Modern wake-up ritual no longer begins with the sunrise or the morning news. For millions of people, it starts with the blue glow of a smartphone screen. Across Bangladesh and around the world, reaching for a phone has become almost instinctive. What was once celebrated as a revolutionary tool for communications has evolved into something far more complex: a technology capable of reshaping behaviour, attention and even brain function.
Researchers are increasingly warning that excessive smartphone use is not simply changing how people communicate--it is influencing how they learn, sleep, socialise and think.
Bangladesh's rapid digital transformation has brought undeniable benefits, but it has also created a new public health concern.
Studies conducted among Bangladeshi university students have reported problematic or severe smartphone-addiction rates, ranging from approximately 29 per cent to more than 60 per cent, depending on the population studied and the assessment tools used (ResearchGate--various peer-reviewed university studies). Researchers have consistently found excessive smartphone use associated with lower academic performance, as students become distracted by social media, messaging and short-form videos during lectures and study hours.
"I sit down to study for ten minutes, then tell myself I'll check one notification," says Rahim (not his real name), a third-year university student in Dhaka. "An hour disappears before I realise it. Afterwards, I feel guilty, but the same thing happens again the next day."
The problem begins long before university. According to data reported by news media, nearly 86 per cent of preschool children in urban areas spend prolonged periods using digital screens. Child- development specialists warn that excessive exposure at an early age may contribute to delayed language development, reduced physical activity and weaker social interaction.
"My son becomes restless whenever I take the phone away," says Nusrat, a mother of a four-year-old in Dhaka. "At first it made feeding him easier. Now he refuses to eat or sleep without watching videos."
A global epidemic of attention: Bangladesh's experience reflects a worldwide trend. Brain imaging research presented by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has found altered neurotransmitter levels among adolescents with internet and smartphone addiction, including elevated gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), suggesting changes in brain chemistry similar to those observed in other behavioural addictions.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin demonstrated that simply having a smartphone nearby-even switched off and placed face down-can reduce available cognitive capacity. The brain expends mental effort resisting the urge to check the device, leaving fewer resources available for concentration and problem-solving.
Sleep is another casualty. The World Health Organisation has repeatedly highlighted the importance of healthy sleep for physical and mental wellbeing, while sleep researchers have shown that blue light emitted by screens suppresses melatonin production, delaying sleep onset and reducing sleep quality when devices are used before bedtime.
Hidden cost:The consequences extend far beyond lost productivity. Mental health professionals increasingly associate problematic smartphone use with higher levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness and reduced self-esteem, although researchers continue to debate whether excessive screen use causes these conditions or intensifies existing vulnerabilities.
Physically, prolonged smartphone use contributes to digital eye strain, neck and shoulder pain, headaches and sedentary lifestyles. For children, reduced outdoor play can hinder motor development, while for adults, constant connectivity often blurs the boundary between work and personal life.
Perhaps most concerning is the gradual erosion of face-to-face relationships. Notifications and algorithm-driven content compete relentlessly for attention, often replacing meaningful conversations with brief digital interactions and validation through likes, shares and comments.
Taking control again:
Governments and educators are beginning to respond. Several European countries have introduced restrictions or outright bans on smartphones during school hours to improve concentration and classroom engagement. Similar discussions are gathering momentum in South Asia, including Bangladesh.
Experts also recommend practical steps to reduce dependence: keeping phones out of bedrooms, creating device-free family meals, disabling non-essential notifications, setting daily screen-time limits and switching displays to greyscale to make apps less visually stimulating.
Smartphones remain extraordinary tools that connect people, provide information and support education and business. Yet the evidence increasingly suggests that without conscious boundaries, they can also dominate attention, diminish learning and weaken human connection.
The challenge is no longer whether smartphones are useful-it is whether we can use them without allowing them to reshape the way we live.
