Digital detox: The effect of smartphone abstinence on mood, anxiety, and craving

Abstract

Whether behavioural addictions should be conceptualised using a similar framework to substance-related addictions remains a topic of considerable debate. Previous literature has developed criteria, which allows any new behavioural addiction to be considered analogous to substance-related addictions. These imply that abstinence from a related object (e.g. smartphones for heavy smartphone users) would lead to mood fluctuations alongside increased levels of anxiety and craving. In a sample of smartphone users, we measured three variables (mood, anxiety, and craving) on four occasions, which included a 24-hour period of smartphone abstinence. Only craving was affected following a short period of abstinence. The results suggest that heavy smartphone usage does not fulfil the criteria required to be considered an addiction. This may have implications for other behavioural addictions.

Quantifying smartphone “use”: Choice of measurement impacts relationships between “usage” and health.

“…Finally, our findings would favour addressing peoples' appraisals about their usage rather than reducing their overall screen time, as the former relates more strongly to mental health symptomatology. Even if specific worries in relation to mobile technology are widespread, limiting general smartphone use or engaging with any form of "digital detox" is unlikely to have any demonstrable benefits and should not be a priority for public health interventions at this time (Wilcockson et al, 2019).…”

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the problematic mobile phone use questionnaire-short version across gender in Chinese adolescents and young adults

“…Despite the convenience of mobile phones, however, the related adverse effects associated with problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) are noteworthy. PMPU has been broadly defined as the inability to regulate one's use of the mobile phone, which eventually involves negative consequences in daily life [9], including somatic discomfort [10,11], sleep disturbance [12,13], negative emotions and stress [14][15][16][17][18][19], poor academic performance [20,21], low self-esteem [22,23], and accidental injuries (e.g., motor vehicle accidents [24], bicycle crashes/near crashes [25], pedestrian collisions, and falls [26]).…”

Quantifying smartphone ‘use’: Choice of measurement impacts relationships between ‘usage’ and health

“…Finally, our findings would favour addressing peoples' appraisals about their usage rather than reducing their overall screen time, as the former relates more strongly to mental health symptomatology. Even if specific worries in relation to mobile technology are widespread, limiting general smartphone use or engaging with any form of 'digital detox' is unlikely to have any demonstrable benefits and should not be a priority for public health interventions at this time (Wilcockson, Osborne & Ellis, 2019)…”