~THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ISSUES OF CELLPHONE USEAGE~
ANXIETY:
One thing that cellphones are doing to people is increasing anxiety
-Cell phones cause constant anxiety because it updates us on everything. Every notification that we get makes us go onto “alert” mode.
-With cell phones, we have access to social media. With social media, we are always comparing ourselves to other people and what they are doing.
-social media hides what is actually going on in other people's lives. People will post on social media to make their lives seem perfect, when in reality it is not. This can make other people feel as though their life is worse than others, but your life is probably better than a lot of these people you just wouldn't know it with what they are showing everyone online.
HOW CAN WE CHANGE THIS? :
-deactivate the notification setting on your phone.
-unfollow people on social media who make you feel negative about yourself or your life.
-instead of using your phone for researching negative things, you could use your phone for positives.
-use apps that help with relaxation.
-”For all the negative talk about phones and technology, these devices come with plenty of positives, too. That same survey from Hopelab and Well Being Trust showed that teens and young adults often turn to the internet for help when they’re feeling depressed. The survey sampled more than 1300 U.S. teens and young adults.”
PHYSICAL EFFECTS :
Cellphones are also damaging our physical health.
-A physical issue caused by cellphones is blue light. Blue light messes up your melatonin. This makes it so you are more restless at night. A lack of sleep will affect you the next day as well no matter how old you are.
-Text neck: It can harm your spine from the position you are in while using your phone all day. When you are always looking down at your phone, it can cause neck sprain.
Some other risks:
-salivary gland tumors
-dizziness and migraines
-less sleep and poor sleep quality
-changes in production of specific proteins in human cells
-skin irritation, especially on the face (this is a condition known as electrohypersensitivity)
-behavioral problems and increased chance of cancer tumor development in children.
HOW TO SAVE YOUR HEALTH? :
-Put your phone aside 30 minutes before bed to avoid the blue light and to help you fall asleep. Do the same thing in the morning. When you first wake up, wait 30 minutes before picking up your phone.
-There are apps that can also help you limit the amount of time you spend on your phone per day which can help with the blue light.
-Overall, the less time you spend on your phone, the better it will be for your health.
~HOW CELLPHONE USEAGE IS RUINING YOUR RELATIONSHIPS~
EXAMPLES OF HOW YOUR RELATIONSHIPS ARE BEING RUINED :
-Phubbing = “phone snubbing”.
-”Phubbing is basically defined as looking at a cell phone rather than interacting with the person you are with, and research shows that it can damage your relationship with your romantic partner and may also harm your bond with your kids.”
-being on your phone while you are spending time with family or friends can damage your relationship because it may seem that you aren’t fully with that person.
-when someone else pulls out their phone, it is contagious and most likely the other person with you will sense that you are uncomfortable, which will make them feel uncomfortable as well and they will pull out their phone.
-Parents who are always picking up their phone can make their kids end up doing the same thing. Especially young children because they will adopt that behavior.
-”An annual survey conducted by the children's magazine Highlights found that 62% of kids aged 6 to 12 said their parents are distracted when trying to talk to them, with cell phone use being the top culprit.”
HOW CAN WE BE MORE ATTENTIVE WITH OUR LOVED ONES? :
-put phones away during family dinner.
-track the amount of time used on your phone and figure out what apps are taking up most of your time.
-establish with your family and other relationships when it is appropriate to use your phone and when it is not.
-use an app to monitor your kids usage of their phones and your own usage.
~HOW CELLPHONES AND OTHER DEVICES ARE RUINING OUR ENVIROMENT~
What Is E- Waste And How Is It Ruining Everything? :
- E-waste is producing toxic chemicals into the environment
-people who are working around these chemicals could get incurable damages such as cancers, miscarriages, neurological damage, etc..
-only 10% of our ewaste gets recycled. The other 90% ends up in landfills, getting illegally traded, or incinerated.
- Only 19 states have laws banning electronics from the regular trash.
-“With mounting volumes of production and disposal, the world faces what one recent international forum described as a mounting “tsunami of e-waste”, putting lives and health at risk.”
-”As many as 12.9 million women are working in the informal waste sector, which potentially exposes them to toxic e-waste and puts them and their unborn children at risk.”
HOW CAN WE FIX THIS?:
Reduce: One way to solve the e-waste problem is to produce less e-waste. Companies are constantly coming out with new products. People obviously are always trying to get the next best thing. But instead of buying a newer version, keep what you have instead.
Reuse: Instead of getting rid of a device you no longer use anymore, consider giving it to someone you know, selling it, or donating it.
Repair: People usually just get rid of devices when they are broken instead of trying to go get them fixed. Although repairs can be expensive, you could always try to fix it yourself as well.
Recycle: The last thing you can o it recycle your devices. Communities have e-waste recycling events where you can drop things off.
CITATIONS :
https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/cleaning-electronic-waste-e-waste
https://recyclecoach.com/blog/an-intro-to-e-waste-why-its-a-problem/
https://www.hprc-online.org/social-fitness/family-optimization/are-cell-phones-ruining-family-time
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/smartphones-interfere-with-family-life-parenting-children-study/
https://www.marriage.com/advice/relationship/how-your-cell-phone-is-destroying-your-marriage/
https://www.verywellfamily.com/negative-effects-of-too-much-cell-phone-use-621152
https://foothillsneurology.com/phone-usage-effects-on-physical-and-mental-health/
Credits:
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