Moderation the key to avoiding smartphone obsession

Technology is so ubiquitous in Hong Kong that it perhaps comes as no surprise that along with Singapore, we've got Asia's, perhaps the world's, highest smartphone penetration rate. Some 87 per cent of mobile phones can connect to the internet, amounting to a lot of texting, tweeting, talking, posting and Facebook updating. So much is going on here and elsewhere that there is a global push among psychiatrists to have medical authorities recognise addiction to hand-held digital devices as a disorder so that it can be more effectively treated. But regardless of whether that happens, there is a simple reality that anything can be abused and moderation is the key.

Smartphones tap into a deep, primitive desire among human beings to know everything that is going on around them. Their portability means that they can be used at any place and time, and that is where the concern lies. Some people have become so obsessive about their smartphones that it occupies every waking minute. The word nomophobia has been coined to describe the phenomenon: "No mobile phone phobia".

The symptoms are easily recognisable: an inability to turn off mobile devices; constantly checking for e-mails, Facebook updates, missed calls and text messages; obsessively topping up battery levels; and taking the mobile everywhere, even to the toilet. The numbers of afflicted people are rising, with those aged between 18 and 24 the worst affected. In the most extreme cases, work, family and social life can suffer.

There are also physical consequences of over-use. Neck pain and eye strain are the most common, but there can also be dangers from using them while walking or driving - texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving while drunk. Managing usage requires discipline, strong will and a strategy. We can teach children by restricting when and where smartphones can be used, but it is through our own moderation that the best example can be set.