Nomophobia, Asifa Malik Nonbinary, Megan Pakulis……………………………………………………………………199

Nomophobia

Asifa Malik

The key word that describes the study of adolescence and health is nomophobia. According to dictionary.com, nomophobia is “the fear of being without a mobile phone or without access to a mobile phone” (Dictionary, 2018). The history of nomophobia dates to 2008 in the United Kingdom post office study, in which the United Kingdom research agency called “YouGov” began to study the anxiety mobile users face when they do not use their phone (2018). Nomophobia can help those who study adolescence and health to understand the experiences of young people. Majority of adolescents within the Western society have access to a mobile phone, such as an iPhone or Samsung. Within that group of mobile phone users, many teenagers are perceived as addicted to using their phone. If their phone lights up, they must check it immediately; if their phone rings, they must answer it instantly; if they get a notification, they must respond to it promptly. Essentially, several teenagers are dependent on their mobile phone, because most of their livelihood is composed within this tiny device. Many teenagers can now do their school work on their phone, because the majority of school material is online; many teenagers text and call their friends and family on their phone and use technology as a means to mainly communicate with them; many teenagers use their phone to use social media throughout the day, such as Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Snapchat to be aware of the latest trends. Overall, most adolescents constantly use their phones to express their individuality, for their phone contains most of the information about everyone that truly defines them. Thus, adolescents may fear missing out on their personal life if they are not actively using their phone. Ultimately, it is important to study the term nomophobia because it allows us to understand the developmental psychology of adolescents. Since most teenagers depend on their

phone to express themselves, it allows one to understand that they ultimately use their phone to gain a sense of self-worth. As a result, adolescents may be dependent on their phone, because they feel as though it truly conveys their identity in ways that nothing else can. Hence, one of the reasons why adolescents are constantly using their phone is because they feel as though the tiny piece of metal is their own security blanket. As a result, if teenagers do not use their device for a long period of time, they may experience negative emotions, such as anxiety or even depression. In addition, another reason why nomophobia is prevalent within adolescents is due to the fear of being rejected. Within the adolescent community, it is extremely popular to own the latest iPhone. A recent survey conducted by Piper Sandler observed that approximately 87 percent of teenagers surveyed own an iPhone, and 88 percent of teenagers expect an iPhone to be their next phone (AppleInsider, 2022). Thus, many teenagers own an iPhone to be accepted by their peers. The fear of being alienated by the adolescent community is a common fear that teenagers constantly face, and so it could be possible that teenagers consistently use their phone as a defence mechanism to not be shamed by their peers. Perhaps, this notion of conforming to the adolescent community relates to the idea of projection; teenagers who see other teenagers using the latest iPhone may view them as someone who is worth associating with as opposed to a teenager who does not own a phone or an iPhone. As a result, there may be instances where teenagers become friends with others for the initial reason that they have the latest phone and have projected the idea that their new friend is a good friend because they own something they wish to acquire. Overall, it is important to study the term nomophobia because it allows those who are interested in studying adolescence and health to understand several reasons as to why adolescents are the way they are. To have a more detailed understanding of nomophobia that

addresses the symptoms, effects, and evidence of research, one can read the article by the National Library of Medicine called “NOMOPHOBIA: NO MObile PHone PhoBIA.” However, if one wants to learn about nomophobia in a simpler and concise manner that is engaging, then one can watch the comedic youtube video called “Nomophobia Every Day (Apple iPhone TV Ad Parody).”

Reference list

Bhattacharya, S., Bashar, M. A., Srivastava, A., & Singh, A. (2019). NOMOPHOBIA: NO MObile PHone PhoBIA. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 8(4), 1297–1300. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_71_19 N.A. (2018). Nomophobia. Dictionary.com. https://doi.org/https://www.dictionary.com/e/tech-science/nomophobia/ The Safehouse Project. (2013, September 25). Nomophobia Every Day (Apple iPhone TV Ad

Parody) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_dOA8UbRho William, G. (2022). Gen Z survey says 87% of US teenagers own an iPhone. AppleInsider. https://doi.org/https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/01/06/gen-z-survey-says-87-of-us-t Eenagers-own-an-iphone

Nonbinary

Megan Pakulis

Adolescence is a time of self-discovery, part of which includes discovering gender identity. Western society traditionally identifies gender as a binary system that is one of two categories, man or woman, but a third category has recently been brought to light: non-binary. Non-binary is a term used for those who feel they do not neatly fit into the usual gender binaries. It is used as an opportunity to provide an identity for someone who does not simply identify as a man or a woman. Non-binary can be used for someone who feels genderless, someone whose identity fluctuates between genders, or someone who relates to a third gender that is neither man nor woman. Despite non-binary being a relatively new term in western society, many other cultures have been using their own terms to describe people who fall outside of the gender binary. Indigenous communities use Two-Spirit to describe those that exist beyond male or female, māhū is used in Hawaii, and sekrata in Madagascar (Fabiani, 2021). The use of these terms in other cultures shows the long history of non-binary people despite the term only being coined in the 1990s. Unfortunately, despite the long history of non-binary individuals, their acceptance and inclusion into society has been limited. People who identify as non-binary are more likely to be discriminated against, be excluded from gender-separated spaces such as homeless shelters, and even experience limited accessibility within medical services. Understanding what non-binary means, the history surrounding it, and the limitations presented to non-binary people allows us to best support their needs.

As adolescences experience puberty and changes within themselves, they may start begin to find challenges in identifying as either a man or a woman. This lack of secure identity can pose as a threat to their well-being and can initiate feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, anxiety,

and depression. Having a term that helps describe their gender identity can limit these feelings and instead promote a sense of validation for who they are. It is important to understand how to best support individuals who may be feeling this way and ensure they feel accepted and included. As an educator, there are ways we can support adolescence through their gender discovery. Nonbinary acceptance starts with awareness of the language we use. In classrooms, it is important to use gender neutral language when addressing groups of people, and asking for pronouns to ensure we are communicating using individual’s preferred pronouns. Implementing these little changes with adolescences can help open the conversation around non-binary people to show them it is okay to not relate to the gender binary. Adolescences are going through many physical, mental, and sexual changes while trying to answer the most difficult question of them all: “who am I?”. Having terms that stray away from the “traditional” expectations of what an adolescent is supposed to be allows the opportunity for them to best discover who they are. Finding the answer to “who am I?” may never truly happen, but having support to identify ones true self can help make the journey to the answer that much easier.

Sources:

Academic - https://lgbt.foundation/who-we-help/trans-people/non-binary

Non-academic – Transceptance Support Group: https://ctys.org/program/groups/transceptance/

References:

Fabiani, A. (2021). 10 cultures that have accepted non-binary gender identities for centuries. Screenshot. https://screenshot-media.com/politics/lgbtqi-rights/non-binary-cultures/