< willowashmaple.sbs

By Willow (willowashmaple.sbs)

A real reason for smartphone addiction?

September 8, 2026

These days, it has become such a common occurrence to see people doing things on their smartphones while they watch TV or movie, while they listen to music, while waiting for something, and even while during a worship service.

Why has a smartphone become so addictive in a way a desktop or laptop computer never has?

I was thinking on this and I have a hypothesis.

A smartphone acts as a fidget. It can be held in a hand, and one would move their fingers to operate it. Like an autistic person may find a fidget very helpful in calming their overactive mind, or to help them focus, a lot of people subconsciously reach for their phone to deal with their stress, anxiety, and boredom as a way to self-regulate.

The only problem is that a smartphone brings more distraction, which makes it very different from a fidget.

----

Copyright 2022-2026 by the author.

Use of this site's content is subject to the terms of Cooperative Nonviolent Public License (CNPL) ver. 7+.
A summary of license terms.

return home
headlines
subscribe (rss)
tip jar