Smartphones and tablets have become one of the most iconic inventions at the start of the 21st century. Within just years after the launch of the legendary Apple iPhone, countless of smartphones are being released each year, sparking a tech race which fuels the 522-billion-dollar industry.

Smartphone’s spread rate is simply amazing. By 2020, it is estimated that 40% of the world’s population will own a smartphone, making it one of the most widely used gadgets in the 21st century. It’s not that hard to see why smartphones are so famous. They are convenient and smartly designed to allow you to work, read or even play games anywhere you want.

However, all that glitter is not gold. UK citizens are becoming more and more addicted to this invention, with as much as a quarter of UK adults (34%) looking at their phone every five minutes of walking, according to the Global Mobile Consumer Survey 2017: UK Cut. How bad is smartphone addiction? How best can we combat this social issue? Let’s find out through this article.

Side effects of addiction to tablets/smartphones

With an addiction to tablets & smartphones, several side effects will gradually manifest themselves over time. Here are some of the most common ones.

- Back pain: When you use your phone, you tend to hunch over to scroll through your newsfeed, thus applying a force of up to 50 pounds to your spine, depending on the angle. Back problems caused by addiction to smartphones and tablets are widespread in the English population with as much as 45% of young people aged 16 to 24 suffering from back pain, according to a 2015 survey.

- Nerve damage: Smartphone addiction isn’t just a pain in the back. It can also cause some nasty diseases to the nervous system such as occipital neuralgia or migraine. Some of these conditions are incurable and, thus, permanent.

- Increased anxiety and depression: A study has shown that people who spend too much time on their phones are more likely to be depressed. Also, being constantly on the phone means that you will expect updates and messages from your friends. If they are not replying to you, you will feel a growing sense of anxiety.

How do fight back this addiction?

Fighting addiction to tablets & smartphones is not a complicated process, but it requires determination. Here are some easy things you can do as starters.

- Document how much you use your phone. This will help you observe how serious the problem is, and will also track the progress of your future attempts.

- Don’t use your phone when you have just woken up. Switch it to flight mode, or even turn it off if you are willing to go the extra mile.

- Reduce or eliminate the number of notifications.

The battle against smartphone addiction is still reigning on, but there is always hope. The success rate is still not yet high, but the prospect looks really promising. Perhaps one day, we will be able to control our use of smartphones effectively.