied with, even before going to school.

The answer is: not at all. They should get a phone when they can handle it responsibly. It is such a harmful thing that affects their cognitive growth. It distracts the children and youth, decreases their attention span and patience, and makes them hyperactive.

In a desperate attempt to cut the umbilical cord and return to normalcy, I have uninstalled all gaming and social media applications from my mobile phone, and I am trying to use the phone just for making or receiving calls.

One does not need a smartphone to stay abreast of trends, latest information, and important news. I have vowed not to seek cheap entertainment that these social media platforms push me to consume. There are good and bad sides to the whole enchilada called the mobile phone. But from now on, I have made it a point to use my laptop for work, and not my phone. Let's see how that goes!

Raffat Binte Rashid is features editor at The Daily Star.