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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask if this hits you hard?

133 replies

Sadmac · 03/01/2022 20:11

virtual-addiction.com/smartphone-compulsion-test/

I scored 11 points. I feel angry and upset that I've let my smartphone take over parts of my life. I don't really read books any more. My phone is on the bedside table at night and it's the last thing I do before I sleep, and the first thing I do when I wake up. When I leave my phone at home to go for a walk, I feel free, but if it's on my person then I have to check it. My DP gets upset that I check my phone when we are supposed to be doing something together. I'm self employed so my phone is integral to my day-to-day business, but needing it by my side has encouraged more and more mindless and pointless scrolling!

I think phone addiction is more serious than we are letting on. I know I'm not the only one. Anyone out there feel the same way I do and desperately want to change?

OP posts:

merryhouse · 03/01/2022 21:20

Bit daft to suggest leaving it at home when you go for walks.

Surely when you're out on your own is the one time you most need your phone?

I suspect my score is lower than it might be simply because I like to use my laptop instead - that does mean I don't usually scroll in bed or during ad breaks, though.

Wife2b · 03/01/2022 21:24

I scored 7 which surprised me, middle road. My husband on the other hand would score full marks - hard to part him from the thing, I do fantasise about throwing it from the window from time to time .

godmum56 · 03/01/2022 21:33

@SilentBob

I broke it. Not sure if that's because I was off the scale at the 'good' end or the 'bad' one...

I broke it too. Answered all noes so it threw a hissy. At least once a week my phone battery runs out and i don't notice.....I don't think I am addicted

eagerlywaitingfor · 03/01/2022 21:33

I only answered 'yes' to two, but when submitted it just said there had been an error.

Elphame · 03/01/2022 21:39

No.

My phone is on night mode from 9pm to 9am so doesn't ping me. If I do go out without it then other than a fleeting moment of irritation I then forget I haven't got it with me.

If it is with me then yes I'll check it which does worry me a bit. I need to work on leaving it at home more often.

Elphame · 03/01/2022 21:40

@eagerlywaitingfor

I only answered 'yes' to two, but when submitted it just said there had been an error.

I got that too.

Clearly it only wants responses from those who feel they have a problem!

musicviking1 · 03/01/2022 21:45

I keep getting an error!

unim · 03/01/2022 21:46

Well, goodness - if I didn't use my phone all the time, I'd get so much less necessary stuff done. It's great to be all Zen, but who will order the groceries, have the phone on to receive emergency calls from school/nursery, or see the email that says when a parcel has been left outside the door?

I think this is gendered. For me it is a massive time-saver and efficiency boost. If somebody is trying to live without their phone, I would question who is picking up the labour to allow them to do this.

tearinghairout · 03/01/2022 21:53

I changed my behaviour after watching the David Baddiel TV investigation into trolls etc, and his addiction to Twitter. Over Christmas I didn't look at it for two whole days. It's easy to get sucked into thinking you're missing out if you're not checking it all the time, but you're really not.

CatherinedeBourgh · 03/01/2022 21:55

I scored 1 and it told me an error occurred.

Obviously it can’t cope.

Kljnmw3459 · 03/01/2022 21:58

I'm definitely very reliant on my phone, at the moment it's helping me pay the bills so it's hard to put it down when I keep thinking I might miss out on earnings if I don't keep an eye on it constantly. Something I really need to work on this year.

Walking4You · 03/01/2022 22:06

Well… I probably scored quite low (I had the error occurred too) but that’s because I use the iPad rather than my phone to mindlessly scroll (and MN)

But yes it’s a good tool to realise how dependent one can be…
Not an easy habit to break.

thenightsky · 03/01/2022 22:15

I just got 'Error Occurred' and no score or anything. Rubbish.

Alcemeg · 03/01/2022 22:16

I hate mobile phones, but only because the screen is so small. I prefer my laptop. Which I do spend a lot of time on. But the question is, what did I used to do instead, in the days before internet/laptops? I used to watch telly. I don't even have a telly now. So although I spend a lot of time on my laptop, I am less passive than I used to be about what I'm feeding my brain. I look up things I'm interested in, and educate myself, or engage in online conversations such as this one. I find fitness channels and learn how to do things. I don't consider that wasted time. Of course not all my browsing is focused! - but down time is also valuable in its own way.

DH and I live in the middle of nowhere and we went out for a walk this afternoon. On our way back, we passed a goatherd and waved hello. He was scrolling through his smartphone. "The modern goatherd!" we laughed to each other, but DH then added, " In the olden days that would have been a flask of wine."

We have to pass the time somehow.

What I do hate to see is people playing with their phones instead of talking to each other. That's depressing. Why bother with company that you're not interested in?

Concestor · 03/01/2022 22:22

It won't work for me, won't give me a score. It's it just adding up your yes answers?

DowntonCrabby · 03/01/2022 22:25

Yes, the annoyance of filling in the form for it to then display an error message twice in a row hits me hard OP! It’s infuriating!

Thickasmincepie · 03/01/2022 22:28

I'm def anxious without it, but then, dh and I work a fair distance away in opposite directions. Ds is early high school and home alone a lot. Other dc is in childminder. Both of us can get caught up in traffic snarls/ have to work late in an instant. No phone is a recipe for chaos.

Gwenhwyfar · 03/01/2022 22:30

"It's a kind of daft / simplistic quiz though"

Yep. Do you spend more time on your phone than you realise? How can anyone give a proper answer to that?
I got 'error' after I submitted my replies.

JeffThePilot · 03/01/2022 22:37

Error occurred.

But the only one I said no to was whether use had been increasing lately. Mostly because that would be impossible.

(I don’t ever use it while driving, but do during other activities which require focus and concentration, like cooking)

BlingLoving · 03/01/2022 22:38

The test is crashing (probably all these MN users) but I think many of the questions are simplistic. For a start, the issue is not the phone, which is a tool, but whether there's too much mindless scrolling and internet usage. eg, there's a question that asks something about whether scrolling on my phone is something I do to delay doing other things - the answer to that is no. But if you ask me if surfing the internet/ MN/Twitter on my computer is sometimes something I do when I should be doing other things, the answer is yes. But that's a separate issue entirely.

Also, yes, I am very uncomfortable being without my phone if I go somewhere - because in this day and age, it is how we all communicate. When we were little, if my parents went out for dinner, the babysitter knew what restaurant they were at and could call if there was a problem or, if they were at a friend's house, the landline was provided. If they went to a show, my mother would call from a pay phone at interval.... none of that is necessary anymore because if someone needs to reach me they can simply call me. So I'm not in the slightest bit concerned that I don't want to be without my phone and am uncomfortable leaving it at home when I'm out for the day.

Thickasmincepie · 03/01/2022 22:39

And is shopping on your phone worse than shopping in real life? I've had some great furniture bargains this Xmas (new house) thanks to marketplace. How many hours would that have taken, trawling round?

Thickasmincepie · 03/01/2022 22:40

My phone tells me how much time I spend on it.

But I don't look

Benjispruce5 · 03/01/2022 22:42

I think I have mine to hand too often because we no longer have a landline handset. When my Dd is at uni it’s the only way she can contact me so I keep it with me. We’ve got so used to immediate contact. Definitely a NY resolution for me.

Benjispruce5 · 03/01/2022 22:43

In my defence I use my phone for reading the news, shopping etc so those things are important and probably save me time in some ways.

godmum56 · 03/01/2022 22:53

@Thickasmincepie

My phone tells me how much time I spend on it.

But I don't look

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