To a modern human, smartphones are pretty much indispensable. They come in handy in numerous situations – whether it is ordering food from your favorite restaurant, talking to your loved ones, communicating with your colleagues, or searching for a museum on a map while you are on vacation. Whatever the case may be – the conclusion is that smartphones have indubitably inserted themselves deep into our everyday functions.
Here’s the thing though – the advantages of these gadgets are seemingly endless, but there are a few things to think about when you use your smartphone since they can indeed cause harm, and that’s what we are going to talk about in this article.
1. Texting or Talking While Driving
It might be tempting to look at that new message or call someone to chat, especially if you are stuck in traffic and have nothing better to do. But before you dial or start typing though, think twice. Sure, in most cases – it’s just a glance, harmless, right? While that may be the case in most scenarios, in ones that it isn’t, the result can be catastrophic.
Did you know that 21% of teen drivers involved in a car accident were distracted by cell phones? And the experts on personal injury cases from tatelawoffices.com explain that distracted driving is not only intrinsically dangerous, but it’s considered negligence which is a crime and can prove you guilty if you happen to be in a car accident. All of that being said, why risk it? Just turn the phone off while you drive – social media can wait.
2. Do You Know How Dirty Your Phone is?
This is something that is extremely important to think about and act upon – especially during the time of a global pandemic. The thing is, even in the time of raising awareness regarding cleanliness, people still tend to overlook their phones, even though they are arguably the one object that they touch the most during an average day.
Did you know that scientists have found that cell phones tend to carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats? This is due to the fact that people are always carrying their cell phones – even in situations in which they would normally wash their hands before doing anything else. If that didn’t get you to start cleaning your phone, we are going to say it – grab some of that ethanol-based cleaning products and clean your phone!
3. Having Chronic Neck Pain? Your Phone Might Be Behind That
Now, it may sound like we are exaggerating when we say that your smartphone causes chronic back pain, but just consider how much time you are spending on your phone, and in how little percentage of those situations you are keeping your head in a natural, straight position.
Here’s the thing – neck muscles, in their proper position, are designed to support the weight of your head, which is on average about 10 to 12 pounds. The problem with this is that for every inch you drop your head forward in order to look at your smartphone you are doubling the load on those muscles. Naturally, this stress causes muscle spasms and general pain and discomfort.
4. Smartphones and Mental Health
To be fair – this problem isn’t necessarily the fault of the smartphone itself, but smartphones are the biggest mediums to mental health issues that stem from social media and a new age of anxiety, eating disorders, and even depression.
Now, you may say, okay, social media can have a negative effect on your mental health, but there is also a positive one as well – and you are right. But that doesn’t erase the fact that a huge amount of people are having major problems due to the newly set standards on who they should be and how they should act 24/7.
After that, you may say – but these standards were always there, how come smartphones should be held accountable all of a sudden? And the answer to that is, due to the simple fact that all of it is on the tip of your finger. It’s not like you can easily escape, wherever you go, influencers, celebrities, targeted ads, and even your friends remind you how your life needs to be perfect in order to be presentable. And that is a big issue.
In the end, we must make one thing clear – smartphones aren’t intrinsically bad, but they definitely are a double-edged sword. That being said, it all comes down just to how you utilize them, and if you are careful and you understand all the negative impacts, then you will know how to prevent all of them from happening in the first place. So, be sure to enjoy all the wonders that smartphones provide, but just be careful and vigilant.