‘We become victim of cell phone addiction without even realizing’

Shrijana Poudel / Kathmandu : When was the last time we took time away from our cell phone for an hour and actually enjoyed life? Today, cell phone is accessible to very large number of people. Without any doubt there are lots of perks of having a cell phone. However, majority of us are becoming victim of cell phone addiction without even being aware of it.

We can’t disclaim that the cell phone is one of the most spectacular technological innovations. Looking at the bright side, cell phone has made our lives convenient. To say that we have the whole world in our mere fingertip would not be faulty. Cell phones are used for various purposes be it for communication, or as a learning tool or for entertainment yet inappropriate use of cell phone can have hideous effects.

As soon as we wake up in the morning, the very first thing we do is check our phone. This appears to be harmless but it can be a huge distraction. Several studies have shown that this increases anxiety, affects productivity and causes lack of positivity throughout the day. Also, the last thing we do before going to bed is checking our phone which have been proven to disturb our quality of sleep. Light radiating from our phones prevents brain from releasing melatonin which obstructs our quality of sleep without us even realizing. It is important to understand that the consistency of this habitual negligence can have critical long term effect in our health and well-being.

We are often hooked up to our cell phones even while eating or drinking a cup of tea. We do not realize that we are missing little precious moments of our life that could have been lived a little more. We have heard several cases of accidents due to the use of cell phone while driving. The effects due to minor distractions can be as serious and life threatening. Additionally, severe issue like cyber bullying has been reported in many places and is also a result of misuse of cell phone. These offensive actions can hamper the mental welfare of a person adversely and all of these issues simply cannot be ignored.

Moving on with the era of technology is needful. However, careful usage of cell phone is necessary otherwise it can invite terrifying effects in our life. If we are just become aware of our cell phone habitude, we can lessen the amount of time we spend on it. The most important thing is not to miss the small precious moments of life and this can be achieved just by being present in every act we perform on a daily basis.

Shrijana is undergraduate at Kathmandu Forestry College, Koteshwar Source: Myrepublica daily