It's one of the most common sights in our everyday lives and can be integral to your travel experience, but as we know, there are so many risks with owning a smartphone - it can even impact your sleep! So it's always worth recognising the potential dangers that can impact various aspects of who we are. So let's show you the overall risk factors.
Fraud Risks
There are so many different fraud risks that can compromise our personal information and our financial security.
From phishing (via email) and smishing (via SMS) to steal mobile phone numbers, passwords, and login IDs to malware hacking and public Wi-Fi vulnerability, it becomes so important to be vigilant, including regular software updates, using secure Wi-Fi networks, as well as multi-factor authentication and VPNs (virtual private networks).
This guide on how to stop tracking my phone provides more information about how a VPN can help you cover your tracks.
Physical Health Risks
Exposure to blue light can interfere with sleep, but there can be other physical health risks that we don't pay much attention to.
Of course, on a very basic level, if you spend a lot of your time being sedentary using your phone, this can result in adverse health problems later in life.
Additionally, prolonged smartphone use can lead to problems with your back and your neck, resulting in conditions such as trigger thumb and text neck.
Risks to Cognition and Behaviour
Not necessarily spoken of in the same breath as mental health problems, smartphones and apps are designed to capture and hold our attention, which can result in compulsive use and then cause issues concentrating on other tasks.
What's more, using social media excessively can, over time, promote narcissistic behaviour and reduce empathy and other essential social skills.
Social and Developmental Risks
Heavy smartphone use can lead to a reduction in face-to-face interactions, which can weaken real-life relationships.
This is particularly critical in terms of young children who are vulnerable to the negative effects of smartphones, which can impair cognitive and emotional development, resulting in an increased risk of ADHD and other concentration issues.
The Mental Health Risks
Excessive smartphone use can result in addiction, and it's something we've all felt: that compulsive need to check the phone and experience a sense of anxiety when our phone is not within our reach. High smartphone use is also linked to increased levels of depression and anxiety, particularly among teenagers who may compare themselves to others on social media.
We also need to remember this constant connectivity can blur work and personal life, causing higher stress levels and burnout, particularly when we are hopping from our work emails to our work phone and then to our home smartphone.
There's no such thing as giving our brain a rest anymore, and it's vital that we start to break the ties, particularly as many teenagers are now undergoing what is called a social media or smartphone detox.
So what is the answer? Is it about completely removing phones from our lives? Of course, it's not feasible in the way the world works, but once we understand these potential risks, we can better protect ourselves from a whole number of potential problems.
