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Overuse of smartphones is akin to substance abuse and addiction, as per a recent study. People who use phones a lot seem to suffer from increased levels of feeling isolated, lonely, depressed and anxious. People who are extreme smartphone users switch between activities and find it hard to focus. There is a need to create awareness that such an addiction can leave us with little time to relax and rejuvenate mentally.

Addiction to social media technology can have a negative effect on social connections. The accompanying loneliness is partly a consequence of replacing face-to-face interaction with a form of communication where body language and other signals can’t be interpreted. Some tips:

• Electronic curfew means not using any electronic gadget 30 minutes before sleep.
• Take a Facebook holiday for seven days every three months.
• Avoid use of social media once in a week for the entire day.
• Use mobile when on the move.
• Do not use computer for more than three hours in a day.
• limit your mobile talk time to more than two hours in a day.
• Do not recharge your mobile more than once in a day.
• Mobile can also be a source of infection in the hospital; therefore, it is disinfected every day.

Courtesy Heart Care Foundation of India