Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.

Have you ever wondered if you spend too many hours looking at your cell phone? Or maybe the computer. There is an expression in English that I quite like, called being hooked. It means to be excessively attracted to something and almost unable to resist it.

For example:

- I’m hooked on doing sports.

- But I've never seen you exercise.

- I have a lot of willpower, and I’m able to resist it.

I have to admit that sometimes I spend too much time checking my cell phone. Sometimes it's almost impossible not to. My intentions are good. For example, I start watching the daily news and end up without knowing how, watching videos on Youtube.

Maybe it's all a conspiracy of the whole Internet to distract me from doing the podcast episode of the week.

Everything is designed to capture your attention. As I'm sure you know, everything you do on the Internet leaves a trace, so a lot of content is matched to your interests.

For example, on Facebook, there is a video section. These videos are customized to your interests, and some of them really capture your attention.

This creates all kinds of problems, both for teens and adults. Many kids find it difficult concentrating and studying. Every few minutes, they pick up the phone to see if they have new notifications or messages.

Many specialists point out that this type of behavior can be classified as an addiction. And it affects everyone, regardless of age. Children imitate their parents, thus normalizing this behavior.

Here is a small list of some typical symptoms of being hooked on a cell phone:

You check it every two or three minutes.

When you wake up, the first thing you do is looking at your cell phone, and the last thing when you go to sleep too.

The truth is that it's very common to check your phone just when you wake up. I like doing that. At night I prefer to read a bit.

You check your phone when you're with friends or family. It's sad, but in many family gatherings, we all check our cell phones at some point.

You eat while looking at your cell phone. If you are alone, you unlock your phone and start moving your finger vertically while disconnecting completely from real life.

If you leave your phone at home, it feels like it's the end of the world. And, you cannot know for sure if it’s the end of the world because you can't check it on your phone.

After making this list, it seems to me that I'm a little bit hooked, but only a little bit 🙂

I have a friend who uses an old phone with no internet, no touch screen, and no modern phone features. He uses the phone to call and be located. At first, I thought he was crazy, but maybe he's not so mad after all.

Well, today, we have seen a current issue that affects us in one way or another. Although sometimes being hooked on something can be beneficial. For example, if you're hooked on my podcast, then it's great because your English is improving a lot.

Now, let’s practice.