Page 9 - Screen Addiction: A Teen Epidemic

has a deep-seated concern that she “I fi nd myself reaching for
might be unaware of something hap- my phone every few minutes,
pening on her phone or on social snatching it up when I get
stuck on a sentence I’m typing
media. Screen addiction experts call and need to ‘reset’ my mind by
this anxiety the fear of missing out, blankly scrolling.” 3
or FOMO. — Moya Lothian-McLean, an editor at

FOMO was fi rst defi ned by re- gal-dem
searchers at the University of Essex in
searchers at the University of Essex in
England as “the uneasy and sometimes all-
England as “the uneasy and sometimes all-
consuming feeling that you’re missing out—that
your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more
or something better than you.” Since social media gives the user
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a real-time or near-real-time window into the activities of others,
people today are much more aware of what their peers are doing.
As a result, concerns about being out of touch or left behind are
greater today than in the past.
The feelings are especially intense for teens, who have a deep
need to fi t in with their peers. Amy Summerville, a professor of
psychology at Miami University in Ohio, points out that such feel-
ings are not superfi cial. FOMO is an extension of the biological
need for socialization and inclusion. Once basic needs such as
food, shelter, and water are met, inclusion and social interaction
are high on the list of human needs.

A Source of Anxiety

Because the need for social acceptance is so deep, FOMO can be
strong and persistent, creating a mental health condition known
as anxiety. To alleviate this anxiety, people in the grips of FOMO
will check their devices. According to a Pew Research study, 45
percent of teens say that they spend hours online each day, with
most of that time spent checking social media. They do so not
out of genuine curiosity about their friends’ activities but rather to
soothe their emotions. Engaging in an activity to modify a mood
is a classic symptom of a behavioral addiction. “You let it go from

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