Teenagers are addicted to cell phones because of their need to stay connected to social networks, communicate with their peers, and get information online, which contributes to their social and personal development.
Our brain is wired to seek out small doses of pleasure, particularly through a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Every notification, every "like," and every received message triggers a quick release of this famous dopamine in our brain, which acts as an immediate reward. As a result, we keep going back to relive that pleasant sensation. Over time, this can become an almost automatic loop, similar to what we observe in certain addictive behaviors. Our brain also quickly learns to associate our phone with relaxation, entertainment, or social life, giving the impression that it is almost impossible to part with it. This process of repeating behaviors in response to immediate rewards stimulates the brain areas involved in habit, putting us on autopilot in front of the screen.
Social media plays on a simple mechanism: the human need, particularly in adolescents, for validation from others. Every like or positive comment releases dopamine, a pleasure and reward molecule in the brain, which creates a desire to return and seek more. Adolescents constantly seek social recognition through selfies, stories, or viral posts. Comparing themselves to others becomes inevitable, with a significant risk of feeling inferior when likes are scarce or when a post is ignored. This dynamic generates constant pressure to create appealing content to remain popular and connected to the group.
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) describes the almost constant fear in teenagers of missing out on information, a party, or simply a fun moment with friends. Young people remain connected non-stop to ensure they don't miss any interesting, funny, or popular experiences. A missed party, a group photo not taken, or even a message read too late can quickly create an awkward feeling of isolation or social exclusion. That's why they check their phones all the time, as a sort of antidote to this fear of being left out or forgotten. The more they consult their mobile, the greater the anxiety related to FOMO grows, creating a vicious cycle that is hard to break.
Mobile games use well-established mechanics to keep us hooked to the screen. First, they offer immediate rewards that stimulate our brains with frequent small victories. Next, their design often relies on a model called freemium: you can play for free, but to progress faster or gain exclusive content, you have to pay. This creates a sense of urgency or frustration that encourages reaching for the credit card. Not to mention the daily quests, quick achievements, and friend leaderboards that fuel our relentless desire for competition and social recognition. These strategies create a loop of rapid, easy, and repeated gratification, ideal for making the player addicted.
Notifications create a kind of conditioned reflex in the brains of teenagers: with every little sound or vibration, they feel an uncontrollable urge to check their phones. Why? Because alerts function like intermittent rewards: sometimes we receive good news, a like, a nice message, and sometimes nothing interesting. Our brain loves this little uncertainty, just like in gambling. As a result, it produces dopamine, the pleasure molecule, with every sound, further reinforcing the desire to check the phone. No wonder young people find it so hard to put it down!
A study has shown that drastically reducing notifications on smartphones could decrease the daily usage time of an average user by up to 40%.
Mobile games often use a strategy called 'intermittent reinforcement,' which involves offering random rewards to maintain motivation and extend the time spent playing.
A survey reveals that 60% of teenagers experience genuine anxiety when they cannot access their mobile phone for more than an hour.
According to a recent American study, a teenager checks their mobile phone on average every 12 minutes, which adds up to more than 80 times a day!
Not systematically, but adolescents who use social media intensively and passively, often comparing themselves to others, are indeed more exposed to the risk of feeling anxiety or a drop in self-esteem. It is important to raise your teenager's awareness of these effects and to ensure a reasonable use of social media.
Yes, parental control tools or applications like Screen Time, Qustodio, or Family Link allow you to set usage time limits, block certain applications, or monitor overall digital activity.
You can establish clear rules together, create screen-free moments (meals, family evenings), disable certain unnecessary notifications, prioritize quality social interactions, and lead by example as an adult.
Among the common signs are anxiety when deprived of a phone, difficulties concentrating on anything other than the screen, social isolation, a decline in academic performance, sleep disturbances, and relationship difficulties.
It depends on individual contexts, but experts generally recommend limiting recreational screen time to less than 2-3 hours per day. The use becomes problematic when the phone interferes with concentration, academic performance, sleep, or social relationships.
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