NOMOPHOBIA AS A MODERN AGE PHOBIA: CHALLENGETO THE DIGITAL ERA

Nomophobia is defi ned as the fear of being unable to use smartphones and is seen as a specifi c phobia in situations of smartphone unavailability, loss of connectivity, or access to information. It implies a pathological fear of a person not being able to connect with new technologies. People with pronounced levels of nomophobia frequently use mobile phones and experience feelings of anxiety when they cannot access them. The main goal of the research was to examine the relationship between nomophobia, emotional loneliness, depression, anxiety, and stress in young people. On a sample of  students with an average age of  years, the following measurement instruments were applied: Nomophobia Questionnaire, Scales of depression, anxiety and stress, Scale of social and emotional loneliness. The results have shown a connection between nomophobia and depression, anxiety, and stress. Individuals who spend more time on social networks report higher levels of nomophobia as well as more intense symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Females and younger respondents experience more intense symptoms of nomophobia. Females compared to males experience a higher level of anxiety when their mobile phone is not within reach or when it is turned off. Furthermore, those individuals who have owned a smartphone from an earlier age experience higher levels of nomophobia as well as individuals who use the smartphone more and spend more time on social networks, send more messages, check notifi cations more frequently, and those who spend more time on the smartphone before bedtime, report more intense symptoms of nomophobia. Loneliness in romantic and family relationships is a signifi cant predictor of social network use. In conclusion, problematic use of mobile phones, undoubtedly, affects the mental health of young people, and is particularly associated with the severity of depressive and anxious symptomatology, self-confi dence, perceived social support, and emotional dysregulation.