Impact of Digital Addiction Through Mobile Phones on the Mental Health of Youth an Empirical Study

Abstract

Today's youth's use of cell phones has drastically altered their behavioural patterns, leading to a phenomena that is becoming more widely recognized as digital addiction. With a focus on stress, sleep disturbance, social interactions, self-esteem, anxiety, and academic performance, this study examines the effects of excessive mobile phone use on young people's mental health and wellness. Fifty students, evenly selected from undergraduate and graduate programs, were given a structured questionnaire survey. The results indicate that a sizable portion of respondents use their mobile devices for more than four hours per day, mostly for communication and social media. The study provides strong evidence linking excessive internet use to detrimental effects on mental health, such as elevated stress, disturbed sleep, short attention spans, social isolation, and compromised coping strategies. The majority of respondents indicated that they needed to restrict how much time they spent on their devices, indicating both knowledge of the issue and a lack of self-control. These results add to the increasing amount of data advocating for institutional and individualized organized digital wellness treatments.