Have you ever noticed your teen studying and checking their phone compulsively, all while slaving away on on a final paper or cramming for a final exam? Are they checking to see what other people are doing—in case their friends are having a more interesting life than they are?
That’s called FOMO, or fear of missing out.
And it might continue after they climb into bed—so they take their phone.
We at WiseSOVA haven’t yet written much about FOMO, but it’s a real thing that can be detrimental to everyone’s wellbeing, including adolescents. A recent study looked at how much first-year college students are affected by FOMO on social media. Student participants in this study talked about how they kept their cell phones in bed, even under their pillows, for fear of being left out of interesting social situations. One student said,
I’ve been known to answer my [phone] or to answer texts while I’m sleeping.
Some other student participants talked about how they stay on social media while trying to fall asleep. One young woman’s FOMO led her to stay on Skype with her boyfriend so late into the night that they regularly fell asleep with Skype still open on their computers. Her roommate, a participant in the study, said,
One time I was sleeping in the room and I literally woke up because I heard her boyfriend snoring on Skype.
The study found that the participants who went to bed with their phones or computers lost significant sleep because of their FOMO. And good sleep is super important to our physical and mental wellbeing.
Have you yourself ever experienced FOMO—and if so, what does it feel like to you? Have you ever talked with your child about how their attitude and behavior about taking their phone or computer to bed has changed over time? Let us know in the comments!