Petaling Jaya: Malaysian Mental Health Organisation vice-president Dr Adnan Omar expressed concern about the widespread presence of nomophobia, a fear of not being able to move without a mobile phone.
German online data platform Statista said its 2022 survey revealed that 88.79% of Malaysians use smartphones, while the Statistics Bureau’s 2022 report said 96.85% use the internet, with 11.8 million Malaysians aged 15 and above using mobile data to access the internet.
Adnan said nomophobia, short for “no-cellphone phobia”, has become a psychological issue among Malaysians, and heavy mobile phone use can lead to addiction, stress, anxiety and depression.
“People with nomophobia spend a lot of time on their phones and have limited interactions with others, which affects every aspect of their relationships.”
Citing a 2019 World Health Organisation report, Adnan said internet addiction was classified as a mental disorder alongside bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia.
He said the main cause of nomophobia was the unlimited and unsupervised use of mobile phones and social media, especially among young people and children.
“Initially, social media was used for work, school and family related matters. But it has grown to include a wide range of apps and transformed the internet into a big money maker.”
He said the change particularly affects children, who spend a significant amount of time online every day, with the understanding that they need to learn and acquire knowledge and skills according to their age.
“Children don’t use the internet or social media for work. Some may use it for school work, but for middle school students the internet is not an essential learning tool.”
“Their social and family circles are small, so their use of the internet is limited to family events. If not for work, school or family matters, what are they using the internet for?”
Adnan said addressing nomophobia required a collaborative effort between parents, educators and mental health professionals to ensure balanced and healthy use of technology.
Parents must take necessary measures, he said, adding that unrestrained, unsupervised use of the internet and mobile phones was irresponsible and unhealthy parenting.
“Set out guidelines for internet usage and schedule appropriate times for your children to use the internet. Always check browsing history and ensure your children understand the consequences of unhealthy internet usage.”
He said parents who need to work online should let their children know about it and invite them to observe so that they can learn healthy internet and social media use from their parents’ online activities.
“Be the person you want your child to be. Engage in regular offline activities with your child. In addition to getting your child outdoors, participate in indoor activities as well to avoid becoming nomophobic.”
He added that working adults, especially parents, are encouraged to take a “digital detox” to maintain their mental and physical health.
“Try to avoid using your smartphone, TV, computer, tablet and even social media sites for a while. Detoxing from digital devices is a healthy way to focus on real-life social interactions.”
