Table of ContentsPhysical and Mental HarmSocial InteractionAcademic EffectSmartphones, one of the most versatile and ingenious tools known to this generation, allowing you to deepen your understanding of the world around us and stay social with others. Although it may seem like a useful and interactive tool, smartphone addiction negatively affects your life in the long run, whether socially or mentally. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Physical and Mental Harm First, let's review some statistics: Out of the 7 billion people on earth, about 6 billion own a cell phone which is shocking because only 4.5 billion people have access to functional toilets. So how do these gadgets impact your body and brain? When you look at your phone, the angle of your spine is equivalent to that of an 8-year-old sitting on your neck, which is significant given that the average time you spend on your cell phone each day is 4.7 hours. This, combined with time spent in front of a computer, has caused an increase in myopia, which is another word for nearsightedness. In North America, only a quarter of the population in 1970 was affected by myopia, but currently, more than half are affected, but what is the mental harm you might ask? Take the Instagram app for example, every time we like a photo our brain is rewarded with little bursts of dopamine, which technically means addictive gratification, and eventually you are rewarded in the app with new content like more likes. , comments and subscribers. This novelty creates what is called a compulsion loop which happens to be the same loop responsible for the behaviors caused by nicotine and cocaine. Social InteractionNow that I've reviewed the damage cell phones have on your body and brain, let's review the impact cell phones have on social interactions. Did you know that 93% of students aged 13 to 21 say they use their smartphone as a source of information to avoid boredom rather than engaging with people around them or simply reading a book. This concept led to a new term called Nomophobia; the fear or anxiety of being without your phone. Many students use their phones as a source of conversation with other people via text, which has become a huge communication problem as many students seem to think that this is the only way to engage in conversations rather than actual face-to-face interactions. A 2012 study found that the presence of a mobile device can give people a negative impression of us. In the experiment, they paired interlocutors and asked them to discuss recent events for 10 minutes. Half of the couples had a visible cell phone and the other half did not. People with phones were seen as less approachable and more negative than people who didn't. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Academic Effect Finally, the last major reason why a smartphone can impact a student's life is that it has a huge academic effect. When students study, whether at school or at home, their phones are always nearby, which creates a great distraction and..