Are You Hooked on Your Phone?

The first thing Alfredo Santos does when he wakes up each morning is check his iPhone. The rest of the day, he cannot put the device down. It does not matter if he is in class, at the dinner table, or lying in bed trying to fall asleep.

Alfredo is a 16-year-old from New York City. And he is far from alone in succumbing to the constant itch to check Instagram, view a friend’s latest Snapchat story, or play another round of Word Cookies. According to a 2016 study by Common Sense Media, more than half of teens say they feel addicted to their smartphones. Alfredo admits that he is one of them.

“If I don’t have my phone . . . I don’t feel comfortable,” he says. “I’m like, ‘What am I going to do now?’”

Doctors, teachers, and parents have long said that teens spend too much time on their phones. But now, even some people in the tech industry fear that their products may be too hard to put down.

Recently, representatives of two of Apple’s biggest investors posted a letter online to the tech company. They pressured Apple to help fight phone addiction. Many people see phone addiction as a growing health crisis among young people. As a group, the influential investors own about $2 billion worth of Apple stock. They called on the company to add stronger parental controls to its devices.

“Companies have a role to play in helping to address these issues,” says Barry Rosenstein of JANA Partners. He is one of the people who wrote to Apple. “The days of just throwing technology out there and washing your hands of the potential impact are over.”

Millions of different apps are available on Androids and iPhones. And they are all competing for your attention. That is because the more time users spend on an app, the more money companies will pay to advertise on it.

“The people designing these apps are very sophisticated,” says Adam Alter. He is a psychology professor at New York University. “They’re doing everything they can to keep us engaged,” he says.

Some companies even use neuroscience to find ways to get users’ attention. Neurons Inc. is a Denmark-based company that Facebook and other companies have hired to do studies. There, researchers measure the electrical activity of people’s brains while they are on an app. The goal is to determine which features bring people the most joy and keep them engaged.

Efforts like these seem to be working, perhaps too well. A recent study found that, on average, teens spend more than four hours per day on their phones—and a quarter of teens clock more than eight hours.

Research shows that obsessively checking your phone can have negative effects on your health. For example, according to a San Diego State University study, the more time teens spend in front of screens, the less happy they are. And because all of this technology is so new, researchers don’t yet know how it might affect the still-developing brains of teens. Says psychologist Edward Spector, “We have an entire generation of guinea pigs in an experiment.”

Efforts like these seem to be working. Maybe they are working too well. A recent study found that, on average, teens spend more than four hours per day on their phones. And a quarter of teens clock more than eight hours.

Research shows that obsessively checking your phone can have negative effects on your health. For example, according to a San Diego State University study, the more time teens spend in front of screens, the less happy they are. Researchers do not yet know how all this new technology might affect teens’ brains, which are still developing. Says psychologist Edward Spector, “We have an entire generation of guinea pigs in an experiment.”

Some countries, especially in East Asia, treat digital addiction as seriously as gambling or substance abuse. China and South Korea, for example, view internet obsession as a public-health threat and have opened hundreds of treatment centers. 

In China, an estimated 24 million people ages 6 to 29 are thought to be addicted to the internet. The country’s treatment centers are known as “boot camps” because patients—who are cut off from the internet—must wear camouflage uniforms and perform military-style drills.

Some countries treat digital addiction as seriously as gambling or substance abuse. This is especially true in East Asia. For example, China and South Korea view internet obsession as a public-health threat. They have opened hundreds of treatment centers.

In China, an estimated 24 million people ages 6 to 29 are thought to be addicted to the internet. The country’s treatment centers are known as “boot camps.” Patients are cut off from the internet. They must wear camouflage uniforms and perform military-style drills.

Some much less extreme treatment facilities have popped up in the U.S. One such center is reSTART in Fall City, Washington. Patients there spend time away from technology while working with counselors to discover the issues behind their digital dependencies. 

The center’s founder, Cosette Rae, says many of her teen patients have dropped out of school because they’re so hooked on video games or the internet. Some of them are even malnourished because they can’t pull themselves away from their screens long enough to eat healthy foods. 

“The past couple years, we’re getting more and more kids that want to come in,” says Rae. “They’re saying, ‘Hey, I’ve tried to quit . . . and I can’t.’”

Some much less extreme treatment facilities have popped up in the U.S. One such center is reSTART in Fall City, Washington. Patients there spend time away from technology. They work with counselors to discover the issues behind their digital dependencies.

The center’s founder is Cosette Rae. She says many of her teen patients have dropped out of school because they are so hooked on video games or the internet. Some of them are even malnourished. That is because they cannot pull themselves away from their screens long enough to eat healthy foods.

“The past couple years, we’re getting more and more kids that want to come in,” says Rae. “They’re saying, ‘Hey, I’ve tried to quit . . . and I can’t.’”

A growing push exists within the tech industry to address these problems. In January, Tony Fadell, a former Apple executive who helped create the iPod and iPhone, tweeted that sites like Instagram and Facebook “have a responsibility & need to start helping us track & manage our digital addictions.” 

But others say that burden shouldn’t be on tech companies—especially when their goal is to create products that people want to use. “We want these products to be good and engaging and interesting,” says Nir Eyal, a consultant for companies looking for ways to attract customers. “That’s why we use them in the first place.”

Today, there is a growing push within the tech industry to address these problems. Tony Fadell is a former Apple executive who helped create the iPod and iPhone. In January, he tweeted that sites like Instagram and Facebook “have a responsibility & need to start helping us track & manage our digital addictions.”

But other people say that burden should not be on tech companies. They say the goal of tech companies is to create products that people want to use. “We want these products to be good and engaging and interesting,” says Nir Eyal. Eyal is a consultant for companies looking for ways to attract customers. “That’s why we use them in the first place.”

As for Apple, the company says it is developing new ways for parents to increase control over their teens’ devices. Still, some experts think Apple should do more. They say the tech company is in the best position to address the addiction problem. Unlike app makers, Apple’s business model and success aren’t tied to addictive behavior—it makes most of its money by selling pricey phones and computers. Also, Apple creates the platforms on which apps live, so companies that want their apps on iPhones have to meet Apple’s requirements. 

While experts debate solutions, some teens have taken it upon themselves to cut back on their phone usage. (See sidebars below for tips.) 

Linda Peng, a 17-year-old from Cedar Falls, Iowa, used to procrastinate by watching YouTube videos on her phone for hours. “Now I stay away from my phone when I need to,” she says. “I’ll put it on airplane mode . . . and do my homework.” 

Additional reporting by Julie Scharper, Bethany Radcliffe, and The New York Times

As for Apple, the company says it is developing new ways for parents to increase control over their teens’ devices. Still, some experts think Apple should do more. They say the tech company is in the best position to address the addiction problem. Unlike app makers, Apple’s business model and success are not tied to addictive behavior. It makes most of its money by selling pricey phones and computers. Also, Apple creates the platforms on which apps live. So companies that want their apps on iPhones have to meet Apple’s requirements.

While experts debate solutions, some teens have taken it upon themselves to cut back on their phone usage. (See sidebars for tips.)

Linda Peng used to procrastinate by watching YouTube videos on her phone for hours. “Now I stay away from my phone when I need to,” says the 17-year-old from Cedar Falls, Iowa. “I’ll put it on airplane mode . . . and do my homework.”

Additional reporting by Julie Scharper, Bethany Radcliffe, and The New York Times