Aug 29, 2014 10:57 AM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Cellphone addiction may actually be a thing.

Researchers from Baylor University in Texas found that women college students spend an average of 10 hours a day on their cellphones and men college students spend nearly eight.  They do this even though excessive use of the mobile device can negatively affect their academic performance.

"That's astounding," researcher James Roberts said in a statement. "As cellphone functions increase, addictions to this seemingly indispensable piece of technology become an increasingly realistic possibility."

The study -- based on an online survey of 164 college students - examined 24 cellphone activities and found that time spent on 11 of those activities differed significantly across the sexes. Some functions -- among them Pinterest and Instagram -- are associated significantly with cellphone addiction. But others that might logically seem to be addictive -- Internet use and gaming -- were not.

Based on the findings, approximately 60 percent of college students admit they may be addicted to their cell phone, and some indicated they get agitated when it is not in sight.

Cellphone activities examined in the study included calling, texting, emailing, surfing the Internet, banking, taking photos, playing games, reading books, using a calendar, using a clock and a number of applications, among them the Bible, iPod, coupons, Google Maps, eBay, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, iTunes, Pandora and "other" (news, weather, sports, lifestyle-related applications and Snapchat.)

Researchers found that Of the top activities, respondents overall reported spending the most time texting (an average of 94.6 minutes a day), followed by sending emails (48.5 minutes), checking Facebook (38.6 minutes), surfing the Internet (34.4 minutes) and listening to their iPods. (26.9 minutes).

Roberts said that excessive use of cellphones poses a number of possible risks for students.

"Cellphones may wind up being an escape mechanism from their classrooms. For some, cellphones in class may provide a way to cheat," Roberts said.

Excessive or obsessive cellphone use also can cause conflict inside and outside the classroom: with professors, employers and families. And some people use a cellphone to dodge an awkward situation. They may pretend to take a call, send a text or check their phones.

"We need to identify the activities that push cellphone use from being a helpful tool to one that undermines our well-being and that of others," Roberts said.

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.

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