King’s College London researchers have found that up to 30 percent of teenagers, young adults and children are afflicted by Problematic Smartphone Usage in an analysis of 40-plus studies.
Currently, PSU is now considered a psychiatric disorder, but what exactly does it mean?
Problematic Smartphone Usage is a condition where the user exhibits behavior that’s similar to addiction, e.g., feeling upset and frustrated when their devices are unavailable, uncontrollable time spent using phones and wanting to use the phone instead of other enjoyable activities.
Furthermore, PSU was said to be associated with poor sleep quality, daily functional impairment, stress, anxiety and depression.
The study covered 41 previous articles and more than 40,000 young adults and children. The London researchers have said that there’s a link between the condition and mental health issues and concludes with a statement that says there’s a need to develop assessment tools to recognize PSU in children and young adults so an intervention or help can be provided.
