Does Mind Subtraction Meditation Prove Decreasing Phone Addiction?

Smartphones became popular nowadays in every age owing to the portability and how we can use smartphones conveniently because it has many applications such as games, social media, and music that help us relieve our stress and fill our time when we feel bored (Yang Gyeong Yoo et al., 2019). Nevertheless, because it benefits, people turn out to use the smartphone without self-control and it triggers the addiction, which can affect in many aspects (South Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2012; South Korean National Information Society Agency, 2013; Kang, 2014; Jun & Kim, 2015). One of those effects are mental health itself, the dominant mental health issue were anxiety, depression, aggression, and impulsivity (Kwon, 2013; Hwang et al., 2012; Lee, 2014; Sun & Bak, 2015; Park & Park, 2014; Rhu & Cho, 2015). In other research, it said that smartphone’s usage without self-control is linked to poor sleep quality, low educational achievement, insecurity, loneliness, and low self-esteem (Sei Yon Sohn et al., 2019). There is also a report in 2013 by South Korean National Information Society Agency on smartphone use, it said that the smartphone addiction is a serious problem in youth age, either it for elementary school student or high school student owing to their brain immaturity and it became riskier for their age because its negative effect of addiction can influence their adulthood (Kim et al., 2015).

Numerous studies are questioning how to prevent smartphone addiction (Mun et al., 2015). Among the others, mind subtraction meditation is assessed as effective and has been applied as a school-based program in South Korea (Yoo et al., 2019). In definition itself, mind subtraction meditation is based on the whole concept of focusing on the original human beings and its natural thinking about the universe (Woo, 1996). Mind subtraction meditation tells us the fact that it is possible to face the true who we are and how we understand others better by being reminded of any memories of life and disappearing it (Choi et al., 2019). This meditation is very inelaborate for anyone to continue practicing, even children (Yoo et al., 2019). In this case,  the participant is told to think of how stressful the situations that ever happened to them, then they will be led to think about it while using their smartphone, thus they eliminate their smartphone addiction behavior from themselves (Choi et al., 2020). This made them have a distance with their obsession toward smartphones and it also made them change their figure toward smartphones (Shin et al., 2013). A prior study proved that a school-based mind subtraction meditation had a positive effect on someone that has smartphone addiction tendency and the addiction-associated children’s mental health in South Korea (Yoo et al., 2019). However, mind subtraction meditation did not show any significant change in directness to the virtual world (Bae et al., 2019).

Mindfulness training can be another alternative to decreasing smartphone addiction (Fang, 2022). We can take an example, such as leading ourselves to positive thinking because it can reduce smartphone dependence and craving, as well as enhance mindfulness awareness levels in individuals with smartphone addiction. Moreover, there is one study that says mindfulness training, including meditation, is suggested because it may positively contribute to reducing smartphone addiction (Fang, 2022). Inference, mind subtraction meditation in some studies proved decreasing phone addiction for children and youth. Mindfulness training and mind subtraction meditation are also related since meditation is part of mindfulness training. In addition, this meditation can be promoted to any age and if you have difficulty learning it, you can try to find a trainer that understands this kind of meditation.