Problematic Smartphone Use Leads to Behavioral and Cognitive Self-Control Deficits

Abstract

Excessive use of smartphones has been associated with a number of negative consequences for individuals. Some of these consequences relate to many symptoms of behavioral addiction. The present study aims to investigate whether participants with high levels of smartphone usage may have difficulty with their ability to wield the self-control that is needed to restrict smartphone usage compared to participants with lower levels of smartphone addiction. Specifically, we expect that people with high levels of smartphone usage may have problems in refraining from using a smartphone. In addition, we expect people with a high level of smartphone use may show deficiencies in cognitive tasks such as memory, executive control, and visual and auditory attention. An ABA design was applied to analyze the effects of smartphone withdrawal. The first A refers to baseline measurements: Visual RT, Auditory RT, Go/No-Go RT and N-Back RT and Eriksen flanker RT. The B refers to 3 days of smartphone withdrawal, whereas the second A refers to the same measurements used in the baseline. In addition, several standardized scales were administered, among them: Smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV), Fear of missing out scale (FoMOs), Procrastination scale, and Psychological General Well-Being Index. One hundred and eleven participants took part in the study. Based on median split they were divided into two groups: high level and low level smartphone users. Moreover, thanks to an app installed on the participants’ smartphones, it was possible to measure levels of compliance with the task. Results indicate that participants with low levels of smartphone usage show less difficulty in their ability to wield the self-control needed to withdraw smartphone use and faster reaction times on cognitive tests than participants with high levels of smartphone usage. Moreover, the profile of participants with high levels of smartphone usage shows higher scores on the FoMOs and Procrastination scale, and lower scores in the Psychological General Well-Being Index. The results are discussed in light of self-regulation theory.

Problematic Smartphone Use and Social Media Fatigue: The Mediating Role of Self-Control

“… 89 This propensity has been identified both in women and men excessively using smartphones. 53 Moreover, Fabio et al 90 outlined that individuals declaring lower levels of smartphone use present fewer problems with self-control. In another study, Du et al 91 demonstrated that problematic media use was positively related to social media self-control failure.…”

The Influence of Smartphone Use on Tweens’ Capacity for Complex Critical Thinking

“…This is the period of life in which you usually get the first smartphone at an average age of 10 years, and in which you reach the peak of greatest use [ 48 ]. Recent studies have shown that tweens interact with their smartphones constantly, with 88% of them checking their phones at least once an hour [ 49 , 50 ]. Moreover, tweens tend to spend a lot of time away from home and often escape parental control and compliance with smartphone usage regulations [ 51 ].…”

Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of The Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOs) In Chilean University Students

“…(16) Likewise, other studies explain that FoMO mediates a person's mental health, particularly in feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression, influencing emotional well-being, sleep quality, and alcohol consumption. (17) FoMO has been correlated with various health problems, such as sleep disorders, (18) depression, (19,20) psychological distress, (21,22) loneliness , (23,24) problematic use of social networks, (25,26,27) problematic use of smartphones, (28,29) self-esteem issues, (30) eating disorders, (31) and drinking issues, (32) among others. The psychometric properties of the FoMO scale have been studied and validated in populations from several countries, such as Turkey, (11,33) African Americans in the U.S.A., (34) China, (35,36) Indonesia, (37,38) Peru, (39) and Italy.…”