Background The percentage of smartphone users -especially among minors-is growing, and so is the body of literature hinting at increasing rates of problematic smartphone use in children and adolescents. However, comprehensive reviews regarding this issue are still scarce. Objective The main aim of this review was to provide an overview of studies focusing on specific risk factors predicting problematic smartphone use in children and adolescents. Methods A literature search was conducted in Google Scholar and PubMed. Results The search yielded 38 articles that met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Research regarding influencing factors such as gender, age, and social, family, and personality factors, as well as duration of use and use patterns, could be found. Results seem to cautiously suggest that using a smartphone for gaming and social networking might be risk factors, whereas having good friendships might constitute a protective factor. Also, female adolescents seem to be prone to a higher smartphone addiction risk than male adolescents. For family, school, and personality factors, results are still scarce, and more research is needed. Nevertheless, strict parenting, low self-control, and low self-esteem seem to in-crease risks for problematic use, whereas academic motivation and school success might decrease this risk. Conclusion A concise theoretical conceptualization of problematic smartphone use and corresponding standardized measures are needed to increase comparability of future studies and to thereby add to a clearer understanding of this contested concept.

Aim To provide a systematic review on studies examining problematic smartphone (PSU) use in children and adolescents, and its impact on quality of life, life satisfaction, and well‐being. Methods An extensive literature search was conducted in Google Scholar, Scopus and Pubmed. Results The search yielded k = 9 articles for which inclusion criteria were met. Five studies examined health‐related or overall quality of life, two assessed life satisfaction, and two evaluated well‐being in relation to PSU. Negative associations between PSU and the outcome variables were reported almost consistently, with one study yielding only a trend for a negative correlation of PSU with life satisfaction, and one study finding no significant correlation regarding quality of life. Comparability between studies was impeded by the scarcity of studies which met inclusion criteria and by the use of different measures. Conclusion More research is needed regarding PSU and the outcome variables in children and adolescents. Also, a distinct and consistent theoretical conceptualisation of PSU is required to replicate findings, and to enhance comparability between studies. Based on the trend reported here, the development of customised, early on interventions for children and adolescents at risk of PSU is warranted.

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ZusammenfassungNeue Medien wie Smartphone-Apps oder virtuelle Realitäten (VR) finden zunehmend Anwendung in der pädiatrischen Psychosomatik. In der Diagnostik liegen die Vorteile in der Erfassung von Daten im Alltag sowie in der realitätsnahen und zugleich standardisierten Erfassung mithilfe der VR. In der Behandlung lassen sich selbstadministrierte und hybride Technologien von computerassistierten und computerspielbasierten Interventionen unterscheiden, die allesamt zunehmend in der pädiatrischen Psychosomatik zum Einsatz kommen, so z. B. bei Schmerzerkrankungen, Enkopresis, chronischen Erkrankungen oder auch begleitenden Depressionen und Ängsten. Durch das Auslösen alltagsnaher Reaktionen bei gleichzeitiger maximaler Kontrolle bieten VR auch in der Forschung große Vorteile. Nichtsdestotrotz sind Kontraindikationen wie Psychosen, Epilepsie und Migräne zu beachten. Eine umfassende Schulung des Fachpersonals ist daher für die Nutzung neuer Medien in der Diagnostik, Behandlung und Forschung essenziell.