Smartphones: It’s Time to Confront Our Global Addiction | Dr. Justin Romano | TEDxOmaha

Adults are addicted just as much as children. I live with a phone addict and he is 71 and it is frustrating.

As a middle school teacher I would really appreciate a video like this that appeals directly to students. My students don’t know what dopamine is capable of. They don’t know what it is. They don’t know they are addicted.

Watching this and seeing it only has 31,000 views kind of backs the concept that no one wants to face this addiction or talk about it because we are almost all dealing with it in some way.

My name is David Riddle, I am 71-years old and have been self-employed as an inventor, designer, and manufacturer of technical products for more than 50-years. As a technologist, I have never seen any product available to the consumer, more rapidly adopted than the "highly addictive, fully programmable, hand-held, Pavlovian device known as the smart phone"! I own an internet based marketing and sales corporation, but I do not want, or own a "smartphone", I use a flip-phone. Because of this, I've been a keen observer of how the smartphone has absolutely altered the human experience, and I believe in the future, sociologists and anthropologists will point at Steve Jobs as the "destroyer of the human mind". I also believe that any parent that provides a child with a smartphone or tablet younger than 18-years old, is committing severe child abuse! How can the human mind possibly be introspective, contemplative, imaginative, and creative when it is being bombarded with millions of highly beguiling images, sounds, and texts? I hope the Dr. Romano's video will be watched by many millions, not just thousands of views.

Taking my kids to school in the morning, every kid waiting for the school bus have their faces in their phones. The world is in serious trouble.

Everyone is looking what they are putting in their stomachs. But no one is looking what they are putting in their heads. And thats one million times more important.

Who else is watching this while also doom scrolling through the comments? 😅

Honestly can't remember the last time I watched concert footage and didn't see upwards of 70% of the crowd more interested in the "likes" they'll receive from posting their video than they are with actually enjoying the artists in the moment

I'm decided to mitigate phone addiction complete , because I'm 20yr old from India and I realized that I live better life without phone , thatswhy from tomorrow I will gift this phone to my mom who really appreciate my decision and she also demand smartphone for watching youtube videos .. guys please pray for me , most probably you read this comment when I quit so I feel your prayers from nature ❤

Society has never been more in conflict with our biology as in the last two/three decades.

Our society is extremely sick. Phones used to be mounted on walls. Now people can't live without the cell phone addiction in one hand at all times.

I think the inventing of the smartphone is a curse more than a blessing

The issue is more complex than we imagine, I think. Like on TikTok you've got thousands of people diagnosing themselves with ADHD and autism, when it's clear that these people are completely addicted to and absorbed by their phones/social media, which in turn has stunted their abilities to socialise and concentrate on anything for a significant length of time. There's all the political misinformation too, with misinfo/conspiracy theories about important issues such as pandemics and vaccines, subjects that can literally change the face of society in a very short space of time.

I've recently gone back to a flip phone after having a smart phone for four years. I feel more peaceful now. ❤️

Yes, we must hold tech companies accountable, like we did with tobacco companies, to end smart phone addiction 😊

This is great. So true how no one is even acknowledging this addiction. I’ve given up preaching. I just worry about myself now. Thanks Dr Justin

Problem is no one looks up or listens long enough to do anything about it.

My whole family and colleges have this problem, while i just sit there without using my phone. I just like face to face talk.

I just talked to my 15 years old son. Smart kid, could perfectly read at the age of 4. What I see is that he is becoming less smart every day, to put it gently. He understands this addiction. I will keep trying to explain and set the good example. I just set up my wrist watch to be used as an alarm so I can leave my phone downstairs. The phones are quite distracting. Kids are not able to focus. Their mind is not clear. They have no patience. About the big tech companies. It's not only them, it is a LOT more. What do you think the economical impact would be if we all cut the use of our phones? The capitalism does not want that. They want hard working robots, brain washed and spending their monthly salaries as fast as they come. The phone plays a very big role in that. Phone is ALL ABOUT ADVERTISING, and ADVERTISING IS ALL ABOUT MONEY, and MONEY IS ALL ABOUT CAPITALISM, and CAPITALISM IS DISTROING OUR PLANET AND OUR LIVES. And we are all together in this capitalistic washing machine. Most of us are the laundry, and few of them are pushing the buttons on the machine and programming the machine.

I owned a phone for about 3 months, about 5yrs ago. I simply couldn't stand it, and i can't understand how others do...maybe i missed something. I'm happier without one.