What is phubbing, a symptom of mobile addiction

Al-Saggaf, who was conducting a research visit within the framework of the ICS 2022-2023 Challenge, was surprised to find that face-to-face meetings at the Navarrese campus were not frequently interrupted by looking at the screen. I thought it was a universal phenomenon, but Glad to see it’s not so common here”, he pointed.

According to the professor, phubbing It is a symptom of drug addiction. smart phones. That’s why, with the constant need to look at his cell phone, “every notification assumes that our lives are interrupted,” he warned. He also pointed out that this phenomenon has increased after the pandemic due to greater dependence on these devices.

According to him, the features of the mobile phone (easy access, applications to perform any task, etc.) phubbing. This adds to other factors such as avoidance seeking, the need to know what others are doing, or group pressure. “with access smart phones by the younger generation and the proliferation of new social networks like TikTok, phubbing It will become more frequent,” he said.

Close people most affected

Yeslam Al-Saggaf recently published a scientific paper on this phenomenon and its “terrible” consequences on the quality of relationships and psychological well-being. The study concludes that the people who are most overlooked for looking at their cell phones are the closest people: spouse, family and friends. “They have stronger relationships and confidence that the other can forgive or tolerate this behavior,” she thought. The study found that customers, bosses, and strangers were less ignored.

The researcher warned of negative psychological consequences for both exercisers. phubbing As for the sufferer. On the one hand, it can cause conflicts in couples, jealousy, worse relationship quality and less satisfaction with living together. Even cases of depression have been reported.

Regarding their negative impact on children, “they feel abandoned, rejected, unhappy because of their relationship with their parents, and this may encourage them to engage in social relationships.” tyranny or become addicted to mobile phones”. Likewise, the rest of the family and friends may feel left out, alone, and may notice a deterioration in the quality of their personal relationships.

Yeslam Al-Saggaf is researching this phenomenon at ICS to suggest strategies to combat it. The expert was invited to participate in the ICS 2022-2023 Contest ‘Youth, relationships and psychological well-being’ whose aim is to examine psychological well-being in adolescence and youth.