Published: 02 August 2024
New NIHR-funded research has found a link between problematic smartphone use and depression, anxiety, and insomnia in teens.
The NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre funded research into teenagers' smartphone use and possible links to mental health. The researchers studied 13-16 year-olds and 16-18 year-olds in English schools. Both studies found a link between problematic smartphone use and mental health. They also found a higher rate of problematic smartphone use among girls.
What is problematic smartphone use (PSU)?
PSU describes behaviours and thinking linked to smartphones that resemble an addiction. For example, a teenager may
- feel panicky when the phone is unavailable
- find it difficult to control the amount of time spent on the phone
- be using for longer without feeling satisfied
- using the phone instead of meaningful activities they enjoy.
The 16-18-year-olds group
In 2020, 657 pupils assessed their phone use and mental health, including anxiety, depression, and insomnia, over five weeks.
Findings, published in Acta Paediatrica, revealed that 18.7 percent of participants self-reported PSU. Those who reported PSU were twice as likely to be anxious. They were nearly three times as likely to be depressed compared to those who did not report PSU.
Teenagers with PSU tended to use TikTok and Instagram more than their peers without it. But WhatsApp, general gaming, or general internet usage was similar.
The 13–16-year-olds group
In 2022, 69 pupils assessed their phone use. They also reported changes in anxiety, depression, and insomnia over four weeks. The findings, published in BMJ Mental Health, revealed that 14.5 percent of this group self-reported PSU.
For the participants with PSU:
- 44 percent reported symptoms of anxiety compared to 26 percent without PSU.
- 56 percent reported symptoms of depression compared to 36 percent without PSU.
This study also looked at how mental health changed over 4 weeks. It found a correlation between PSU score and increased levels of anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Cutting down time spent on smartphones
Adolescents are aware that they need to manage their smartphone use.
- Almost two-thirds of 16- to 18-year-olds in the study reported that they have tried to cut down on their smartphone use.
- 16- to 18-year-olds with PSU were five times more likely to say they wanted help in reducing their usage of smartphones.
- 90 percent of 13- to 16-year-olds tried to limit their smartphone use.
Distinction between problematic smartphone use and screen time
The researchers highlighted a distinction between PSU and screentime. Screentime was described as the number of minutes spent on the smartphone, rather than problematic behaviours surrounding its use.
Screen time shows no link to levels of anxiety or depression in teenagers. But a correlation does exist between insomnia and screen time.
Strategies to reduce smartphone usage.
Further analysis revealed that some strategies for reducing smartphone use are more effective than others.
Most effective strategies
- putting smartphones on "Do Not Disturb."
- turning off notifications
- leaving the smartphone in another room at bedtime
Least effective strategies
- restricting access to specific apps
- using a locked box during revision
- turning on greyscale
Professor Ben Carter, Professor of Medical Statistics at King’s IoPPN and the first author of both studies, said:
“Adolescent smartphone use is a huge concern for parents and carers. We found that problematic smartphone use was linked with anxiety, depression and insomnia across two separate adolescent age groups using two different research methods. By revealing the link between problematic use of smartphones and poorer mental health, and demonstrating that young people are aware of this problem and are eager to manage their use, these studies highlight the need for evidence-based interventions to help adolescents struggling with difficult behaviours around their smartphone use.”
These findings should help parents talk with their teens about the pros and cons of smartphones and ways to reduce their use.