scholarly journals Does the Excessive use of Mobile Phones in Young Adults Reflect an Emerging Behavioral Addiction?

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debasish Basu ◽  
Natasha Kate ◽  
Ritu Nehra ◽  
Sandeep Grover ◽  
Nitasha Khehra

ABSTRACT Background and objective Mobile phones have become an essential part and parcel of modern life. Some of the studies have shown potentially adverse consequences of excessive mobile phone use. Aim of this study was to explore the pattern of mobile phone use among young adults and evaluate the mobile phone use pattern on the substance dependence criteria and assess the adverse consequences of mobile phone use. Materials and methods A 46-item questionnaire based on the ICD-10 substance dependence syndrome criteria, CAGE questionnaire and keeping the possible adverse consequences of excessive use in mind was given to the participants. Results A total of 212 young adults with a mean age of 21.6 years participated in the study. About one-third of the participants met three or more of the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for substance dependence and more than half (57.1%) fulfilled two or more items on the CAGE questionnaire. Those who fulfilled the dependence criteria spent more time per day on the mobile phone and more frequently had harmful consequences on various aspects of life. Conclusion Excessive mobile phone use is associated with adverse consequences in different spheres of life and some subjects use it in dependent pattern. How to cite this article Nehra R, Kate N, Grover S, Khehra N, Basu D. Does the Excessive use of Mobile Phones in Young Adults Reflect an Emerging Behavioral Addiction? J Postgrad Med Edu Res 2012;46(4):177-182.

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mrs. T. Tripura Sundari

Cell phones have gradually become an integral part of one's life. It is no astonish, which a comprehensive, research just released acknowledges mobile technology has coherently changed the style in which we truly love, live and work. Cell phones are now like mini computers and with gam consoles, high resolution still and video cameras, mailing systems, text messengers, carriers of fun and business information, helping within one's commercial and business transactions. The cell phone has made international long distance contacts easy, with ceaseless advance in technology, advanced and elaborated features added to the cell phones. In the past decade, mobile technology has altered the way youth communicate and interact with their peers. The development and modernization of this technology has made lives of youth easier and has brought about some problems and threats stemming from irresponsible use of mobile phones among teens and young adults. The whole youth population or student community is passing through chaos, disturbance and mental incapacitation. This study focuses on exploring the pattern of mobile phone usage among young adults in the State of Andhra Pradesh. It also attempts to examine the extent of sexual messaging and addictive sexual behavior through use of mobile phones. A face to face survey method was used to elicit the responses through a questionnaire. The survey was administered among 1200 students between the age group of 18-25 years. The data were analyzed with the help of statistical tools and techniques to draw meaningful inferences and conclusions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-388
Author(s):  
Hualong Zhang ◽  
Cunbao Zhang ◽  
Feng Chen ◽  
YuanYuan Wei

Using mobile phones can be a source of distraction for pedestrians when crossing streets, it is especially dangerous at unsignalized intersections. To investigate the effects of mobile phone use on pedestrian crossing behavior and safety at unsignalized intersections, we carried out a field survey at three selected locations in Wuhan, China. Then, the pedestrians’ crossing behavior characteristics were statistically analyzed, and a logistic regression model was established to quantitatively analyze pedestrian safety. The results showed that 15.6% of pedestrians used mobile phones when crossing unsignalized intersections and 64.1% of them were young pedestrians. Pedestrians using mobile phones while crossing unsignalized intersections were at higher risk of accident, crossed more slowly, and were less likely to look at traffic status than those not using a mobile phone. Moreover, the probability of conflicts when watching the screen, talking, and listening to music are 2.704, 1.793, and 1.114 times greater, respectively, than those who do not use a mobile phone.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Wyche ◽  
Nightingale Simiyu ◽  
Martha E. Othieno

Increases in mobile phone ownership and Internet access throughout Africa continue to motivate initiatives to use information and communication technologies (ICTs)—in particular, mobile phones—to address long-standing socioeconomic problems in the “developing world.” While it is generally recognized that mobile phones may help to address these problems by providing pertinent information, less widely known is exactly how (and if) a handset’s human–computer interface—that is, its software and hardware design—supports this form of communication. The concept of “affordances” has long been used to answer such questions. In this paper, we use Hartson’s definition of affordances to qualitatively investigate rural Kenyan women’s interactions with their mobile phones. Our detailed analysis provides empirically grounded answers to questions about the cognitive, physical, and sensory affordances of handsets used in our field sites and how they support and/or constrain mobile communication. We then discuss the implications of our findings: in particular, how this affordance-based approach draws attention to mobile phones’ design features and to the context in which they and their users are embedded—a focus which suggests new design and research opportunities in mobile communication.


Author(s):  
YingYing Wang ◽  
Jiang Long ◽  
YueHeng Liu ◽  
TieQiao Liu ◽  
Joël Billieux

Abstract Background Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) has become an international public health issue, particularly in adolescents and young adults. The Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire-Short Version (PMPUQ-SV) is a validated instrument that measures multiple aspects of PMPU. The current study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of a Chinese adaption of the PMPUQ-SV and examine its measurement invariance across gender. Methods A total of 2086 participants were recruited form nine schools (six undergraduate colleges and three vocational colleges) through an online platform. Measures included socio-demographic variables, patterns of mobile phone use, the Chinese version of the PMPUQ-SV (C-PMPUQ-SV), the Chinese version of the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21. Results Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted in two independent subsamples confirmed that the postulated dimensions fit the data well. Four items, judged as either outdated or not adapted to the Chinese context, performed poorly and were removed, resulting in a shorter 11-item scale. Convergent validity was established through meaningful correlations between emotional symptoms and the C-PMPUQ-SV and addictive smartphone use. Additional measurement invariance analyses showed that the scale performed largely similarly in male and female participants. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that the C-PMPUQ-SV is an adequate instrument to study various types of PMPU in Chinese adolescents and young adults. The updated 11-item scale shortens the evaluation time and is adapted to assess contemporary smartphone use.


Author(s):  
Stephen Lwasa ◽  
Narathius Asingwire ◽  
Julius Juma Okello ◽  
Joseph Kiwanuka

As the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is embraced in Uganda, determinants of awareness of ICT based projects remain unknown. The intensity of use of mobile phones among smallholder farmers in the areas where such projects operate is unclear. To address this knowledge gap, 346 smallholder farmers in two ICT project sites in Mayuge and Apac districts were subjected to econometric analysis using bi-variate logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models to ascertain determinants of projects’ awareness and intensity of use of mobile phones. The authors find that education, distance to input markets, and membership in a group positively influence awareness. The decision to use a mobile phone for agricultural purposes is affected by distance to electricity and land cultivated and negatively influenced by being a member of any farmer group. Lastly, intensity of mobile phone use is affected by age, farming as the major occupation, and distance to an internet facility, being a member of a project, having participated in an agricultural project before, value of assets, size of land cultivated, possession of a mobile phone, and proximity to agricultural offices. The paper discusses policy implications of these findings.


Author(s):  
Seung-Hyun Lee

From being a simple communication technology to a key social tool, the mobile phone has become such an important aspect of people's everyday life. Mobile phones have altered the way people live, communicate, interact, and connect with others. Mobile phones are also transforming how people access and use information and media. Given the rapid pervasiveness of mobile phones in society across the world, it is important to explore how mobile phones have affected the way people communicate and interact with others, access the information, and use media, and their daily lifestyle. This article aims to explore the social and cultural implications that have come with the ubiquity, unprecedented connectivity, and advances of mobile phones. This article also focuses on the discussion about people's dependence on, attachment and addiction to mobile phones, social problems that mobile phones generate, and how people value mobile phone use.


Author(s):  
Lai Lei Lou

Although mobile phones have proved to be lifesaving in certain circumstances, wide concerns have been raised about brain tumors associated with their use. This article systematically reviews previous and current research in regards to mobile phone use and brain tumors. Recently, research (more than 10 years mobile phone use or cumulative mobile phone use more than 1640 hours) has been found that the amount of exposure to mobile phone radiation plays a key role in determining the significant associations between mobile phone use and gliomas, and acoustic neuroma. In general, those who use mobile phones for more than ten years, or cumulative call time for more than 1640 hours, have higher risks to develop brain tumors, especially glioma and acoustic neuroma, than those who use mobile phones for less than one year.


Author(s):  
Ali Acilar

Mobile phones are one of the fastest-adopted innovations in history. Globally, mobile phones have rapidly become widespread in most parts of the world, especially among the young generation. Young people constitute an important and significant part of mobile phone users. In this study, the author examined the factors affecting mobile phone use among undergraduate students in a developing country. The research data was collected through a convenience sample of undergraduate students in a public university in Turkey. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the underlying factors in mobile phone use. Nine factors are identified from the results of factor analysis such as “Information,” “Attitude,” “Mobility,” “Functional service,” “Entertainment/Relaxation,” “Convenience,” “Fashion,” “Sense of security,” and “Multimedia service”.


2007 ◽  
pp. 252-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mete Yildiz

This chapter presents the current state and future prospects of, and policy issues related to the mobile (m-) government in Turkey at both national and local government levels with a special emphasis to mobile phones. To this end, ?rst, the historical development and major actors of Turkey’s mobile technology market are examined. Following this framework, the current state of government information and services provided by the help of mobile technologies (m-government) is analyzed. Third, several issues related to m-government policy such as health problems that are thought to be caused by mobile phone use and the proximity of mobile phone masts to housing units; the risky behavior of talking via mobile phones while driving and the problems caused by this reckless behavior; problems related to stolen and unregistered mobile phones; and ?nally, the blurring of public and private spheres because of mobile phone use in public places are discussed. Proposed and enacted national legislation on these topics are summarized and discussed. The ?nal section evaluates the future prospects of m-government and integration of electronic government and mobile goverment efforts in Turkey. This section also assesses the possibility of using m-government as a tool for bridging the digital divide in Turkey.


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