Originally posted on https://www.destinationsforteens.com/destinations-blog/cell-phone-addiction-symptoms/

Parents all over the country have concerns about their teen’s obsession with their cell phones. By any measure, this a very reasonable concern. In fact, teens are at risk of not learning how to interact with other people without some device standing between the two individuals. It’s gotten to the point that the mental health treatment community has officially endorsed the concept of cell phone addiction. It’s troubling that cell phone addiction symptoms are becoming very prevalent among teenagers. Therefore, to better understand what’s going on and how to deal with it, let’s look at teen cell phone addiction.

DESCRIBING CELL PHONE ADDICTION SYMPTOMS

It’s easy to see the battle about cell phone usage between teens and their parents/teachers at every turn. However, it’s not really the fault of teens that have lived their lives at a time when technology innovation is rampant. It’s more a matter of parents and teens not yet knowing how to navigate this new terrain.

With that said, addiction is addiction. They are teens that don’t know when to put down their cell phones. In many cases, they can’t put them down. As a result, they begin to exhibit legitimate teenage cell phone addiction symptoms. For a better understanding of what cell phone addiction symptoms looks like, here’s a few cell phone worth mentioning:

• Reluctance to handle personal responsibilities like homework
• Obsession with texting and impatiently awaiting replies
• Constantly pulling out a cell phone from purse or pocket
• Unwillingness to interact at family gatherings
• First thing to look at in the morning, last thing to look at before bed
• Constant worrying about battery life
• Inability to create personal relationships

TREATING TEENAGE CELL PHONE ADDICTION

If a youngster exhibits teenage cell phone addiction symptoms, then addiction treatment might well be the only solution. In a cell phone addiction treatment center in California, the treatment professionals understand the severity of the problem. Their primary method of treatment is usually an evidence-based therapy option like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

The premise of these two options is to get the client to recognize their thoughts or feelings. The only way anyone can realistically get them to understand the need to change their behavior is to make them see its destructiveness. In conjunction with parental participation, therapy also has a good chance of helping the teen and eliminating their cell phone addiction symptoms.

FINDING ADDICTION SOLUTIONS

There’s more to addiction treatment programs than just treating the addiction. There’s also the need to look out for the overall welfare of the client. The key to success lies in the approach. In most progressive treatment facilities, that could include the implementation of the aforementioned evidence-based therapies and holistic treatment options.

If you see your teen slipping away because of their inability to separate from their cell phone, you need to take action. It helps if you, as the parent, can recognize the onset of cell phone addiction symptoms. If the symptoms are there, you need to consider getting help from a reputable addiction treatment. It would be a mistake to think things will eventually work out. The truth is teen cell phone addiction is a serious problem, and you as the parent have to address it.