Experts warn about phone addiction

Parents are passing on their smartphone addiction to their kids. Researchers claim that adults are guilty of ‘phubbing’ — ignoring somebody in favour of their phone — and damaging their relationship with their children as a result.

When parents were unable to put down the devices, phone addiction was also shown to be much higher in teenagers.

The study, conducted by a public health team at China’s Lanzhou and Shenzhen universities, tracked smartphone use among almost 10,000 teenagers and found a clear correlation between them and their parents.

Dr Yanni Wang, writing in the Journal of Affective Disorders, said: “Adolescents had a higher tendency towards addiction when their parents excessively used smartphones.

“Overuse has become a social issue for adolescents, affecting personal lives and academic achievements. It can have debilitating effects on physical and mental health, causing fatigue, indigestion problems, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety and impulsiveness.”