No abstract

Smartphone use can lead to smartphone addiction, which is a growing concern worldwide. However, there are limited studies about smartphone addiction and its impacts on university students in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to fill this gap. This is a quantitative study conducted among undergraduate students in Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), Saudi Arabia from May 2019 and February 2021. Study data were collected using both online and hard copy administered surveys. A self-administered questionnaire, Grade point average, Smartphone Addiction Short Version, and Kessler Psychological Distress scales were used to assess the outcomes. A total of 545 undergraduate students, mostly females, aged ≤ 21 years old and lived with large family sizes. More than half owned a smartphone for 5–8 years and the majority used their smartphone on average 6–11 h per day for social networking (82.6%), entertainment (66.2%) and web surfing (59.6%). Most of the participants were smartphone-addicted (67.0%). Logistic regression analysis showed that age ≤ 21, not gainfully employed, small family size and high family income were the main significant socio-demographic predictors of smartphone addiction. Smartphone-addicted participants were more likely to: have lower academic performance (GPA); be physically inactive; have poor sleep; be overweight/obese; have pain in their shoulder (39.2%), eyes (62.2%) and neck (67.7%) and have a serious mental illness (30.7%). This finding has significant implications for decision makers and suggests that smartphone education focusing on the physical and mental health consequences of smartphone addiction among university students can be beneficial.

Smartphones have made our lives easier and have become indispensable for everyday life; however, their uncontrolled and excessive use can trigger “smartphone addiction” (SA). SA is a rising public health issue, particularly among young people around the world. There is a dearth of empirical research about SA and its impacts on young adults, particularly in developing countries such as Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study is an attempt to fill this gap. The data were collected from 440 eligible young adults in Bangladesh using an online survey between July 2021 and February 2022. Study results revealed that 60.5% of the young adults were addicted to their smartphone. Logistic regression analysis showed that being male, aged ≤25, unemployed and living with a large family size (≥8) were the significant sociodemographic predictors of SA. Smartphone-addicted participants were more likely to be less physically active, suffer from insomnia, be overweight or obese and use their phones while driving, walking and eating. In addition, the SA group were more likely to have physical and mental well-being problems. This study brings to light significant implications for policy makers and indicates a need for an SA community awareness programme which aims to reduce SA at the societal level.