Adolescent smartphone addiction: Supporting pupils and parents

Just before the summer holidays, I received a message asking me to call a parent who had some concerns about her son. I had no idea what this was about, but suspected it related to a sanction he had been given the day before.

Instead, however, it was a plea from the parent for advice, even help, on how to get her son off his phone at home, especially at night. This is not the first time a parent has discussed this issue with me. It is also a battle I have had with my own son.

Mobile phone ‘overuse’

My pupils’ parents are right to be worried. Mobile phone overuse has been linked to cognitive-emotion regulation, impulsivity, impaired cognitive function, excessive introvertness and low self-esteem (Wacks & Weinstein, 2021). Aside from the psychological issues, the physiological problems of excessive phone use can lead to sleep deprivation, reduced fitness, unhealthy eating, migraines and reduced cognitive control.