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Given that we re back in lockdown, it s easier than ever to slip into a cycle of doomscrolling, swiping and screen-staring morning, noon and night (same). Hey, it s not like there s a whole tonne else to be doing. right? But if you re starting to feel like your phone habits are more in control of you than you are of them, it could be worth seeing if you re showing any of the signs of phone addiction. Yup, it s a thing.
Pamela Roberts, a Priory psychotherapist at the Priory’s Woking Hospital in Surrey, explains that it s not only substances, but behaviours, that can leave you trapped in a vicious cycle. We are increasingly aware that behaviours, not just substances, can become addictive, and this raises the question of whether a phone is ‘addictive’ (and certainly smartphone apps are built to encourage more-ish behaviour), or whether the person has an addictive personality.