How Digital Anxieties Are Shaping the Next Generation's Mental Health

In an instant, we can speak with someone on the other side of the world. We can share a photo of a breathtakingly beautiful sunset. We can record a video of the greatest moments in life, from weddings to proposals to heartfelt reunions. But in all of these situations, the very device that connects us also has the potential to ignite our deepest fears, stoking anxieties that didn't exist two decades ago.

The term “nomophobia” refers to the fear of being without a mobile device. While it isn't officially recognized by the DSM-5, a 2008 study from the United Kingdom found that more than half of surveyed subjects tend to be anxious when they lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage. ¹ Similarly, a 2010 study of mobile phone dependence among 200 college students found that 18.5% of respondents were nomophobic—a number that can be expected to rise over time as children who grew up with smartphones reach adulthood. ²

The advent of nomophobia is closely tied to two prevailing social anxieties: the fear of missing out (FoMo) and the fear of being offline (FoBo). These anxieties are largely characterized by the desire to stay connected with what others are doing, leading to higher levels of social media engagement and associations with lower need satisfaction, mood, and life satisfaction. ³ When we have the entire world at our fingertips, the waking world feels small by comparison—and people are compelled to compare. On social media, altered, staged, and frequently shared photos of other lifestyles ask one crushing question: is what you are doing with your life as great as the people you follow?

This question is particularly troubling for children who were born between 1995 and 2012. This generation—dubbed iGen by Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University—has never known life without smartphones. Many of them had an Instagram or Snapchat account before they ever reached high school, and rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. According to Twenge, iGen is “on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades.” ⁴ Unsurprisingly, smartphones and the anxieties associated with them are the principal cause.

Anxieties such as FoMo, FoBo, and nomophobia are particularly insidious because of their ties to a fear of being alone. According to the Monitoring the Future survey, modern teenagers are more likely to feel left out and lonely than previous generations. After the release of the iPhone in 2007, the percentage of respondents who often felt lonely climbed to 32%. How can the technology designed to keep us connected cause some of the most vulnerable members of society to feel so forgotten?

When we spend time with people we care about, engage in exciting experiences, and enjoy being in the moment, we build independence by realizing our passions. But for iGen, this independence may be more difficult to attain. They grew up navigating an online world that provided instant gratification in the form of likes and comments. In the real world, gratification isn't as simple, and treating the mental health deterioration of this generation will require a careful examination of the role smartphones play in building one's personal sense of identity. After all, it's easy to tell people to disconnect from their phones every so often; it's far more difficult to tell teens to enjoy experiences without a smartphone at hand.

Overcoming the anxieties of our new high-tech lifestyles begins with the understanding that these anxieties can be treated in the same way as traditional phobias. Exposure therapy can teach individuals to reduce anxiety, and in the case of nomophobia, periodically turning off technology is the first step toward becoming comfortable with periods of disconnectedness. People must also understand the root cause of their reliance on mobile phones and social media—what needs are not being met in the real world that contributes to nomophobia, FoMo, and FoBo, and how those needs can be fulfilled by non-digital sources.

A “digital detox” sounds antithetical to the role technology is intended to play in our lives. In an ideal world, we would feel more connected and informed than ever—but in reality, we feel anxious and alone, increasingly unfamiliar with the sensation of not being able to be reached. For teens and adults alike, this sensation can be a good thing, just as connectedness can be a welcome way to interact with people. But living on our own terms teaches us what we truly care about. When we aren't comparing our lives to everyone else's highlight reels, we can reacquaint ourselves to the things that truly make us happy. We must encourage ourselves, and younger generations, to put the phone down every so often and experience life as it was meant to be lived: in the moment, without needing to document a single thing.