Facing Up to Nomophobia: A Systematic Review of Mobile Phone Apps that Reduce Smartphone Usage

Excessive smartphone use has been linked to adverse health outcomes including distracted driving, sleep disorders, and depression. Responding to this growing trend, apps have been developed to support users in overcoming their dependency on smartphones. In that vein, our investigation explored the “big data” available on these types of apps to gain insights about them. We narrowed our search of apps, then reviewed content and functionality of 125 Android and iOS apps that purport to reduce device usage in the United States and elsewhere. This sample was curated based on popularity through the market research tool, App Annie (which indicates revenue and downloads per category of app and by country). The apps fell into 13 broad categories, each of which contained several different features related to filters, usage controls, and monitoring programs. Findings suggest that social media technologies, including smartphone apps, are being attempted for use for health behavior change. We discuss methods of sorting through “big data” generated by apps that purport to curb smartphone addiction. Finally, we propose data-driven features, such as social facilitation and gamification, that developers might use to enhance the effectiveness of these apps.