Question

"Smart phone addiction is a problem affecting millions of people, often holding them back from experiencing the joy of basic everyday life. This addiction consistently leads to an increased likelihood of health issues like anxiety and depression, and increases the chances of car accidents as well as other safety concerns related to excessive smart phone use. My goal is to investigate healthy smart phone practices that can easily be adopted by the masses, in order to promote healthier and safer lifestyles."

What would my independent and dependent variable be?

Answer 1

Smart Phone - A healthier Companion?

After only about a decade, smartphone technology is so successful that businesses and employees have trouble imagining a day without them. Besides making phone calls, nearly all smartphones today can natively provide directions through GPS, take pictures, play music and keep track of appointments and contacts. Through the installation of apps, the list of possible smartphone uses multiplies by tens of thousands and grows longer everyday.

Steps to Make the Use of Smartphone Healthier

• Set up "be healthy" appointments. Let your reminder function prompt you to do more than get to your next meeting on time. You can use it to remind you to take your medication or vitamins and schedule workouts (making it less likely that you'll bail). If you tend to be a night owl, set the alarm in the evening to prompt you to go to bed on time.
• Use your timer. We know we're supposed to brush our teeth for two minutes. But how many of us do it? Let your smartphone timer help you. Have time management issues? Use the timer to track how long it takes you to do basic things (clean up the kitchen, write a weekly report). Once you know how long something takes (what seems like 15 minutes is really half an hour) you'll be better able to schedule tasks and prioritize. Your timer can help you firm up, too. Use it to time how long you hold plank pose, or any other move that has a time element to it.
• Track your progress. Fitness apps can be used for tracking a variety of workouts, so be sure to make the most of yours. Basic features include tracking your speed, number of steps, distance, elevation, and route, all of which can be shared socially. Some apps, such as Cardiotrainer, egg you on by letting you compete with users around the world. The Nike+ app keeps a record of your runs and, based on your goal, tells you how many miles you need to cover during your next workout.
• Manage a medical condition. Some apps offer a one-stop destination for managing complex health problems. For example, a person with fibromyalgia could use “PatientsLikeMe” to track pain levels, migraines, medications and treatments along with outcomes -- all of which can be shared with your doctor, either through printouts or via the interface. It also stores lab reports, appointments, and tracks refills.
• Eat healthy. Fooducate takes the guesswork out of deciphering food labels. Scan the UPC code and the app instantly evaluates the ingredients; it even recommends healthier alternatives in the same category. Food Facts is handy for looking up nutritional values for the ingredients in a recipe -- especially helpful to the home cook who isn't relying on labels for info such as total calorie count.
• Motivate yourself; People customized their smartphone alarm by recording a message that would have a Marine drill sergeant shaking in his boots

7 Ways to Improve Your Relationship with Your Smartphone

• Have No Phone Zones

Stop charging your phone in your bedroom, because that’s where you recharge yourself. More importantly, it’s where you have sex. The kitchen table is another popular no-phone zone, particularly for parents who want their kids to reap the research-backed benefits of family dinners, for one. They might also learn an important lesson about not touching their gross phones before shoving chicken fingers into their face

• Institute No Phone Times, Too

Just like there are places to set limits on smartphone use, they should be avoided during playtime and bedtime. Once you’re home from work and have your family in one space, there’s really no need for it after you’re off the clock. Everything from your sleep, to your marriage, to your work-life balance, to your kid will benefit from unplugging as much as possible anytime you don’t have to be, which is often evening hours.

• Go on a Social Media Cleanse

For that alert people of your temporary virtual absence, which may mean posting one of those statuses that you’ve rolled your eyes at before. Rest assured, you don’t have to be as self-congratulating about it as your brother-in-law was.

• For the Love of God, Turn off Your Notifications

With the exception of children, most of us don’t let people in our lives who bother us at all hours with unimportant nonsense or thoughts. Notifications are the digital version of that person always bothering you and unlike a human being, you don’t have to feel any remorse for telling those nerds to take a hike. More importantly, the notifications are uniquely invasive and can actually fuel potential symptoms of addiction.

Notifications can cause a person’s heart rate to increase and anxiety to heighten, as excitement builds waiting to see just what the message actually says. Not tending to this immediately can physically affect us, as we yearn to see what we’re missing out on. It is truly like an addiction. The goal is to be able to get the information you need from your phone on your own terms, not the other way around.

• Don’t Rely on Apps to Fix the Problem

As the body of research grows regarding the risks of problematic smartphone overuse, so has a niche industry of apps geared towards helping people track and limit this. While this may be helpful in the short term to help recognize the problem and specific triggers it does not provide great long-term solutions. Looking to your phone to curb a problem with your phone is a little too ironic to work.

• Try to Make More Time for Friends

It’s challenging to maintain friendships now that you have kids, but failing to have quality relationships outside of your family might be part of the problem. Parenting can be so frustrating and isolating, so it’s normal to want to have your phone close by. Sure, you need your phone to call your buddy up and make plans, but that’s far more productive then liking their statuses to let them know you’re still alive. Make plans, try to keep them, then put the digital middle-man away only to be answered in case of emergencies.

• Make More Time for Your Family too

It’s rarely healthy to use your kids as the solution to your personal problems, but in the case of smartphone overuse, they’ll actually benefit from it. This solution is simple. Anytime you want to look at your phone and don’t have to, look at your kid and/or partner instead.

Quality time can make all the difference in the world, when it comes to the time spent with the spouse or the kids. This is especially important to men in relationships, and in families. Unlike the emails in your inbox, you can’t get that back.

• Differing Communication Options

Old school cell phones can call and text. While this can get your message across, smartphones allow you multiple ways of communicating with your staff, customers and suppliers. Not only can they call, text and IM, these communication tools give you access to email, immediate photo sharing, video calling and video conferencing. You can chair a staff meeting from anywhere you have phone service! You can also remain connected through social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

• Exploring the Web

How many times each day do you consult the internet for news or other information essential to your business? At first, web browsing happened at a desk in an office, where a wire could reach a PC. Wireless access and laptops moved the web to pretty much anywhere in the house or office, but smartphone technology, including broadband wireless, has sent the web onto the subway, into cars and to the park wherever there is cellular coverage. What's more, the latest smartphones can display nearly as much of the internet as PCs, including business news sites and streaming high definition videos.

• From Several Devices to One

Once, you might have needed an entire bag to carry around all the devices needed for daily business activities. You would need your pager, cell phone and your PDA. You might also need an MP3 player, an e-book reader, a camera and a GPS device. Through miniaturized hardware that packs a processor, speakers, a camera, a GPS receiver, a Wi-Fi adapter and a high definition touch-sensitive screen into a cell-phone-sized device, a smartphone puts all of this functionality into your pocket. One of your workers can easily search for directions to a client's business, read a sales flier before a meeting starts and transmit an ad sale to your office from via a mobile hotspot.

• Availability of Many Applications

The late twentieth-century saw an explosion of computer applications. The early twenty-first century brings hundreds of thousands of smartphone apps. The sensors built into the smartphone as well as its portability and programmability have made it a device with almost limitless applications. Beyond the tons of games (your workers do need a break now and then), there are numerous productivity apps available to save a good idea when inspiration strikes, organize meeting notes, and hosts of other possibilities. Internet radio and podcasting apps put you in touch with whole new worlds of audio. Compass apps, levelling apps and flashlights provide handheld utilities. Apps that let you paint, modify photos or create music tap into your creativity.

Advantages of Mobile Phones

• Communication

Mobile phones provide the means to communicate with friends, family, coworkers, and indeed most of the world's population instantly. Unlike previous communication devices, they can be on hand for the caller at all times and used in any place where there is a signal.

• Small and Convenient

They fit easily into your pocket or bag. They don't weigh much. There are inexpensive models available for those with a limited budget. If the battery gets low, you can recharge them in your car, or plug them into an electrical outlet using a cable.

• Photos and Video

Many people don't even own a camera nowadays, because their phone has all the image and video capturing capability that they require. Once the media has been captured, it can be sent to others via email, messaging, or Bluetooth; or posted on the internet with just a few clicks. Many phones also offer extras, such as photo editing.

• Texting

Text messaging (also known as texting) enables people to communicate with short written messages. Originally phones used SMS technology, allowing the sending of letters, numbers, and symbols, but more recently, MMS technology has allowed multimedia, such as photos and videos to be sent too. Texting is a great way to send someone an important instant message, as unlike email, people are more likely to read their texts straightaway.

• Fashion and Self-Expression

Choosing which model of phone to carry, customizing things like the ringtone, or buying a more personal phone cover have all become a means of self-expression for mobile phone owners, informing others what sort of person you are.

• Entertainment

As long you have your mobile phone, there is no reason to get bored There are a multitude of games to download and play, you can read an online article, or get involved with social media to pass time. Smartphones allow video watching, as well as listening to radio, podcasts, or music. Plus, if you attend a real life event, you can often store your ticket on your phone to display at the door.

• Notes and Reminders

Whether it's a shopping list, an important password, or a complicated set of instructions that would be difficult to memorize, mobile phones are a great way to carry notes and reminders. These don't always have to take the form of text or numbers either, you can also use photos, audio, or video to record important information for later use.

• Video in Real Time

Many people now like to see the person that they are talking to, as well as hear the sound of their voice. Live video chat makes this possible. Real time video also enables the live streaming of live events across the internet, as well as to other phones and devices.

• Calendars and Organization

Mobile phones are great devices for organization and their calendars are an excellent way to manage a busy schedule. Your phone will alert you when you have a doctor's appointment, it is a loved one's birthday, or simply help you to organize your daily work tasks and personal schedule.

• Maps, Navigation, and Travel

Finding our way around has never been easier since phones started using GPS to direct us to our destinations. Whether driving, cycling, or walking, we can get live updates on our location, roadworks, accidents, and other causes of slow moving traffic, plus information on nearby facilities, such as restaurants, gas stations, and hotels. When traveling by plane or train, you can use your phone to explore timetables, purchase and display your ticket.

• Online Banking and Finance

Mobile phones are an excellent way to organize your finances. You can check your account balances, transfer money, and pay bills, all with just a few clicks. It's often way more convenient than going into your branch or using your computer at home. There are apps that tell you your credit rating, how stocks and shares are doing, and other economic information.

• Address Book and Contacts

Phones enable you to have all the necessary contact details for family, friends, and coworkers in one easy to access place. There's no reason to forget or lose any person's phone number, email address, or property address. Address books can be synchronized and stored online, so that if your phone breaks, or is lost, you can still access them from other devices.

• Remote Working

Mobile phones enable work on the move in almost any location. This allows workers and managers to remain in contact with their base while out on site, while traveling between locations, or to communicate with colleagues and clients when working from home.

• Emergencies

In the event of an accident, injury, criminal incident, or other emergency, mobile phones ensure that emergency services, as well as family and friends, can be contacted immediately. Phones for children reassure parents and enable then to know where the children are at all times.

• Watches and Alarm Clocks

Mobile phones allow you to check the time whenever you need to, ruling out the necessity for a watch or a clock in many circumstances. Many people also now use their mobile phone to awaken them each morning, or remind them of an action they need to take at a certain time, rather than a traditional alarm clock.

• Calculator

Having a calculator 24/7 can come in very handy, both in the workplace, or outside of work. It's useful for adding up the bills, working out invoices, taxation rates, percentages, and many other things. Most people no longer use traditional calculators.

• Flashlight/Torch

One of the most practical functions of the mobile phone is the flashlight/torch feature. (The light is called a flashlight in the USA, and a torch in many other English speaking countries). If you lose something important in the dark, such as your keys or wallet, or if you cannot see to unlock the door or read something important, the light from the phone comes to your aid.

• News, Sports, and Live Events

It seems strange that not long ago we couldn't keep up with live events in real-time. The phone can alert you when there is breaking news, or your favourite team scores in a match. Many live events can now be followed via video, as well as text. Also, ordinary people can use their phones to capture photos and video at important events and actually become the news broadcasters.

• Crime Prevention and Evidence Gathering

Just having a camera and video recorder always at your disposal can sometimes have the effect of deterring crime in certain situations. If a crime does happen, then phones can be used to capture evidence of crimes in progress, or in the immediate aftermath. Even in civil disputes, such as car accidents, injuries, or antisocial behavior, phones can play an important role in evidence gathering.

• Learning and Research

Your mobile phone is like having the world's biggest reference library on hand everywhere you go. You can search for just about anything in any situation as long as you have a connection. At the store and unsure which part your specific model of car needs? Need to translate a phrase in a foreign language? Need to find a recipe for dinner that night? Your phone can help you find the answer.

5 Benefits of Mobile Phones for Children

The decision regarding when and whether to give a child their own mobile phone can be a difficult one. Although there are certainly some downsides, there are also a number of particular advantages of mobile phones for children.

• Security

Having information as to where children are and what they are up to provides parents with the comfort of knowing that their child is safe in live time. Children feel more at ease when their parents or guardians are only a text message or phone call away. Children can therefore have some independence without sacrificing their safety.

• Social Benefits

Mobile phones increase children opportunities for social engagement. Social media enables contact with other children that have similar interests. This can be particularly important for children who live in isolated areas or have other limitations.

• Transport and Meet up Arrangements

If a child wants to leave a social or sports event earlier than originally planned and needs a ride home, they are able to use their phone to contact parents. Likewise, if they are running late and need picking up later, they can message or call without having to wait around and potentially putting themselves in a vulnerable situation.

• Technological Experience

The modern world is increasingly dominated by digital technology and children need the skills to engage with it. A phone effectively gives them access to a small computer, where they can learn to operate apps, use a keyboard, and develop other useful skills.

• Education

Mobile phones enable access to information that can help children with school projects, homework, and other learning tasks. Many schools now offer learning resources online that specifically cater for this purpose.