Two hours a day: strange effects of smartphone use on mental health revealed

There is a widespread belief that hanging out on gadgets does not bring anything good, but is fraught with complete harm. But a new study suggests that using a mobile phone for two hours a day may reduce the risk of mental health problems. Teens who used their phone 1-2 hours a day were better off than those who didn’t—they were less likely to experience stress, depression, suicide, or alcohol abuse.

A new study has found that using a mobile phone for a couple of hours a day can reduce the risk of mental health problems, writes the Daily Mail.

Researchers from Hanyang University in South Korea found that people aged 13 to 18 who used their phone less than two hours a day had a lower risk of depression, sleep problems, stress, suicidal thoughts and alcohol dependence than their peers who did not use it at all.

But more than four hours of telephone communication was associated with a 22 percent risk of these health problems.

While most studies have shown that excessive screen time can be detrimental to our well-being, the researchers say their findings suggest that small amounts may be “beneficial” when it comes to phone use at a young age.

Researchers say using cell phones a little is beneficial for social purposes, which can help combat loneliness and isolation. But spending too much time on smartphones can be a sign of unhappiness in other areas of people’s lives, as unhappy people may be more prone to it.

“One to two hours of use was protective against suicide attempts…Based on our results, using smartphones less than two hours a day even appears to be beneficial for mental health compared with no use,” the researchers said.

“Our study found that adverse health effects emerged after four hours of smartphone use, which is consistent with previous studies,” they added.

The researchers examined data from 2017 and 2020 from 50,000 teenagers in the Korea Youth Risk Behavior web survey, which contains 103 questions on physical and mental health.

A survey on smartphone use was also conducted in 2017 and again in 2020.

Researchers examined the relationship between phone use and health outcomes, taking into account other factors such as age, gender and socioeconomic status.

Compared to the health scores of people who didn’t use their phones, teens who used their phones less than two hours a day were 30 percent less likely to experience stress and 27 percent less likely to have poor sleep. They were also 38% less likely to become depressed, 43% less likely to be suicidal, and 47% less likely to abuse alcohol.

These associations were consistent among teens who used their phones two to four hours a day.

Compared to people who didn’t use their phones at all, they were 29 percent less stressed and 34 percent less depressed. They were also 40% less likely to commit suicide and 27% less likely to abuse alcohol.

The researchers stressed that bias could creep into the surveys, as previous studies have shown that teens with emotional regulation difficulties may be more prone to excessive smartphone use.

The team found that phone use had a negative health impact when it lasted four to six hours or more, compared to those who did not use it. Compared to those who used their phone for less than four hours a day, people who used it for more than four were more likely to be obese and have poor mental health.

This is believed to be due to the fact that they spend more time on their phones instead of exercising, the Daily Mail notes.

Increased social media use is also associated with unhappiness as people compare themselves and their lives to others online. They also had a higher risk of stress, depression, poor sleep and suicide.

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE. Previous research has shown that about a third of all American adults are at risk of becoming addicted to their smartphone.