For most people, a smartphone is a valuable tool, but for others it can become a dangerous obsession. This article provides some tips you can use to spot a budding smartphone addiction in yourself or someone you love.

Smart phones have been on the market only a short time, but they have already made a profound impact on consumer culture. It is impossible to go anywhere in a major city without dodging pedestrians staring down at their phones, and texting drivers are even worse.

At their best, smart phones help people get more done and allow them to stay in touch with family members and friends. Unfortunately, smartphones also have their downside, and some smartphone users have even become addicted to their devices.

If you recognize any of these signs in your child — or yourself —it may be time to put down the device.

You Can’t Stop Downloading Apps

One of the great things about smartphones is all the fun apps you can download. One of the first thing most smart phone owners do is download a fear basic apps — things like mapping programs, security applications and music apps You might even download a few games here and there, but if your phone contains dozens of apps and you use them all every day, you might want to make time for some non-phone related activities.

You Keep Buying New Accessories

If you have spent more for accessories than you did for your phone, you might have a problem. There is certainly nothing wrong with outfitting your phone with a good pair-of headphones or a dock for your bedside table. but constantly searching out new accessories is a sign of smart phone addiction.

Your Phone Bill is More Than Your Car Payment If you have had to cut back on real necessities to afford your smart phone bill, you need to take a step back and rethink your priorities. Having a smart phone is fun. and the devices can be quite useful, but the cost of having one should not interfere with the rest of your life. If your-smart phone is that high, pull a copy of your most recent statement and look for ways to cut back.

You Rely on Your Phone to Tell You What to Do and Where to dolt

Smart phones should enhance our lives and help us get more done. They should not become replacements for our brains or-our common sense. If you need to set an alarm on your phone to remind you to go to lunch with a friend or pick up your kids from school, you may have a smart phone addiction. There is nothing wrong with relying on technology to some degree, but if you cannot function without your phone, there is a problem.

Your Phone Lives on the Charger

If your battery is dead by the end of the day, you might be using your smartphone a tad too much. Modem smart phones have batteries that should be able to last several days under normal use. If the first thing you do when you get home is plug your phone into the charger, you may want to cut back on your talk and text time.

Panic Sets in When You Forget Your Phone

If you cannot be without your phone without having a panic attack, you are probably addicted to the device. While forgetting your phone can be a major inconvenience, it should not be a life-altering event.

Smartphone addiction may not rise to the level of alcoholism or drug addiction. but it should be taken seriously. The dangers posed by texting and driving, is just one example of how the overuse of smart phones impacts society. If you recognize any of the above symptoms in yourself or a friend, you might want to rethink how you use your smart phone.