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Researchers Warn Smartphones Have Become Modern Parasites and Urge Regulation

Expert research links smartphone addiction and data harvesting to parasitic exploitation, highlighting Australia’s social media ban as an initial regulatory step

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Overview

  • Associate Professor Rachael Brown and colleagues argue in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy that smartphones now benefit tech companies at the expense of users, fitting evolutionary definitions of parasitism.
  • The study highlights endless scrolling, targeted advertising and algorithmic nudges as mechanisms that exploit users’ time, attention and personal data.
  • Users experience measurable harms—including disrupted sleep patterns, weakened offline relationships and increased mood disorders—driven by apps optimized for engagement.
  • Researchers caution that individual efforts to curb phone use are undermined by tech companies’ vast information advantage and society’s dependence on smartphones for essential tasks.
  • The analysis calls for collective measures—such as limits on addictive app features, strict data-collection rules and regulatory models like Australia’s under-age social media ban—to restore a healthier user–device balance.