A study shows people are addicted to their mobile phones and their inability to disconnect could be endangering their health.
The Australia-first study at Monash University, measuring nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia) and its consequences, shows 99.2% of users have some fear of being without their phone.
And for 13.2% of the population, their level of nomophobia is severe – leading to an increased risk of dependence and dangerous use.
The study has been published and researchers say young people aged 18 to 25 had the highest level of nomophobia and males were almost twice as likely to engage in dangerous use than females.
In Australia, 84% of the population has mobile phone internet access, and there are more mobile phone subscriptions than people (109.6 per 100 inhabitants).
The study found users with nomophobia were 11.7 times more likely to have a problematic phone dependency and 10.3 times more likely to use their phone in a prohibited space, like a library, classroom or cinema. They were also 14 times more likely to engage in dangerous use – such as while driving, cycling or walking.
