Safety hazards have been noted due to pedestrians walking slowly and without attention to their surroundings because they are focused upon their smartphones. Texting pedestrians may trip over curbs, walk out in front of cars and bump into other walkers. The field of vision of a smartphone user is estimated to be just 5% of a normal pedestrian's.[1]
The pejorative term smartphone zombie has been used to describe inattentive phone users,[2] and in Hong Kong they are called dai tau juk ("the head-down tribe").[3] A 2017 review considered the popular culture term in regards to the medical diagnoses of internet addiction disorder and other forms of digital media overuse.[4]
Smart phone zombies
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In Chongqing, China, the government constructed a dedicated smartphone-sidewalk in 2014, separating the phone users and the non-phone users.[5][6][7] A similar scheme was introduced in Antwerp the following year.[8]
In Augsburg, Bodegraven and Cologne, ground-level traffic lights embedded in the pavement have been introduced so that they are more visible to preoccupied pedestrians,[9][10] while traffic signals at an intersection in Zagreb cast the red light downwards, producing glare on smartphone screens.[11]
In October 2017, the City of Honolulu, Hawaii introduced a measure to fine pedestrians looking at smartphones while crossing the road.[14] In 2019, China introduced penalties for "activities affecting other vehicles or pedestrians" and a woman was fined 10 yuan in Wenzhou.[15]
"Get off your phone!" Admit it. You've wanted to scream this once or twice. Maybe at a person on the footpath. Maybe at your partner at the dinner table. Maybe at your child in the back seat while the world goes by outside their window. Or maybe at that phone-zombie shuffling through the intersection, face glued to their screen, while you sit waiting impatiently in your car to turn the corner before the light goes red.
While it's great that grandma knows how to Facetime now, what if the smartphone era is shaping more than our conversations but rather our culture, instead, in ways that may be unhealthy for us, mentally, and dangerous for us physically?
It might not seem like a big deal yet, but if you stop to consider the information and findings around smartphones and apps being deliberately designed to be addictive, and social environments catering to this addiction, the phone-zombie population is destined to rise.
Of course the effects of this are obvious. How many of us have commented on the number of people on their phones these days or have had a chuckle at the news clips of phone-zombies, not paying attention, falling into fountains or walking into glass doors?
But it's not funny when people really get hurt. And we seem to recognise this when it comes to phone use while driving. We've got plenty of laws to prohibit phone use in the car (did you know, for instance, that you can get a ticket for using your mobile phone in a vehicle even if you're pulled off the road and safely parked; if the engine is on and you're using your phone in the driver's seat, that's a ticket), but we have yet to address the hazards that pedestrian phone use causes on the streets.
Yet, instead of infrastructure and city planning that puts the onus of risk on the individual pedestrian (as vehicular laws do to drivers), cities in countries such as China, Belgium and Germany have supported increased pedestrian phone use by creating designated texting lanes on the footpaths.
Drivers blocking city intersections as they wait for languishing pedestrians on smartphones to cross the street cause major traffic jams, so the city is planning a crackdown on these drivers who face a $159 fine. But what about pedestrians who stay on the pedestrian path "longer than necessary to safely cross the road", a violation of the Australian road rules, or step out on a red because they aren't paying attention? Where is the onus on pedestrians to be responsible, considerate and aware citizens?
In Melbourne a jaywalking fine will cost you $78. But in Honolulu, as of October 2017, it can cost you $99 if you cross an intersection while looking at your phone. Draconian? Perhaps. Or maybe it's an important first step in a resistance movement, one that might just save us from a phone-zombie apocalypse.
\\\"Get off your phone!\\\" Admit it. You've wanted to scream this once or twice. Maybe at a person on the footpath. Maybe at your partner at the dinner table. Maybe at your child in the back seat while the world goes by outside their window. Or maybe at that phone-zombie shuffling through the intersection, face glued to their screen, while you sit waiting impatiently in your car to turn the corner before the light goes red.
The thing is, you've probably been a phone-zombie yourself. Smartphones are ubiquitous. Even the oldies have them. Studies show that smartphone ownership among Australian seniors increased 10 per cent from July 2016 to July 2017 \\u2013 making 78 per cent of Australians aged 65 to 70 smartphone owners. Overall, Australia, one of the leading global adopters of the smartphone, has an 88 per cent ownership rate nationwide, with market growth being driven by the older generations.
Even though Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat won't go on the record to discuss their design techniques, some app designers have admitted to darker motives. Indeed, apps are being deliberately designed to be as addictive as gambling. It's a trigger/action/reward system \\u2013 the alert sent to your phone is the trigger, your checking the app is the action, and the reward is a \\\"like\\\" or \\\"share\\\" or \\\"comment\\\" on your post.
Drivers blocking city intersections as they wait for languishing pedestrians on smartphones to cross the street cause major traffic jams, so the city is planning a crackdown on these drivers who face a $159 fine. But what about pedestrians who stay on the pedestrian path \\\"longer than necessary to safely cross the road\\\", a violation of the Australian road rules, or step out on a red because they aren't paying attention? Where is the onus on pedestrians to be responsible, considerate and aware citizens?
What does this mean for our kids, and how can we get them to remain focused on their studies? Jason Robinovitz, Chief Operating Officer at Score At The Top Learning Centers & Schools, says parents should start by encouraging their children to step away from their phones the night before an important test like the SAT or ACT.
Smartphones have become so mainstream that even most toddlers are proficient at scrolling, playing games, and calling grandma and grandpa. According to a 2019 report by Common Sense Media, 69% of American children have their own smartphone by age 12. A 2016 report showed that 50% of teens feel addicted to their smartphones.
One way to wean ourselves and our kids from the habit is by removing the temptation. Timed lock boxes, like KSafe, allow you to lock your phone inside for a specified amount of time. You set the timer, and the safe stays locked until the timer counts down to zero.
Questions have been raised about whether the abundance of smartphones and digital tech has left people with lower attention spans. But seriously, a recent Canadian study found that the average attention span of humans has drifted from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds in 2013.
Quitting a phone has the potential to be an interesting experiment and it really could help your children sleep better and be a better face-to-face socialiser. It all comes down to moderation. Why not encourage your child to put the phone down and focus on living in the now?
Of course, that's just the movies. The zombie apocalypse I'll be discussing here has already happened, and has taken the lives of billions of people. I am speaking, of course, about the smartphone zombies.
The first step on the survival checklist is learning how to recognize the zombies. Unlike your garden variety rotting undead, smartphone zombies can appear to be very much alive. You will need to keep your eyes peeled and watch out for these warning signs:
Once you have identified a smartphone zombie, it is important to keep in mind that they cannot see or hear you. If they are heading towards you, get out of their way. If you are walking and they are behind the wheel of a moving automobile, run away. If you are driving, take a different route or get off the highway before you get caught in their 37 car pileup. If they are driving a city bus, stand back and watch the fun. 2ff7e9595c
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