Today, smartphones are a significant and helpful part of our daily lives. Unfortunately, they can also be highly addictive. Obsessive smartphone use can be a sign of mood disorder, emotional distress, or unresolved trauma, especially for teens. The compulsive use of a smartphone can negatively affect a teen’s mental health and overall wellness and become just as big of a problem as other types of addiction. Understanding smartphone addiction and knowing how to help your teen use their phone less can help the whole family thrive.
If your son or a teen boy you love is showing signs of smartphone addiction, call the team at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery today. Our holistic clinic helps adolescent boys recover from smartphone addiction and other processes addictions alongside co-occurring disorders and substance abuse. Call us today at 866.300.5275 to learn more about helpful solutions for smartphone addictions.
What Is Smartphone Addiction?
Smartphones are a vital part of daily life. However, regular use can easily become a process of addiction. A process addiction is a compulsive behavior that negatively affects a person’s overall health. Today, most process addictions are technology-based, like social media, video games, and smartphones. Usually, this compulsive behavior is self-soothing and self-regulating to avoid painful emotions, de-stress, and escape the pressures of daily life.
Today, teenagers face social, academic, and economic stress every day alongside changing hormones. In many cases, smartphone addiction provides an escape from daily stressors and difficult emotions. Signs of smartphone addiction include:
- Constant use that interferes with daily activities
- Obsessive social media scrolling despite an emotional upset
- Texting while driving
- Obsessing over what someone else has posted
- Insomnia and changes in sleep habits from excessive phone use
- Irrational behavior when their phone is missing, taken away, or lost
- Anxiety and depression related to smartphone use
These are only a few signs smartphone use has turned into an addiction. As a parent, smartphone addiction and emotional responses may seem irrational and avoidant. These are signs it’s time to seek mental health support for your teen. Unfortunately, smartphone addiction can lead to risk-taking behavior, drug abuse, and other process disorders.
Holistic Smartphone Addiction Solutions
Smartphones have many benefits, but balancing technology and the present moment is essential in smartphone addiction recovery. Here are some things to try at home:
- Phone free meals or phone free evenings as a family
- Put screentime limits on the phone
- Make phone use a reward
- Help your teen engage in activities they love
- Practice mindfulness and meditation
Stopping smartphone use cold turkey may not always be feasible. Most times, it’s also unrealistic to stop using a smartphone completely. That’s why it’s crucial to create a home environment that promotes mindful, present-moment activities. By spending more time with your teen and promoting less technology at home, you can help them establish healthy boundaries with technology. At the same time, it’s important to see professional mental health support for your teen to address the root causes of smartphone addiction.
Support Your Teen’s Recovery at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery
If your son needs treatment for smartphone addiction, the team at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery can help. Our programs help teenage boys recover from process addictions, substance abuse, disordered eating, and co-occurring mood disorders. Our clients love disconnecting from their smartphones and reconnecting to the natural world with onsite equine-assisted therapy.
With a range of alternative and evidence-based therapies, the teenage boys at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery disconnect from their digital lives. They can then find themselves in the natural wonder of North Carolina. Call us at 866.300.5275 today to learn more about teen smartphone addiction solutions and how the team at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery can help your whole family thrive.
