Teenagers who have a problematic relationship with their smartphones are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia than those who do not, new research has found.
Young people who said they had problematic smartphone use, a pattern of behaviours resembling addiction, were twice as likely to report symptoms of anxiety compared to those who did not, according to researchers at King’s College London.
Problematic smartphone use refers to behaviours such as panicking when one’s phone is unavailable, finding it difficult to control time spent on a phone, and using the phone to the detriment of other meaningful activities.
It affects a minority of teenagers, the study found, and although it is less extreme than an addiction, researchers believe there could soon be enough evidence for physicians to recognise it as one.
Around 44% of 13 to 16-year-olds with problematic use of their device reported symptoms of anxiety compared to 26.4% without, while around 56% of 13-16-year-olds with problematic use had symptoms of depression compared with 35.8% without.
There is a difference between screen time, which is the number of minutes spent on a phone, and problematic use of a smartphone.
Researchers found use of TikTok and Instagram was higher among 16 to 18-year-olds with problematic smartphone use, but usage of WhatsApp, gaming and overall internet use were around the same between both groups.
Screen time was associated with anxiety or depression in older teenagers, but it also had a direct link with insomnia, the study found.
Researchers conducted the two studies, which have been published in the British Medical Journal, at a handful of schools in England between 2020 and 2022.
One study gathered the responses of 657 teenagers aged between 16 and 18 and the other measured 69 children aged between 13 and 16 over a four-week period.
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