Electronic obsession: researchers say problematic smartphone use like an addiction

Fakiha Baig · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 09, 2025 9:08 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Anita Hagh couldn't halt pressing the country of her telephone surface wherever the Facebook app utilized to be.

It was astir 5 years ago, and she had deleted the societal media level from her cellphone.

It was similar musculus memory, she says, having clicked connected the app countless times truthful she could scroll for hours done random online groups.

She realized she had been losing retired connected slumber portion scrolling and made the hard determination to delete the app.

"After deleting it, I was precise overmuch reasoning it was inactive there, benignant of similar a phantom limb situation," said the 28-year-old post-doctoral researcher astatine McGill University's section of integrated studies successful education.

Bad habits

Hagh, who is researching the addictive quality of societal media, said she believes she was apt experiencing what's called "problematic smartphone use" oregon telephone addiction.

Jay Olson, a post-doctoral researcher successful the University of Toronto's science department, led a 2023 planetary survey that surveyed much than 50,000 radical astir their smartphone habits.

He said it's an emerging problem.

"Normal smartphone usage would go problematic erstwhile it starts negatively affecting your regular beingness and successful antithetic ways," said Olson.

"It mightiness marque you consciousness depressed. It mightiness beryllium interfering with your slumber oregon your concentration."

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Some young adults are showing symptoms of problematic smartphone use, Olson said, arsenic they've ne'er seen a satellite without phones oregon person spent astir of their lives with the devices.

"Smartphones started to go much fashionable astir 2009," helium said.

"A clump of kids crossed the satellite got these phones. And truthful present we're starting to spot what immoderate of these effects mightiness be."

It's harder for older generations to recognize the magnitude of the occupation and however utilizing phones tin go an ingrained habit, Olson added.

"[They] haven't grown up utilizing smartphones and societal media for the bulk of their escaped clip passim the day," helium said.

'Harder to trace'

Venture Academy, a backstage schoolhouse for troubled teens with locations successful Barrie, Ont., and Red Deer, Alta., offers attraction for problems including "electronic addiction."

Gary Su, a objective therapist with the school, said successful an interrogation from Calgary that smartphone usage has made the lives of galore of his young clients much complex.

"We are seeing a precise unsocial phenomenon," helium said.

"Things look to beryllium a batch much volatile oregon much extreme. Kids are exposed to things conscionable mode excessively aboriginal for their age. And it's harder to trace, due to the fact that everything online is anonymous."

He said immoderate students are utilizing their phones truthful overmuch they person trouble socializing. Some don't permission their bedrooms for hours, due to the fact that they're engaged texting aft school, helium said.

Su said phones halt others from spending clip with their families, and online bullying has go rampant.

Some are besides sharing intimate photos and details astatine an earlier age, which continues to haunt them years aboriginal owed to the imperishable quality of the online world, helium said.

"I spot a batch of household conscionable travel successful due to the fact that of telephone addiction oregon problematic telephone use," Su said. "I consciousness for the parents. Most of america are not tech geniuses."

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Problematic smartphone usage hasn't been officially classified arsenic an addiction successful the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the notation publication utilized by intelligence wellness professionals astir the world.

"There isn't statement among researchers close now," said Olson, adding it's due to the fact that the occupation is truthful new.

However, helium said determination is immoderate statement that problematic smartphone usage shares similarities with antithetic behavioural addictions.

"So often radical study this compulsion, similar erstwhile they aftermath up, they person to cheque their telephone close away," Olson said.

"They can't halt themselves."

Su said immoderate of his patients could beryllium classified arsenic telephone addicts.

"Addiction is erstwhile you are doing thing that you cognize has antagonistic consequences and you can't halt yourself from utilizing it," helium said.

"I spot a batch of younker I enactment with acceptable successful that category. I thin to not statement it, due to the fact that labelling is not doing immoderate good."

Olson said determination needs to beryllium much treatment astir smartphone habits.

Cellphone bans successful schools crossed Canada are a bully start, Olson added, but much needs to beryllium done by governments, specified arsenic putting property limits connected societal media platforms.

"I surely deliberation that it's an important contributor to this diminution successful intelligence wellness that we're seeing," helium said.

Hagh said she's keeping way of her telephone habits, arsenic she's inactive connected societal media for her research.

"It is precise addicting. These platforms person been optimized to seizure arsenic overmuch attraction ... and arguably make an addiction.

"It's benignant of similar having to ticker a bid clang oregon a car crash," she added.

"You conscionable can't look away."