|
Treatment for Smartphone Addiction
Therapy and Counselling for Smartphone Addiction
Therapy can give you a tremendous boost in controlling smartphone and internet use. Cognitive-behavioral therapy provides step-by-step ways to stop compulsive behaviors and change your perceptions about your smartphone. Therapy can also help you learn healthier ways of coping with uncomfortable emotions, such as stress, anxiety or depression.
If your smartphone or internet use is affecting your partner directly, as with excessive use of internet pornography or online affairs, marriage counselling can help you work through these challenging issues. Marriage counselling can also help you reconnect with your partner if you have been using virtual worlds for most of your social needs.
Group Support for Smartphone Addiction
Organizations such as Internet & Tech Addiction Anonymous (ITAA) at www.netaddictionanon.org and On-Line Gamers Anonymous at www.olganon.org offer online support and some face-to-face meetings to curb excessive technology use, as well as tips on starting your own chapter. If no group exist in your area, consider starting your own chapter. Of course, online support groups and forums should be used with caution. Although they may be helpful in finding sources of assistance, it's easy to use them as an excuse to spend even more time on your smartphone or computer. While you need real-life people to benefit fully from any addiction support group, it's especially important for smartphone or internet addiction. Sex Addicts Anonymous may be another place to try if you are having trouble with cybersex or compulsive use of sex and dating apps; look up meetings by country here: https://saa-recovery.org/Meetings/OtherCountries. You can also try Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, who offer meetings globally: https://slaafws.org/meetings.
For those in need of greater intervention, there are now specialist treatment centres that offer digital-detox programmes to help you disconnect from digital media. These programmes vary from country to country, so research online to see what is offered near you. For help finding these, as well as support groups and therapists, call your employee assistance programme (EAP) to help find local or national resources appropriate for your situation.
A variation of this is going on retreats without technology! One example is Digital Detox Holidays, which offers "unplugged" packaged holidays around the world; select your location under Continent: http://digitaldetoxholidays.com. The Rough Guides website also offers several suggestions: https://www.roughguides.com/gallery/19-places-for-a-digital-detox.
Helping a Child or Teen With Smartphone Addiction
Any parent who's tried to drag a child or teen away from a smartphone or tablet knows how challenging it can be to separate kids from social media, messaging apps, or online games and videos. Youngsters lack the maturity to curb their smartphone use on their own, but simply confiscating the device can often backfire, creating anxiety and withdrawal symptoms in your child. Instead, there are plenty of other ways to help your child find a healthier balance:
- Be a good role model. Children have a strong impulse to imitate, so it's important you manage your own smartphone and internet use. It's no good asking your child to unplug at the dinner table while you're staring at your own phone or tablet. Try not to let your own smartphone use distract from parent–child interactions.
- Use apps to monitor and limit your child's smartphone use. There are a number of apps available that can limit your child's data usage or restrict his or her texting and web browsing to certain times of the day to enforce technology breaks. Other apps can eliminate messaging capabilities while in motion, so you can prevent your teen using a smartphone while driving.
- Create "phone-free" zones. Restrict the use of smartphones or tablets to a common area of the house where you can keep an eye on your child's activity and limit time online. Ban phones from the dinner table and bedrooms, and insist they're turned off after a certain time at night.
- Encourage other interests and social activities. Get your child out from behind the phone or computer screen. Expose kids to other hobbies and activities, such as team sports and afterschool clubs. Spend time as a family unplugged.
- Talk to your child about underlying issues. Compulsive smartphone use can be the sign of deeper problems. Is your child having problems fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress? Is your child suffering with other issues at school or home?
- Get help. Teenagers often rebel against their parents, but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen. Try a sports coach, doctor or respected family friend. Don't be afraid to seek professional counselling if you are concerned about your child's smartphone use.
Reference:
Smith, M., Robinson, L. & Segal, J. (Updated 2017, April). Smartphone addiction: Tips for breaking free of compulsive smartphone use. Retrieved 23 May 2017 from HelpGuide: https://www.helpguide.org