Smartphones – once they were novel and not everyone had one. But now, according to a report by Deloitte, people in the UK have never been more addicted to their smartphones and one in three adults check for messages at night, and admit their overuse is causing rows with their partners.
The BBC reports that, for some, FOMO – or the fear of missing out – leaves them in the grip of an addiction to their devices, according to the survey.
Deloitte’s key findings also showed that arguments with partners about using their mobile phone too often were most common among 25-34 year olds the report found, while 11% of over 65s admitted arguments about overusing phones.
Beyond that, about 10% admitted using their handsets ‘always’ or ‘very often’ while eating at home or in restaurants and a third said they regularly used their devices while with friends or watching television.
One in three UK adults – and half of 18-24 year olds – said they checked their phones in the middle of the night, with instant messaging and social media the most popular activities while one in 10 smartphone owners admitted reaching for their phone as soon as they woke up – with a third grabbing the device within five minutes of waking.
From fad to addiction seems to be story of the smartphone but, while many seem to be glued to their phones to the detriment of their personal relationships, clinical hypnotherapy can help wean people off this habit.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy, with more than 1,800 highly-trained therapists across the UK on its register, is well placed to offer help in this regard.
Bad habits, ranging from smoking and nail biting to drug, alcohol or other addictions, are unwanted behaviours which can be treated with clinical hypnotherapy in a non-invasive manner, using the mind and not medication.
Says the NCH: “With an unwanted habit or behaviour, it may often feel as if you are out of control, that there is someone else or something inside of you that is making you do this.
“The good news is that you are in control, you can change how you react to certain situations, and you can protect yourself in ways that are healthy and which allow you succeed and grow stronger in body and mind. You just need to know how to change it, and to believe you can.”
Hypnotherapy can work rapidly with bad habits and behaviours because it works directly with the subconscious, bypassing the critical mind and getting to the root of the issue or addiction so that changes can be made quickly and efficiently.
If you feel you’re in a ‘bad habit’ situation with your smartphone, tablet or some other on line gadget, why not contact a hypnotherapist near you by using the NCH directory. It will be worth the effort.
Paul Lee, head of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte, said: “What smartphones enable people to do is to keep tags of what’s happening, what people are saying, what people are posting. You can do that throughout the day and what smartphones are encouraging people to do is to do that at night.”
Why is it becoming a habit? He adds: “We’re getting used to how to use this tech which is just nine years old. When we have something new we tend to overreact to it.”
Deloitte’s sixth annual Mobile Consumer Survey analysed the mobile phone habits of more than 4,000 UK consumers.
Four out of five UK adults now have a smartphone – equivalent to 37 million people – but despite their popularity, the report warned the smartphone market was reaching saturation point.