What is “problematic smartphone use” and should we be concerned about it?

Two recent studies have linked “problematic smartphone use” among teens to increased symptoms of anxiety, depression and insomnia. But is it a real problem? And to what extent should we be concerned, if at all?

What is “problematic smartphone use”?

Researchers in both studies defined smartphone use as “problematic” if it involves someone losing their sense of control over use, worrying about their device at the expense of meaningful activities, and feeling distressed when they can’t use it. Use becomes problematic when it interferes with their work, school, or relationships, they say. Jon Elhai at the University of Toledo in Ohio, who was not involved in any of the studies.

Problematic smartphone use is not officially recognized as a diagnosable condition. health organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, and the National Health Services of the United Kingdom.

Both studies found an association with certain conditions, so more research is needed to determine whether smartphone use can cause these types of health problems, he says. Nicola Kalk at King's College London, who was involved in both studies.

What did the two studies find?

In one, Kalk and colleagues looked at smartphone use among more than 650 teenagers aged 16 to 18. They used the “Smartphone Addiction Scale,” which asks whether people experience blurred vision due to using their device or feel impatient when they don’t have it in their hand, for example. This results in 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 smartphone use. anxiety and nearly three times more likely to report symptoms of moderate depression, compared to their peers.

On average, those with problematic smartphone use spent an additional 29 minutes per day on Instagram and 22 minutes more on TikTok, compared to those without problematic smartphone use. No links were found between problematic smartphone use and other apps, such as Snapchat or WhatsApp.

The team took into account factors that may influence the results, such as the amount of time participants said they spent in their smart phones every day we [also] analyzed in detail the impact of [general] “Screen time is related to the effects of problematic smartphone use, and while screen time was not related to anxiety or depression, problematic smartphone use was,” Kalk says.

In the second study, a different team examined smartphone use among 69 adolescents aged 13 to 16, along with their prevalence of anxiety, depression and symptoms of insomnia. Researchers found that 44 percent of participants met the definition of problematic smartphone use, according to the same addiction scale.

When the team surveyed 62 of the participants again a month later, they found that an increase in the severity of problematic smartphone use during that time was linked to more severe symptoms of anxiety, depression and insomnia.

Should we be concerned about “problematic smartphone use”?

These studies are small and do not prove that what is considered problematic smartphone use actually causes deterioration in adolescents' mental health, he says. Sunny Xun Liu at Stanford University.

Limestone and Ben Carter Researchers at King's College London, who were involved in both studies, acknowledge that young people who already experience these symptoms may use their smartphones in a more problematic way than people without them. mental health “It may be a two-way link, but we can't yet say if it's causal,” he says. Jay Olson at the University of Toronto in Canada.

For example, people with pre-existing symptoms of depression may rely more on their phone than someone without the condition if they find comfort in communicating with loved ones, while someone with insomnia may rely on 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 reduce their device use than those who did not use their smartphones. The fact that these teens want to use their phones less makes the results “both concerning and positive,” Carter says.

How can we reduce smartphone usage if we are worried?

Surveys of participants in the first study found that 95 percent of them had tried to limit their smartphone use. They said the most effective strategies were occasionally putting the device on “do not disturb” mode, turning off notifications and leaving it in another room at bedtime.

Rather than imposing restrictions on teens' phone use, parents and schools should talk to them about what aspects of smartphone use benefit or harm them, Kalk says. For example, some of the teens said they enjoyed staying in touch with loved ones through their smartphones, but also that they could be a distraction.