To create an effective presentation about phone use and potentially problematic usage patterns, first define your purpose and audience. Explain the topic in nonjudgmental language, and build a clear flow connecting effects, possible contributing factors, and habits people might try. Use numerical claims only if you can verify their source and scope. On the final slide, emphasize one key message or reflection question.
1. Define the presentation’s scope and goal
“Phone addiction” may be a phrase used in everyday language; in your presentation, do not equate it with all heavy phone use. You can limit your topic to how phone use relates to a person’s daily life or goals, and to usage patterns that may be problematic. Do not present your presentation as a diagnostic tool or steer the audience toward labeling themselves or others.
Before you begin, note three decisions: Who will watch the presentation, how long will it be, and what do you want the audience to understand or consider by the end? For example, the question “In what situations might phone use interrupt my attention, and how can I observe my own use?” can focus a short class presentation. It can also help you leave out details that are not closely relevant to the topic.
2. Check claims and sources
First, write down in a separate list the claims you are considering using on your slides. For statements about rates, duration, age groups, or how the brain works in particular, check exactly what the source says and which group, time period, and context the information applies to. Do not present a number reported on an event page as a universal fact without sufficient information about the original research and its methods. If you cannot verify these details, remove the number or replace the claim with a more limited statement.
The profile of Shane Kraus at UNLV reports discussions of problematic patterns related to phone use, factors that contribute to compulsive use, and strategies for developing healthier technology habits (UNLV: Shane Kraus). JMU’s workshop description also lists attention, technology use, and strategies for focusing among its learning topics (JMU: The Cellphone Distraction Trap). These pages may help you explore relevant topics; on their own, they do not prove a specific scientific claim. Do not use numbers reported on these pages in your presentation as definitive findings without examining the original research and its scope.
3. Build a flow that carries the audience
For a short presentation, 6–8 slides can be a starting outline for planning the content; the appropriate number depends on the time available and the assignment criteria. Try giving each slide one job:
- Opening: Ask a neutral question such as, “When a notification comes in, is it easy to return to what you were doing?”
- Concept: Explain what you mean by “problematic use” in the presentation, and clarify that you are not making a diagnosis.
- Observable pattern: Give an everyday example, such as checking your phone while working; do not draw conclusions about everyone from a single example.
- Possible effects: Choose only topics you can support with sources, such as interrupted attention, sleep routines, or in-person activities. If you have no source, do not describe these as proven effects.
- Possible contributing factors: Treat notifications, habits, or the context of use as possibilities to consider, not definite causes.
- Steps to consider: Offer low-risk options as suggestions, such as observing one’s own use or reviewing notification settings while working.
- Conclusion: Briefly restate the main message and ask a question that invites the audience to reflect on their own experience.
This flow is a presentation suggestion; it does not claim that each topic is supported by scientific findings. If you use a topic, source any specific claims associated with it separately.
4. Explicitly hypothetical example: a 7-slide outline
The example below is fictional; it is not a real person, research finding, or proven intervention. Title: “How might phone use affect attention?” On the first slide, ask a neutral question about a fictional student who sees a notification while studying. On the second slide, explain that heavy use and problematic usage patterns are not the same thing. On the third slide, describe a moment when the student stops studying to look at their phone; do not say this has the same effect on everyone.
On the fourth slide, use only information about attention that you can verify. You do not have to include a claim if you cannot find a suitable source; for instance, you could instead make the slide a discussion question to ask after the example. On the fifth slide, treat notifications and habits as possible contributing factors, not definite causes. On the sixth slide, present the fictional student reviewing notification settings during a study period and noting their experience as an option; do not call it a sure solution or treatment. End the final slide with the question, “In what situation could I observe my own phone use?” The student and scenario are entirely fictional; no generalizations should be drawn from the example.
5. Choose visuals and language that fit the purpose
Try using a short heading, a few key phrases, and a visual that explains the idea instead of a long paragraph on a slide. An illustrative phone drawing is not research data; do not present a visual as evidence. If you use a graph, clearly identify its source and the group, time period, and measure the data relate to. If you cannot verify this information, it is safer not to use the graph.
Avoid judgmental terms such as “weak-willed” and broad generalizations with unclear scope, such as “everyone.” Choose wording such as “in this example” or “in some situations” to reflect the limits of your claim. You can keep source details that do not fit on the slide in your speaker notes. Find the separate guide to using presentation notes on a phone at Using Canva presentation notes on a phone; no claim about an app feature or technical step is based on that article here.
6. Troubleshooting and final verification
If sources give different numbers: Do not combine the numbers and present them as one general finding. Check which study, group, and date each one relates to. If there is not enough information for a comparison, remove the numbers.
If the presentation has become too broad: Shorten sections that do not directly answer the question in the title. For each slide, ask, “How does this section serve the main purpose?”
If a graph or visual is unclear: First simplify the message you want to convey. Make the source and context visible; if you cannot verify the data, remove the visual.
If you run over time during rehearsal: Identify the one main idea on each slide and reduce examples accordingly. In your final check, make sure the links open, the text is readable, the sources really support the claims, and the fictional example is not presented as a real person or finding.
7. Pre-presentation checklist
- Are the purpose, audience, and duration clear?
- Is the meaning of “phone addiction” in the presentation explained, and have you avoided labeling people?
- Is there a verifiable, relevant source for every number and specific claim?
- Do the source’s scope, date, and group match the claim?
- Is the fictional example clearly identified as hypothetical?
- Does each slide have a clear main idea, and are the sources and context for graphs identified?
- Have you rehearsed the presentation’s timing, and is the final message clear?
Frequently asked questions
What should I say instead of “phone addiction” in my presentation?
If the assignment title uses this phrase, you can keep the title and explain what you mean by it in the presentation. Instead of labeling people in the content, discuss observable usage patterns and possible effects that you can support with sources.
How many sources should I use?
The sources in this text do not set a required number of sources. What matters is that the specific claims you present are based on verifiable sources that genuinely support them. You can keep your source list short, but check that every source on it matches the information you use in the presentation.
Related how-to guides
You can expand on the relevant step in this work with the guide Using Google Slides on a phone as a remote.
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