How to Rethink Beyond Advice To Right Mindset to Help Counter Teen Cell Phone Addiction

How to Rethink Beyond Advice To Right  Mindset to Help Counter Teen Cell Phone Addiction

Do you know that a new field of social media psychology has come into existence in the past 10 to 15 years? This early research still has many gaps about how the consequences of social media dependence will affect our children’s future. 

 “What’s at stake isn’t just how kids experience adolescence, but the constant presence of smartphones is likely to affect them well into adulthood.” Jean Twenge, psychologist

Stop and think, it is only two decades since the internet revolution began changing our psychology and society forever. Cell phones have populated like quack grass; weedy, swampy in some places, as well as with extraordinary blooms of success. Since we can’t turn the hands of time backwards we need to learn to adapt, adjust and survive; sink or swim in this digital virtual world, spectacle or disturbance at your fingertips, reality or lies.

Psychologist talk about cell phone addiction now. Here are some familiar symptoms:

• Impulsive checking the phone every few minutes. .immediate stimuli and response
• Withdrawing from family or shared events to use smartphone
• Sleep disturbances related to checking pings and messages
• Negative effects on school, family, social or emotional functioning like sadness or depression
• Increased anxiety or irritability if phone is not available

Psychologists also realize so much of this behavior is related to the  brain’s own neurochemicals’ production.  Beginning research finds " social media use can make profound changes to the brain in similar ways that drug addiction can … receiving likes on the internet releases dopamine in the brain. This creates a sense of pleasure … similar triggers include eating chocolate or winning money."

However, on the other side, there is an unofficial condition called nomophobia, an abbreviation of no-mobile-phone, which causes withdrawal symptoms and releases a stress hormone called cortisol.  So, with or without the phone, the brain pays its own neurochemical transmitters' toll. Conditioning sets in, motivation heightens,  addiction begins to readily program the brain to find more pleasurable rewards again and again, regardless of consequences.

Would we agree that the problem to change even a habit, much less an addiction, is difficult through will power alone? First, you need to admit you have a problem and have reasons to change.  Second, now to make changes, you have to find new  activities without cell phones. 
Can teenagers do this while in the middle of the digital stream, doing what everyone else is doing as acceptable?

Examples of activities minus the cellphone:

• No Phones in the bedroom … no disturbances … no debate
• No phones at family meals or family outings … no debate
• Limit access to social media, games, etc. after homework is finished
• Put your phone in "Airplane mode" to cut out constant stream of noise
• Turn Off Push Notifications like texts, messages, etc. to stop reflex to check every ping
• Parents can check devices at certain times in the evening and out in the morning
• Set goals with time-management tools (monthly, weekly, daily) to be monitored by teen...no nagging by parent
• Keep open dialogue about pros and cons with pop star realities, many unrealistic. 
• Limit texting … talk to your friend
• Stimulate other positive interests in helping the community   
• Set limits as adults in order to model healthy behavior
• Don't punish by taking cellphone away - social amputation. Instead offer rewards for limiting use for certain time periods. 

The bottom line is there's no doubt that too much screen time affects teenagers’ physical actions, emotional experiences, and social relationships.  Who would disagree that it is the right time to talk about both the benefits and pitfalls of screen time and how to use smartphones responsibly? Wasted time versus useful time matters to everyone.

Beyond all this actionable advice, I believe that every teen girl must also create an inbuilt internal mindset that her personal  time is precious, and she will choose carefully and wisely how to spend it.

So, I wrote a teen girl story as a first-person narration to put the reader into her shoes and to live her experiences as she discovers the value of time itself as redemption at the end.  Questions are asked like “if you could see your future, would you make the same choices today.“ The elements of time are discussed within a strange paradox that time can only be managed in a very small-time frame called today and today can be directed by an even smaller matter of choice. The matter of making a smart choice is not “flipping a coin” but using a simple script regarding 3 levels of experience and other factors.

The progression of the story is to create the right MINDSET that time is your most important asset or value. Then it makes good sense to use a superpower tool to make smart choices in different situations.  At the end of trials and tribulations, the teen girl looks at her open hand holding her timeline, knowing it is her responsibility. The reader can adopt her mindset or not, a common denominator that all girls can respond to and choose to take care of their personal quality time.  

It seems a natural solution that the more time can be spent on celebrating a timeline,  the more important it becomes. What if, it is possible to create a strong, undeniable mindset that my OFFLINE personal  time is as important, if not more important, than my ONLINE time scrolling and moiling on Social Media? Is it possible to believe that this personal mindset might be the right solution or antidote to help counter this teen cell phone addiction? 

It is certainly an idea worth checking out.

Questions and comments are always welcome. What are your ideas to help curb teen cell phone usage? Or do think this is even a problem?

Annemarie

amarie10@gmail.com

1 833 471 4661   

PS: Do you know any podcast hosts who would be interested in talking about teen girls' struggles, regrets and survival on social media? Check out ten questions open to discussion

Excerpt from Teen Girl Faces Time in the Sand

I raise my eyes and watch the wide range of the river flowing southward messaging to beware of stronger and deeper currents ahead. 

What if, I could message such direct purpose to mean what I really believe?

I know there is power in the river. A young boy had once been swept away in its current by swimming too far from shore.

There is power in the internet. In fact, it has solidly bonded with our society.  The choice is to stay connected or disconnected, to be more informed or less informed, have more confidence or have more fear,  keep your mind open or keep it closed.

It doesn't have to be a monster devouring its Selfie offspring tethered on Celties. But I get the difference now that I have a super power, too, unto myself to make to respect my shorelines.  It is a wide open world of choice. Make it a world of smart, well informed choices.