Infowars.com reports:
“Problematic smartphone usage includes loss of control of the amount of time spent using the smartphone, feelings of distress when denied access to a smartphone, continued use despite negative consequences and requiring increasingly long periods of use for satisfaction,” the study said in the ‘Introduction’ section.
Nearly 1 in 5 older adolescents reported problematic smartphone usage and almost 2 in 3 reported wanting to cut down their usage,” the study said in the ‘Conclusions’ section.
The researchers analyzed 657 adolescents aged 16 through 18 from five schools in the U.K. for their study.
Interestingly, while screen time did not have an effect on anxiety or depression, problematic smartphone use did.
“Problematic smartphone use had a significant direct, indirect and total effect on both anxiety and depression,” the study said in the ‘Results’ section.
The researchers discussed how many of the young people were aware of the negative effects of problematic smartphone use and some wanted help.
The study was conducted via a questionnaire.
“Demographic and smartphone usage characteristics were summarised, comparing adolescents with moderate anxiety to those with out, as well as those with problematic smartphone use compared to those without,” the study said in part 2.3 of the ‘Methods’ section.
Various metrics were taken into account, including
smartphone app use and smartphone usage patterns.
Another study analyzing problematic smartphone use (PSU) in adolescents aged 13 to 16 also revealed that anxiety, depression and lack of sleep were also linked to problematic smartphone usage.