Nomophobia is described as the psychological condition of intense fear, anxiety, and agitation that people experience when they are separated from their mobile device. Nomophobia is shown to manifest through phone addictions or generalized anxiety disorders. In a recent meta-analysis, it is shown that roughly 94% of people have nomophobia and 1 in 5 people experience extreme symptoms. It is shown that nomophobia is most prevalent in college students, with the percentage of students showing symptoms being as high as 97%.  

While smartphones were originally created to make lives easier, they have also created a dependency on them. Today, almost everything can be done on a phone or digital device, like schoolwork, talking to others, working, and many other things. Senior Yesenia Stein talks about how involved she is with her phone in her day-to-day life, saying, “I’m definitely addicted to my phone; I literally have everything on it, so it’s hard to not be addicted. It is how I communicate with friends, my boss, and my college. Literally, I can’t live without it. It’s especially addicting because how else would I listen to music or go on TikTok to wind down?” 

Social media updates and instant messaging keep phone users constantly engaged with their phones, which also makes it hard for many people to put their phones down. Senior Mia Starling says that she feels, “like I am addicted to my phone and scroll endlessly on TikTok.” Senior Lily Wiers says, “I am addicted to my phone because that’s how I communicate with all my friends.” These two seniors also show how digital devices have become a primary way for students to communicate with each other and to relax and wind down. 

But some students do not see the issue as completely impossible to manage. Senior Luna Nunez gave the advice that, “When you feel addicted to your phone, take a break from it and use a fidget or something.” Small actions like this can help reduce the amount of time you spend on your phone, which can be beneficial in the long run.  

But other than addiction and anxiety that stems from digital devices, excessive phone use has also been scientifically proven to negatively affect brain health and can decrease grey matter volume in the brain, which is responsible for emotion and impulse control. Endlessly scrolling on apps like TikTok, consistently using apps like ChatGPT, and excessive screentime has been shown to cause people to act out, have little self-control, and also have emotional responses due to the prefrontal cortex’s grey matter volume decreasing. It also can make people, especially teenagers due to their brains still developing, feel anxious, have difficulty concentrating without their phones, and a strong urge to check their phone when it is taken away from them, even for short amounts of time. Research is still being conducted, but scientists seem to be the most concerned about where it will leave teenagers and adolescents due to their brains not being fully developed and having an addiction to something so early on in life. 

As technology continues to evolve and grow over time, so does its everyday impact on all lives. As nomophobia becomes more common, learning to find a balance between staying connected and taking a step back is very important due to the long-term effects of our phones. 

Jack Stanton, Staff Leader

Senior Jack Stanton is a staff writer for the 2025-2026 Colonel News Magazine. He is a Certified Nursing Assistant, loves a vanilla iced latte, and loves Beyonce!