Fear of getting caught without a cell phone on the rise

Fear of getting caught without a cell phone on the rise

Posted: May 08, 2012 12:33 PMUpdated: May 08, 2012 12:41 PM

(WTVJ/NBC) - Cell phones are more common than ever before - and so is a fear of being apart from away from one, according to a recent study.

According to research from SecurEnvoy, a mobile phone technology company, the fear of being apart from your cell phone is on the rise.

It's called Nomophobia, as in "No mobile phone phobia," and 66 percent of the people surveyed said they have it. That number is up from a similar study four years ago, where 53 percent of people admitted to a fear of losing their cell phones.

The study by SecurEnvoy shows that people check their cell phones an average of 34 times a day.

For cell phone users like Karla Campos, the number may seem a bit low. Campos estimated that she checks her phone about 50 times a day.

"Before I go to sleep, I put [my phone] under my pillow," Campos said.

She even takes her cell phone into the shower and keeps it on a ledge where it can stay dry, "just in case it rings and somebody needs me."

Keeping your phone on you in unusual places is not actually unusual according to the survey, which found 75 percent of people use their cell phones in the bathroom.

Campos even uses her phone to communicate with her 10-year-old son when they're in the same room.

"He doesn't talk to me," Campos said. "I see him and pass by and he just says 'Hi mom,' but when I have real conversation with him, it's on the phone, through Facebook."

Campos argues that form of communication is better than none at all, and thinks the cell phone connects her family, but Dr. Mitch Spero, director of child and family psychologists in Broward County Florida, disagrees.

"Cell phones are tools that should be used to enhance our lives, not to destroy our interpersonal communication skills with those that we love," he said.

The study showed that the younger you are, the more likely you are to be afflicted with Nomophobia. Women are also more likely to have it than men.

Wondering if you have Nomophobia? The warning signs include: obsessively checking your phone, constantly worrying about losing it even when it's in a safe place, and never turning it off.

Copyright 2012 WTVJ via NBC. All rights reserved.

http://www.kplctv.com/story/18184971/fear-of-getting-caught-without-a-cell-phone-on-the-rise