Excessive Cell Phone Use
Not only substances generate addictions, but certain behavioral patterns may cause dependence issues or behavioral addictions (Chóliz et al., 2017; Grant et al., 2010).
Can cell phone use become an addiction?
Indeed, one of the most recent forms of addiction that does not include substance abuse is the dysfunctional use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Most technology dependencies involve the use of the Internet (Tsai & Lin, 2003), cell phones (Choliz, 2010) and video games (Griffiths et al., 2010).
The symptoms associated with cell phone dependence are:
Excessive use; interpersonal issues due to excessive use; interference in academic or work activities and tolerance, that is, gradual increase in time of use.
Typically, addictions to technologies are characterized by an increasing need for use in order to generate wellbeing (that is, the phenomenon of tolerance appears); negative emotional reactions to abstinence from use also appear and finally, family and work life are affected.
Although there are plenty of defining criteria for cell phone addiction, there would be, however, an important coincidence and cohesion expressed in dependence with abstinence, tolerance and a lack of control, which leads to interference and abandonment of daily activities (Choliz, 2010; Anestis et al., 2007; Verdejo-Garcia et al. 2007).