Cell phones and teen angst
p2p news / p2pnet: Some South Korean technical high school students who used their phones “more than 90 times a day” often did so because they were, “unhappy or bored,” says a new survey.
“They scored significantly higher on tests measuring depression and anxiety than students who used their phones a more sedate 70 times daily,” says the Los Angeles Times.
The news came during an American Psychiatric Association meeting in Toronto which revealed the study, “was among the first to explore the emotional significance of teens’ cellphone habits as the device becomes more entrenched in today’s youth culture”.
Lead author and psychiatrist Dr Jee Hyan Ha said heavy cellphone users involved in his study weren’t clinically depressed.
“Rather, he said, the students probably had some serious cases of teen angst,” states the LA Times.
“The youths may have been unhappy because of a problem in their lives or anxious about their social status. ‘They are trying to make themselves feel better by reaching out to others,’ he said.”
The 575 students were mostly boys whose average age was 15, says the story, adding:
“The heaviest users were communicating by cellphone on average about every 10 minutes during waking hours. The vast majority of their usage was in text messages. They continually checked their phones for messages and often became irritated when people didn’t call right back.”
Also See:
Los Angeles Times – Teens’ Heavy Cellphone Use Could Signal Unhappiness, Study Finds, May 24, 2006
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