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What’s The Connection Between Phone Addiction And Teen Depression?

Most adults spend too much time on their phones, and it is harming their mental health. Dr. Charles Raison, psychiatrist and director of the Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center, attributes some of the cause for rising depression and suicide rates to phone addiction. He wants to build a study at the center to examine how removing phones from the hands of teens may help their mental health.

Phone addiction contributes to rising depression, suicide rates

The average American spends over five hours per day looking at their mobile device. A recent study out of the University of Texas at Austin showed that adults who blocked mobile internet from their smartphones (but not texting or calls) for two weeks improved their mental health, subjective well-being and attention span. Of the more than 450 participants, 71% reported improved mental health. “The data that over the last 15, 20 years, depression has been increasing in the United States, I think it’s robust,” Raison said.

Rates of suicide have also climbed. “That really suggests something is going wrong,” Raison said. “If you look at the rising suicide rate, it’s all in younger people. People under the age of 35, but especially … teenagers under the age of 24. Late adolescence, early adulthood — something is going wrong there.” Raison attributes the rising rates of depression and suicide, in part, to the mental impacts of phone use. “Studies are beginning to show that the phone is like a drug,” Raison said. “These phones are really, really addictive. They’re designed to be addictive.”

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