Australian survey on mobile phone addiction

Hello,

I forward an interesting post by Don Maisch from another list:



A recent Australian survey of teenagers and mobile phone use has
found some disturbing addictive behaviours. The press release for the
survey is below.

The survey of school students found the following:

1) Many teenagers are obsessive in their use of mobiles, and could
panic and become agitated if they were parted from them.

2) Students suffered withdrawal symptoms if they didn't receive
calls or text messages, which could lead to anxiety and self-esteem
problems.

3) The survey found that some students suffered sleep deprivation
and even RSI as they lay awake at night texting on their mobile
phones.

4) The survey researcher said that students who took part in a
recent focus group with her as part of her study "panicked" when she
asked them to turn off their phones during the discussion. "They were
afraid - they were quite agitated," she said. "Students were quite
relieved when the session was over and they could turn their phone
back on and check for messages."

There was also a similar Italian survey where students were asked
to refrain from using their cell phones for, I think, a couple of
weeks. They had symptoms of drug withdrawal. I am trying to find out
more about this - anyone heard of it?

I think this addictive behaviour indicates that more than just a
psychological addiction is at play. Perhaps the dependency these kids
are exhibiting are evidence of a neurological disorder, such as
altered neurotransmitter balances from cell phone microwave
exposure?As far as a possible mechanism, Frey may have hit upon it.
To quote from Frey:

" Thus, there is now a substantial body of data indicating that brain
systems, particularly the opiate-dopamine systems, are influenced by
exposure to brief, very low intensity electromagnetic fields."

Any comments?

Don Maisch


Oz-first survey measures national mobile addiction
http://www.news.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/News.woa/wa/goNewsPage?newsEventID=8133

Australians are becoming addicted to their mobile phones, according
to a researcher from the Queensland University of Technology who this
weekend will begin a national survey to measure the nation's
obsession with mobiles.

Consumer behaviour researcher Diana James from QUT said the online
questionnaire was the first Australian survey dedicated to the
emotional, psychological, financial and social impact of our
skyrocketing use of mobile phones.

The survey will run from April 1 to May 31 at www.mobilesurvey.com.au
and is open to anyone aged 16 and older who lives in Australia and
has a mobile phone.

Ms James said Australia had one of the highest mobile phone
penetration rates in the world and it was important to find ways to
measure mobile phone addiction.

"Mobile phone addiction is going to surpass internet addiction
because at least you can walk away from your computer ... our
dependency on mobiles means most people are never without them," she
said.

"Like substance abuse, excessive use of mobile phones can lead to
personal problems.

"I think it's critical that we can help people realise their level of
dependency and ultimately help them do something about it. I want to
develop a scale that can measure addiction so that people can
self-assess themselves.

"I want to find out how many people are consuming this technology in
a healthy manner, and for how many others it's become
'all-consuming'."

Ms James said danger signs included running up huge bills and having
irrational reactions to being without a phone if you forgot or lost
your mobile.

"Because they can provide immediate pleasure, if you're not careful
mobile phones can become as much of an addiction as snacking on junk
food or smoking," she said.

"And as ownership rates have increased, they've become a huge part of
people's social lives ... without their phone, people feel like they
are out of the loop."

Ms James said her preliminary research among Queensland university
students had found many were obsessive in their use of mobiles, and
could panic and become agitated if they were parted from them.

She said some students suffered withdrawal symptoms if they didn't
receive calls or text messages, which could lead to anxiety and
self-esteem problems.

"In some cases, students said they suffered sleep deprivation and
even RSI as they lay awake at night texting on their mobile phones,"
she said.

She said students who took part in a recent focus group with her as
part of her study "panicked" when she asked them to turn off their
phones during the discussion.

"They were afraid - they were quite agitated," she said.

"Students were quite relieved when the session was over and they
could turn their phone back on and check for messages."

But Ms James said not everyone who used their phone heavily had a problem.

"Not everyone who drinks heavily is considered an alcoholic," she said.

"Similarly, people who use their mobile phone very heavily may or may
not be addicted.

"It depends on the impact it has on their day-to-day life. Is their
phone costing them more than money in terms of emotional, social and
physical stress?"

Ms James's survey results will be analysed for her PhD study with
QUT's School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations.

"Essentially, this survey is about constructing a scale that will
measure 'addiction' to mobile phones," she said.

"It draws on literature from consumer behaviour (such as impulsive
and compulsive buying) and clinical addiction.

"What is different about this scale is that it will measure in
degrees ... it will go from recreational users through to impulsive,
compulsive and addictive users.

"It also seeks to extend beyond the idea of 'dependency' in defining
addiction. Just because someone is dependent on something, doesn't
determine whether the impact on their lives is not overall a
positive, rather than a negative. So the survey also investigates
consequences for individuals."

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