What is ‘problematic smartphone use’ and should we worry about it?

Two recent studies have linked “problematic smartphone use” among teens to increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. But is this a real problem? And how much, if at all, should we worry?

What is “problematic smartphone use”?

The researchers in both studies defined smartphone use as “problematic” if it involves a loss of control over use, being absorbed in the device at the expense of meaningful activities, and feeling anxious when unable to use it. Use becomes problematic when it interferes with work, school, or relationships, says Jon Elhai of the University of Toledo in Ohio, who was not involved in either study.

“Problematic smartphone use” is not recognised as a diagnosable condition by official health authorities such as the World Health Organisation, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention or the UK National Health Service.

Both studies found a link to certain health conditions. This means more research is needed to determine whether smartphone use could be causing such health problems, says Nicola Kalk of King’s College London, who was involved in both studies.

What did both studies show?

In one, Kalk and her colleagues surveyed smartphone use among more than 650 teens between the ages of 16 and 18. They used the “Smartphone Addiction Scale,” which asks whether people experience blurry vision due to using a device or feel impatient when not holding it. This leads to a score from 10 to 60, with scores above 30 considered problematic.

Of the participants, 19 percent met the definition of problematic smartphone use. These individuals were twice as likely to report symptoms of moderate anxiety and almost three times as likely to report symptoms of moderate depression compared to their peers.

On average, people with problematic smartphone use spent an additional 29 minutes per day on Instagram and 22 minutes more on TikTok than those without problematic smartphone use. There was no association between problematic smartphone use and other apps, such as Snapchat or WhatsApp.

The team took into account factors that could affect the results, such as the amount of time participants said they spent on their smartphones each day. “We also separated the effects of (general) screen time from the effects of problematic smartphone use, and while screen time was not associated with anxiety or depression, problematic smartphone use was,” Kalk says.

In the second study, a different team examined smartphone use among 69 teens aged 13 to 16, as well as their prevalence of symptoms of anxiety, depression and insomnia. The researchers found that 44 percent of the participants met the definition of problematic smartphone use, based on the same addiction scale.

When the team re-surveyed the 62 participants a month later, they found that increases in problematic smartphone use over that time were associated with more severe symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Should we be concerned about “problematic smartphone use”?

But these studies are small and don’t prove that what’s considered problematic smartphone use actually causes worsening mental health in teens, says Sunny Xun Liu of Stanford University.

Kalk and Ben Carter of King’s College London, who were involved in both studies, acknowledge that young people who already experience these symptoms may use their smartphones in more problematic ways than those without mental health problems. “It may be a bidirectional relationship, but we can’t yet say whether it’s causal,” says Jay Olson of the University of Toronto in Canada.

For example, people with pre-existing symptoms of depression may be more dependent on their phones than someone without the condition if they find comfort in communicating with loved ones, while someone with insomnia may reach for their phone to combat boredom in the middle of the night.

In the second study, participants with signs of problematic smartphone use were five times more likely to say they wanted to cut back on their devices than those who didn’t use them problematically. The fact that these teens want to use their phones less often makes the results “both troubling and positive,” Carter says.

How can we limit smartphone use if it worries us?

In the first study, surveys found that 95 percent of participants tried to limit their smartphone use. They said the most effective strategies were occasionally switching the device to “do not disturb” mode, turning off notifications and leaving it in another room before going to bed.

Instead of imposing restrictions on teens’ phone use, parents and schools should talk to them about what aspects of smartphone use are good or bad for them, Kalk says. For example, some teens have said they enjoy keeping in touch with loved ones via smartphones, but also that they can be distracting.

Topics:

• sanity/
• smartphones