A quarter of young people are 'problematic' smartphone users, King's College finds

A quarter of young people are 'problematic' smartphone users and specialists may soon need to class it as an addiction, experts have said.

An analysis of more than 41 studies involving more than 41,000 under-20s by King’s College London found that one in four youngsters used phones in a way consistent with a behavioural addiction.

Problematic smartphone use includes feeling panicky or upset when the phone is unavailable, finding it difficult to control the amount of time spent on the phone and using the phone to the detriment of other enjoyable activities.

The studies showed that between 10 and 30 per cent of children and young people used their smartphones in a dysfunctional way, which means an average of 23 per cent were showing problematic smartphone usage (PSU), researchers concluded.

First author Samantha Sohn the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s, said: “Behavioural addictions can have serious consequences on mental health and day-to-day functioning, so there is a need for further investigation into problematic smartphone usage in the UK.

“In order to determine whether PSU should be classified as a behavioural addiction we need longitudinal data looking at PSU in relation to more objective health outcomes, as well as evidence that people with PSU struggle to moderate their use.”

The analysis is the largest ever carried out investigating the prevalence of problematic smartphone use in young people and included nine studies from Europe, two from the US and 30 from Asia.

Research earlier this year from Cambridge University warned that PSU probably impacted around one in five youngsters, but the new findings suggest it is likely to be higher.

The researchers also found a consistent association between PSU and poor mental health including depressed mood, anxiety, stress, poor sleep quality and educational attainment.

Co-senior author, Dr Ben Carter from the IoPPN at King’s, said: ‘There is currently a lot of public discourse around the possible negative effects of smartphone use, and previous research has tended to only examine the quantity and frequency of time spent on any technology or screen.

“Our review assesses the effects not just of heavy use, but of dysfunctional smartphone use, and by looking at an 'addicted' pattern of behaviour towards smartphones we have established correlations between this type of dysfunctional behaviour and poorer mental health outcomes.”

Over the past decade there has been an increase in smartphone use among children and young people and this has occurred at the same time as a rise in common mental disorders in the same age group.

Co-senior author Dr Nicola Kalk from the IoPPN added: “Smartphones are here to stay and there is a need to understand the prevalence of problematic smartphone usage.

“We don't know whether it is the smartphone itself that can be addictive or the apps that people use.

“Nevertheless, there is a need for public awareness around smartphone use in children and young people, and parents should be aware of how much time their children spend on their phones.”

Commenting on the findings, Dr Sam Chamberlain, Wellcome Trust Clinical Fellow, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, University of Cambridge, said: “The finding that Problematic Smartphone Use was associated with depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties, highlights the importance of further research to establish whether these relationships are potentially causally linked.

“I agree with the authors that longitudinal research is needed to help address this important issue.”

The research was published in the journal BMC Psychiatry.