Smartphone use motivation and problematic smartphone use in a national representative sample of Chinese adolescents: The mediating roles of smartphone use time for various activities

Abstract

Background and aims Previous studies on smartphone use motivation (SUM) and problematic smartphone use (PSU) have been limited in the utilization of regional samples of emerging adults (e.g., college students) and also in the foci on the direct association between SUM and PSU. To address such gaps, using data from a large, national representative sample of Chinese young adolescents and their parents this study examined the associations between adolescents' various types of SUM and their PSU, and also tested the potential mediating roles of smartphone use time (SUT) that adolescents spent on various activities in such associations. Methods A nationwide representative sample of 8,261 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 12.86 years old, SD = 1.76; 42.6% females) and their parents (49% mothers) participated in this survey study. Results Instrumental SUM (i.e., to expand knowledge or acquire information) was associated negatively with PSU via longer SUT spent on learning and shorter SUT spent on entertainment and communication. Self-expression SUM (i.e., to gain acceptance and recognition of others by maintaining or improving self-images) was associated with longer SUT spent on both learning and entertainment, which, in turn, predicted lower and higher levels of PSU, respectively. Last, hedonic SUM (i.e., to gain pleasure) was associated positively with PSU via longer SUT spent on entertainment and communication. Discussion These findings contribute to the literature by adding greater specificity in our understanding of the implications of SUM and SUT in the etiology of PSU during the critical life stage of adolescence in a Chinese cultural context.

Exploring the Dimensions of Smartphone Distraction: Development, Validation, Measurement Invariance, and Latent Mean Differences of the Smartphone Distraction Scale (SDS)

“…These results are also in line with findings from previous studies in which females appear to demonstrate higher multitasking and emotion regulation needs, and to manage their emotions more poorly than males and present with higher problematic smartphone use (146,152,(263)(264)(265)(266). Evidence regarding gender differences in multitasking is inconclusive due to conflicting findings, with some evidence suggesting that women are not better than men at multitasking, while other literature suggests that women present with better multitasking skills (151,267).…”

Passive Sensing of Preteens’ Smartphone Use: An Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Cohort Substudy

“…Thus, it appears that a combination of entertainment and social connection are the primary drivers of smartphone screen use, as most included apps have the dual capability of passive viewing and active socializing (eg, commenting, posting videos). Previous reports of adolescent and young adult screen use, and particularly social media use, indicate that teens are motivated by social needs [38,39], entertainment [39,40], communication with peers and group members [41][42][43], complying with perceived social norms [44], feeling a sense of belonging [41], and agency and identity formation [45]. Social motivators are particularly important in adolescence, as teens are likely to seek social approval even at risk of other harm or negative outcomes [46].…”

The association between depression and problematic smartphone behaviors through smartphone use in a clinical sample

“…For some studies, while the theoretical interest focused on the actual smartphone use, smartphone use motivations were measured (Elhai, Hall, et al, 2017; Elhai et al, 2018; Elhai et al, 2020; Rozgonjuk et al, 2019; van Deursen et al, 2015). To be clear, although smartphone use motivations and smartphone use are associated, they are separate constructs (Meng et al, 2020). That is, whereas motivations concern with the expected gratification that drives individuals to use smartphones, smartphone use focuses on the time engagement with this device.…”