Salaam young friends. Hope you are all doing well by the Grace of Almighty Allah. If you remember our last week’s chat, we talked about the age of information and the problems related to technology.
     Technology can be a blessing but also a curse. These days, most of us are constantly connected through high speed Internet on smart phones or mobile or tablet devices. Often, when these are taken away from us, we are left feeling a bit lost. Technology can thus also cause a lot of stress. Nomophobia is one such mental illness caused by technology, or lack of it.
     As we said last week, nomophobia is a term describing a growing fear in today’s world — the fear of being without a mobile device, or beyond mobile phone contact. In other words, nomophobia occurs in situations when an individual experiences anxiety due to the fear of not having access to a mobile phone. The "over-connection syndrome" occurs when mobile phone use reduces the amount of face-to-face interactions thereby interfering significantly with an individual’s social and family interactions. The term "techno-stress" is another way to describe an individual who avoids face-to-face interactions by engaging in isolation including psychological mood disorders such as depression.
     Anxiety is provoked by several factors, such as the loss of a mobile phone, loss of reception, and a dead mobile phone battery. Some clinical characteristics of nomophobia include using the device impulsively, as a protection from social communication, or as a transitional object. Observed behaviors include having one or more devices with access to internet, always carrying a charger, and experiencing feelings of anxiety when thinking about losing the mobile.
     Among today’s high school and college students, it’s on the rise. An increasing number of college students now shower with their cell phone. The average adolescent would rather lose a pinky-finger than a cell phone. A growing percentage text or tweet instead of actually talking to others.
     So what should we do to model a balanced approach for students?
     Be sure there are daily times you turn off the cell phone and experience either face-to-face conversations or solitude.
      Balance screen time and in-person time each week. For every hour you invest in front of a screen, you invest in human contact.
      Try a technology fast every month, where you actually go for a day or more without a computer, tablet or phone. You’ll feel liberated.
     Place your phone at least 15 feet away from you when you sleep at night. I realize you’ll have to get up to push "snooze,” but it’s safer this way.
     Block your day in time zones, where you spend time using technology, but also have blocks of time for organic, genuine interaction with people.
     We should be thankful to Almighty God for having blessed us with the gift of the intellect and more important, its proper use, which have helped us to advance at a rapid pace.