What is FOMO syndrome, which not only children but also adults suffer from?
- Alexia Svolou
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
by Alexia Svolou
Linked to mobile phone abuse, FOMO syndrome (fear of missing out) concerns social media addiction, which of course no longer has age limits, as it affects toddlers, children, teenagers, and adults.
A new experiment being conducted at a school in Canterbury, UK, under the supervision of the University of Kent, will investigate the endurance of students to stay away from their mobile phones for a week. According to previous findings of a British study, 9 out of 10 children aged 11 have a mobile phone and of course they develop an addiction mainly to social media. This addiction concerns the FOMO syndrome, a phenomenon of the times. Its name comes from the words “Fear of Missing Out” (i.e. the fear of missing out, the fear of being left behind, the fear of being left out). The FOMO syndrome has been studied very recently and only in 2013 the word FOMO was added as a term to the Oxford English Dictionary. Essentially, the syndrome refers to the anxiety that grips us that we are inadequate when we are not constantly wired to social media in order to receive that much-desired sense of satisfaction from the release of dopamine in the brain (caused by likes). The term FOMO also refers to the anxiety that we are not living the….perfect life that others “seem” to be living through their posts.
The superficial perfection in many people's posts, how they are having a great time, eating at expensive restaurants, drinking expensive drinks, having fun in nice bars and clubs, traveling, etc. creates a false image that has nothing to do with everyday life. However, social media users, especially younger people, cannot easily distinguish that this shiny and flawless "appearance" is a fake image that does not correspond to the truth.
In addition, all this creates anger in children, adolescents and young people from the lowest socio-economic strata, who feel completely cut off from this social class. Thus, their feeling of being on the margins and that they are “children of a lesser God”, that is, second-class citizens who will never have the same opportunities as others, is intensified. Obviously, there are social inequalities in all countries, but when people do not filter these images of luxury and super-bliss that we see on social media, then in the poorest, anxiety, anger and hatred can become gigantic. We also see this latter in the gangs of minors who are influenced by this false appearance.
It is, of course, completely natural to want to be informed about the people close to us through social media, as well as to peek into the lives of celebrities, stars, and our idols and to feel a certain jealousy, because our daily life or current situation is not as perfect as theirs. To limit this toxic effect , experts recommend temporary detoxification from social media. Not to cut them out completely, that is not possible, but to take breaks in their use, as the British experiment at a school in Canterbury is attempting. There, students will be left without mobile phones, and therefore without social media, for a week, so that later, depending on their experience, they will… see it differently. In this different perspective that we all need to acquire, the decision to follow people online who inspire us, who have something to say with their attitude and work. Not just anyone who seems to be having a good time.
These experiments are particularly enlightening for students because it is very difficult for adults to tell them to lock their mobile phone in a cupboard for a day or two, let alone a week. Nowadays, our lives, with online payments, issuing electronic documents online, receiving OTPs for any banking transaction, personal and professional communication with minor family members, are intertwined with the use of mobile phones. We often say that our entire life is inside our mobile phone, but we should not allow a device to ultimately control our lives.
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