INTRODUCTION:

In this present scenario, one can observe mobile phones particularly the smart phones to be a popular connectivity device and media among the youth predominantly among college students. According to Netburn (2012), advancements in information and communication technologies have made communication easier, but at the same time created new problems.

Excessive use of mobile phones including smart phones seemingly has created problems and challenges for students and concerns of their parents. Nomophobia is one of the psychological problem demonstrated by addictive use of smart/ mobile phones by youngsters and other users as well.

This new word is so relevant that Cambridge Dictionary has declared it the Word of the Year for 2018 after a global people’s choice poll. Nomophobia is a term, which is used to describe “the fear of being out of mobile phone contact”, and the “anxieties mobile phone users suffer”. It is an abbreviation for “No- mobile phone phobia” which was coined during a 2010 study by the UK post office, a study was conducted and sampled among 2163 people. The result showed that 58% of men and 47% of women suffer from nomophobia, and an additional 9% feel stressed when their mobile phones are off.

Causes of Nomophobia:

Human beings are the social animals and nowadays to have a constant communication people are more indulge in social media, as being not active in social media is considered an outdated personality. Social media is now considered a part of society. The fear of being without a mobile phone stems from addiction. When an individual feel physically or mentally dependent on anything, he or she cannot find a way of stopping that particular addiction. The existence of this fear is due to the availability of Hi-tech features and facilities on mobile phones, which insist the person to be more dependable on smartphones rather than giving the importance in social interaction.

Moreover, people with low self-esteem & poor social skills may substitute to mobile devices for engaging themselves. Unlike extroverts who are able to socialize easily, introverts rely on their mobile devices to stay connected in some way with outside world. However, in this century smartphones are easily available and used by almost every age group. Therefore, people can come across with Nomophobia conditions quiet natural. A person having had a negative experience upon being left without a cell phone could develop life-long Nomophobia.

Symptoms of Nomophobia:

· Anxiety about phone battery is low:

One of the positive sign is feeling unattended to check your emails, activating social media like WhatsApp, Facebook twitter etc. Do you feel anxious or your heart beats fast and palms begin to sweats, when your mobile is in low battery stage? This indicates a clear sign of nomophobia.

· Curiosity for checking mobile phone:

Excess use of smart phones is hampering in your daily activities too. As becoming so much obsessed regarding the reply for the previous text, you send to anyone. Even though you can’t leave the house without your mobile phone

· Smart Phone Separation Anxiety:

A clear sign of Nomophobia is smart phone separation anxiety, as you cannot use your phone frequently.

· Checking Smartphone during vacation for updates:

Taking your phone to the tours? It has been reported that 60% of us do not come back from holiday feeling refreshed because we stay in contact with work and check our emails. A clear sign of Nomophobia is not being able to go without checking work message on your phone whilst on annual leave.

· Responding notifications:

One of the positive sign of Nomophobia is giving more importance to each notifications, this can be a threat to one or others life. As it has become illegal to use your phone while driving.

· You put your life or others’ lives at risk to check your smartphone:

It has recently become illegal to use your phone while driving. A very clear and serious sign that you are addicted to your smartphone is if you believe that replying to that message immediately is more important than prioritizing your safety and that of those around you.

Nomophobic Effects:

Physical:

v Digital eye strain:

· The pain and discomfort associated with viewing a digital screen for over 2hours.

· Eyes begin to burn and itch.

· Blurred vision

· Eye fatigue

· Digital eyestrain can cause eyestrain.

v Neck problem:

It is also known as “text neck” which refers to neck pain resulting from looking down at cell phone or tablet for too long.

v Sleep disturbances:

· Cell phone addiction has been linked to an increase in sleep disorders & fatigue in users.

· Using your cell phone before bed increases the likelihood of insomnia.

· Light emitted from the cell phone may activate the brain and may decrease sleep quality.

Phantom vibration:

It is the perception that one’s mobile phone is vibrating or ringing when it is not ringing. Phantom ringing may be experienced while taking a shower, watching television, or using a noisy device.

Emotional

· Extreme stress:

The level of anxiety is at peak that you cannot control yourself to be separated from your smart phones. According to British study 51% of participants suffer “extreme tech anxiety” when separated from their smartphones. The results found that the participants who were apart from their smartphones, requires significant amount of attention in completing the assignment or work that result in extreme stress leading to poorer performance.

· Depressed feeling:

Research study found a correlation between depression and anxiety due to increase usage of social media among teenagers. As young adults always tend to compare themselves with their peer, groups on social media, which leads to increased depression.

· Stressed out:

Using smartphones often during the work or in home is always a stressed out condition, as they have to be in touch with their work chores. The constant stream of messages and information from a smartphone can overwhelm the brain and make it impossible to focus on any one thing for more than a few minutes without feeling compelled to move on to something else.

· Attention deficit:

The persistent beep of smartphone can distract us from important tasks, slow our work, and interrupt those quiet moments that are so crucial to concentrate on one thing at a time and leads to difficulty in problem solving.

Others:

1. Total wastage of time:

Most of us find to do the multiple tasks simultaneously which doesn’t work actually when you are nomophobic and it results into wastage of time.

2. Unhealthy role modeling:

The influence of using smartphones starts straight from the home. Being a parent, we have a major role to teach our kids to implement healthy habits even if it is the proper usage of smartphones by parents. If parents are not giving importance of human-to-human interaction children are learning that always being connected through phone is normal.

3. Virtual relationships:

Addiction to social networking, texting, and messaging can extend to the point where virtual, online friends become more important than real-life relationships. When you interact with an individual personally the relationship develops naturally, and also it will enhance your life and strengthen your bond

4. Increase in Cybersex addiction:

Increased use of Internet for pornography, sexting, nude swapping, or adult messaging services can affect negatively on your real-life intimate relationships and overall emotional health.

5. Online Curiosity:

Nowadays online shopping is becoming trendy you can find out e-commerce /commercial website or certain online bidding, gambling which often lead to financial crisis.

How to Overcome Smart Phone Addiction:

1. Set goals:

Motivate yourself by scheduling particular time of the day, or you could reward yourself with a certain amount of time on your phone once you’ve completed a homework, assignment or finished a chore

2. Turn off your notification beep at certain times of the day:

Such as while driving, in a meeting, having dinner, or playing with your kids and when in bathroom and most probably during holidays.

3. Avoid smartphone usage during bedtime:

The blue light emitted by the screens can disrupt your sleep if used within two hours of bedtime. Turn off devices and leave them in another room.

4. Swapping smartphone with interested activities:

If you are bored and lonely, resisting the urge to use your smartphone by engaging in activities such as meditating, reading a book, or chatting with friends in person.

5. Smartphone Detoxification:

The detoxification of your smartphones is a necessity as you can observe notifications pops up for each app, which is been, downloaded. Therefore, to avoid checking your mobile often it should be mandatory to detoxify certain apps, whichare not necessary in your list.

6. Play the “phone stack” game:

While spending time with other smartphone addicts play the “phone stack” game. When you are having lunch, dinner, or drinks together, have everyone place their smartphones face down on the table. Even as the phones buzz and beep, no one is allowed to grab their device. If someone cannot resist checking his or her phone, that person has to pick up the check for everyone.

7. “Phone-free” zones:

Restrict the use of smartphones or tablets to a common area of the house where you can keep an eye on your child’s activity and limit time online. Ban phones from the dinner table and bedrooms and insist they are turned off after a certain time at night.

8. Restrict Texting and checking:

If you compulsively check your phone every few minutes, stop yourself off by limiting your texting and checking to once every 15 minutes. Then once every 30 minutes, then once an hour. If you need help, there are apps that can automatically limit when you are able to access your phone.

9. Curb your fear of missing out:

Accept that by limiting your smartphone use, you are likely going to miss certain invitations, breaking news, or new gossip. There is so much information available on the Internet, it is almost impossible to stay on top of everything, anyway. Accepting this can be liberating and help break your reliance on technology.

10. Stop shacking up with your phone:

Get a real alarm clock and turn off your phone overnight. Instead of waking up with the temptation to see what you missed overnight, you can spend the first moments of the morning stretching, thinking about what’s on schedule for the day or doing anything other than checking your phone. Later on, you can turn your phone on again until your morning routine is finished.

11 Role modeling:

Parents should be good role model for their children as they have a strong impulse to imitate. Therefore, it is important to manage your own smartphone and Internet use. Do not let your own smartphone use distract from parent-child interactions.

12 Use apps to monitor and limit your child’s smartphone use:

There are a number of apps available that can limit your child’s data usage or restrict texting and web browsing to certain times of the day.

13 Embolden hobbies:

Get your child away from screens by exposing them to other hobbies and activities.

14 Talk to your child about underlying issues:

Compulsive smartphone use can be the sign of deeper problems. So find out the inner issue by having direct talk with them.

15 Get help:

Teenagers often rebel against their parents, but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen. Try a doctor, or respected family friend. Do not be afraid to seek professional counseling if you are concerned about your child’s smartphone use.

16 Recognize the triggers that make you reach for your phone:

Find out whether excessive smartphone use is when you are lonely or bored or when you are struggling with depression, stress, or anxiety. Find healthier and more effective ways of managing your moods, such as practicing relaxation techniques.

17 Understand the difference between interacting in-person and online:

Human beings are social creatures. Socially interacting with another person face-to-face, making eye contact, responding to body language can make you feel calm, safe, and quickly reduce stress. Interacting through text, email or messaging bypasses these nonverbal cues so won’t have the same effect on your emotional well-being.

Self-Assessment Whether You Are Having Nomophobia:

Are you a smartphone junkie? Rate each item on a scale of 1 ("completely disagree") to 7 ("strongly agree") and tally up your total score to find out. Be honest!

1. I would feel uncomfortable without constant access to information through my smartphone.

2. I would be annoyed if I could not look information up on my smartphone when I wanted to do so.

3. Unable to get the news (e.g., happenings, weather, etc.) on my smartphone would make me nervous.

4. I would be annoyed if I could not use my smartphone and/or its capabilities when I wanted to do so.

5. Running out of battery in my smartphone would scare me.

6. If I were to run out of credits or hit my monthly data limit, I would panic.

7. If I did not have a data signal or could not connect to Wi-Fi, then I would constantly check to see if I had a signal or could find a Wi-Fi network.

8. If I could not use my smartphone, I would be afraid of being stranded somewhere.

9. If I could not check my smartphone for a while, I would feel a desire to check it.

10. I would feel anxious because I could not instantly communicate with my family and/or friends.

11. I would be worried because my family and/or friends could not reach me.

12. I would feel nervous because I would not be able to receive text messages and calls.

13. I would be anxious because I could not keep in touch with my family and/or friends.

14. I would be nervous because I could not know if someone had tried to get a hold of me.

15. I would feel anxious because my constant connection to my family and friends would be broken.

16. I would be nervous because I would be disconnected from my online identity.

17. I would be uncomfortable because I could not stay up-to-date with social media and online networks.

18. I would feel awkward because I could not check my notifications for updates from my connections and online networks.

19. I would feel anxious because I could not check my email messages.

20. I would feel weird because I would not know what to do

How you score:

20: Not at all Nomophobic. You have a very healthy relationship with your device and have no problem being separated from it.

21-59: Mild Nomophobia. You get a little antsy when you forget your phone at home for a day or get stuck somewhere without WiFi, but the anxiety isn't too overwhelming.

60-99: Moderate Nomophobia. You are pretty attached to your device. You often check for updates while you are walking down the street or talking to a friend, and you often feel anxious when you are disconnected.

100-140: Severe nomophobia. You can barely go for 60 seconds without checking your phone. It is the first thing you check in the morning and the last at night, and dominates most of your activities in-between. It might be time for a serious intervention.

Treatment for Nomophobia:

Currently, scholarly accepted and empirically proven treatments are very limited due to its relatively new concept. However, promising treatments include:

· Cognitive-behavioral therapy: It provides systematic ways to stop compulsive behaviors and change your perceptions about your smartphone and the Internet. Therapy can also help you learn healthier ways of coping with uncomfortable emotions—such as stress, anxiety, or depression that may be fueling your smartphone use.

· Reality Approach," or Reality therapy: Asking patient to focus behaviors away from cell phones.

· Individual and group therapy: This can provide a tremendous boost in controlling your technology use.

· Marriage or couples counseling. If excessive use of Internet pornography or online affairs is affecting your relationship, counseling can help you work through these challenging issues and reconnect with your partner.

· Group support. Organizations such as Internet Tech Addiction Anonymous (ITAA) and On-Line Gamers Anonymous offer online support and face-to-face meetings to curb excessive technology use.

· Digital detox programs help you disconnect from digital media.

· Neuropsychopharmacology in extreme or severe cases this may be advantageous, ranging from benzodiazepines to antidepressants in usual doses.

CONCLUSION:

Nomophobia is emerging as a threat to our “social, mental as well as physical health.” It is very difficult to differentiate whether the patient becomes nomophobic due to mobile phone addiction or existing anxiety disorders manifest as nomophobicsymptoms. We have to stay in the real world more than virtual world. We have to re-establish the human-human interactions, face-to-face connections. Therefore, we need to limit our use of mobile phones rather than banning it because we cannot escape the force of technological advancement.

REFERENCE:

1. TNNMC JMHN Vol VI/ Issue2/Jul-Dec 2018

2. https://www.fearof.net/fear-of-being-without-a-mobile-phone-phobia-nomophobia/

3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/artificial-maturity/201409/nomophobia-rising-trend-in-students

4. https://www.itstimetologoff.com/2017/04/25/5-signs-youre-suffering-from-nomophobia/

5. https://draxe.com/nomophobia/

6. https://ehorus.com/nomophobia/

Received on 01.09.2019 Modified on 19.09.2019

Int. J. Nur. Edu. and Research. 2019; 7(4): 620-624.

DOI: 10.5958/2454-2660.2019.00140.6