Anxious, Depressed, and Lonely Adolescents Are More Likely to Be Overdependent on Their Smartphones

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by PsyPost.

A survey of South Korean middle- and high-school students revealed that those with increased anxiety, depression, loneliness, and experience of violent treatment are more likely to become overdependent on their smartphones. Girls were more likely to develop this overdependence than boys. The paper was published in Scientific Reports.

A national survey in South Korea found that almost 1 in 4 individuals between ages 3 and 69 can be classified as being overdependent on their smartphones. This represents a rapid increase from previous years.

Smartphone overdependence is a condition where individuals excessively rely on their smartphones for daily activities and social interactions. This negatively impacts their well-being. The overuse of smartphones can result in reduced face-to-face communication, decreased productivity, and impaired mental health, including anxiety and depression. Physical issues like eye strain, sleep disturbances, and poor posture are also common among those who are overly dependent on their smartphones. Adolescents seem to be particularly likely to develop smartphone overdependence.

Researchers analyzed data from the 16th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a national web survey containing data of 54,948 students from 793 schools across South Korea. These survey data are made public each year via the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency website. The participating students were between 12 and 18 years of age. Study authors excluded participants who did not use smartphones at all, so the final analysis was done on data of 53,457 participants.

Results showed that older adolescents were more likely to be overdependent on their smartphones compared to younger ones. 30% of girls showed signs of overdependence compared to 21% of boys. Adolescents from families of low socioeconomic status were more likely to be smartphone overdependent.

The risk of smartphone overdependence was around 2.5 times higher among participants with high anxiety (51%) than among those with minimal anxiety (19%). The risk was higher among depressive participants, those who felt lonely, and individuals who underwent hospital treatment due to violence they suffered. Further analysis showed that girls with severe anxiety were the group at the highest risk of smartphone overdependence with 53% of adolescents in this group fulfilling criteria for this condition.

Source: PsyPost
https://www.psypost.org/anxious-depressed-and-lonely-adolescents-are-more-likely-to-be-overdependent-on-their-smartphones/