According to the National Institute of Health, 43% of college students are addicted to their phones. Adverse effects of phone addiction include sleep disruption, diminishing attention spans, and an increase in stress and anxiety.
Sophomore Blake Mattessich, a finance major, said his phone use makes him unknowingly ignore people in close proximity.
has raised questions about addiction.
Source: Danielle Grillo, Staff Writer and Photographer
“On a typical day, I’m checking my phone every five minutes, whether that’s updating the Rangers score, looking for notifications, or seeing reels from my friends,” said Mattessich. “I’ll be out with my friends, or at dinner with my family, and what they’re saying just washes over me because I’m so wrapped up in my phone.”
Sophomore Kyle Maguire, a business major, said that while intending to get schoolwork done, he’ll put it off and look at his phone instead.
“So often it happens that I tell myself, ‘OK. Today I am going to accomplish this and that.’ And I sit down, open my computer and write down five words. And then I pull out my phone. I doom scroll for 15 minutes, come to my senses, and write another five words before I grab the phone again and repeat. By the end of the day, I hadn’t even finished one thing I wanted to get done,” said Maguire.
Many apps are specifically designed to keep users on them for longer. Features like feeds in non-chronological order, notifications when you haven’t used the app for a bit, and user interfaces that don’t end, just constantly refresh, are engineered to prevent you from even considering closing the service.
“I have all my notifications turned off; I can’t stand the constant barrage of pings and dings” said sophomore and business major Andrew Bis. “It helps a little bit, but I am still on my phone all the time.”
“Notifications are a real pain. It feels like as soon as I close an app it wants to reel me back in with a notice about what Snoop Dogg is up to, or how the Knicks are practicing,” said Mattessich.
“Doomscrolling really gets me,” said sophomore and sports communications major Nick Bosticco. “I get a TikTok from a friend and that turns into 20 minutes of swiping up, with nothing gained and valuable time lost.”
There are many methods to reduce phone usage.
“If I really want to lock in, then I’ll leave my phone in my room and go somewhere else. Just not having it around me makes it easier to focus.” said Maguire.
“I sometimes will delete apps from my phone if I know they’re too much for me while I’m trying to work,” said Bis. “Of course, I redownload and log back in as soon as I’m finished. Maybe that’s another problem.”
Not for lack of trying, college students have a hard time reducing their phone usage.
“I wish I never even got a cell phone sometimes,” said Mattessich. “I feel like it’s a reductive force in life. But you can’t close Pandora’s box.”
