Week Three: An Interesting component

This week has been spent in communication with my High School Director and Dean. We are currently in the midst of finalizing and securing my testing conditions, so an update will be included in my Week Four blog post.

I feel as though I have made significant progress in my overall understanding of what causes cell phone dependency and related conditions, such as nomophobia (the fear or anxiety of not having your phone, or the anxiety caused by not being able to check or stay updated on it). I initially assumed that chronic phone dependency stemmed from individuals lacking dopamine sensitivity or impulse control, but the issue appears to be much more cultural than I anticipated. This problem has affected cultures around the world at a similar time, making it difficult to recognize as a visible shift from within.

A book that I’ve been reading, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, proposes that the increased dependence on phones among younger generations is tied to the developmental window between ages 9–15. During this period, the brain undergoes a second major growth phase, making children especially sensitive to their environment. In this stage, they move from primarily adopting family norms to actively absorbing and internalizing the norms of their peers and broader society. When social media and virtual platforms dominate that environment, it can significantly shape a teen’s sense of culture and connection. Research has linked this to increased loneliness, higher anxiety, and a reduced sense of meaningful connection with peers.

This is something I did not expect to find in my research. It’s something I will need to consider moving forward—whether the issue is the phone itself or the systems and companies that make it so compelling for kids to use it.