New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London, UK, has found that excessive smartphone use is closely associated with disordered eating, including uncontrolled eating and emotional overeating, as well greater symptoms of food addiction in young people with no diagnosis of an eating disorder.
The research, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, established a significant and consistent association between Problematic Smartphone Use (PSU) – whereby an individual becomes behaviourally or psychologically reliant on their smartphone – and eating disorder symptom severity. Researchers argue this highlights the need for early intervention strategies specific to excessive phone use for young people displaying eating disorder symptoms.