A majority of young adults in Finland blame smartphone use for damaging wellbeing among their peers, according to a new survey.
The study examined people's opinions about smart device usage, and found that most of them think they use them to excess — and many have tried to cut down on their use of the devices.
Nearly 80 percent of young adults pointed to the use of social media as a significant reason for the increased distress of people in their age group.
Just over half (52%) of the respondents said they feel using smart devices has harmed their ability to concentrate.
The survey was commissioned by pension insurance company Elo and the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) and carried out by E2 Research and experts from the funding organisations.
Around 1,000 Finns between the ages of 18 and 30 took part in the survey, which examined the impacts smart devices and social media are having on working life, as well as how young people may be trying to reduce the harms caused by smart devices.
As many as 82 percent of the young adult respondents said they use their smartphones more than they would like, and a majority (62%) said they have tried to do that, as 68 percent of them said they think cutting down on screen time would help them feel better.
"The most common ways of managing smart device use include disabling or muting notifications, taking breaks from device use during work or study days, deleting social media and gaming apps, and leaving the phone in another room," an E2 Research press release explained.
However, the survey also found that making long-term changes in that regard is more challenging.
People are drawn to their screens for a number of reasons, including social pressure, demands at work and the digitalisation of services in general, according to the survey findings.
More than five hours a day
More than three-quarters of respondents admitted to using social media at least three hours per day, and more than a third said they were on social media platforms for more than five hours a day.
"In practice, this means that nearly 400,000 young adults spend more than five hours a day on social media. For an individual, that amounts to roughly 150 hours per month, and according to the results, a large share of this time is spent on random browsing of content. Even a moderate reduction in social media use would free up time for work, studies and spending time with loved ones," E2's research chief, Ville Pitkänen, said in the release.
However, the firm also said that social media and smart devices also have positive impacts, including being a source of entertainment, facilitating communication and easing aspects of daily life.
"Among young adults who are active in working life, many feel that social media provides work-related information and inspiration," it said.
Women were more likely to cite negative effects of device usage than men. In that regard, the proportions were around 57 percent for women and 26 percent for men.
Additionally, 43 percent of women said they think their smart devices had contributed to negative effects on their self-esteem or self-image, while 16 percent of men said the same.
Some of the young adult respondents also cited other negative impacts.
"More than one-third (38%) report that devices have caused insomnia or worsened sleep quality, and nearly one-third (31%) feel that smart device use has reduced their productivity at work or in studies," the release read.
About one-fifth of respondents said they would like access to support or tools to manage their smart device usage. Some also said they would like more information regarding the harmful effects of using the devices too much.
