Effects of Smartphone Use on Suicidal Ideation by Adolescents’ Academic Grades

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to affect of smartphone use on suicidal ideation by adolescents’ academic grades. Methods: The smartphone use time, academic grade and suicidal ideation of 52,875 adolescents were analyzed using raw data from the 2023 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The samples were divided into high level group, middle level group and low level group in terms of the self-rated academic grades. Data were analyzed with x2, ANOVA and logistic regression analysis. Results: First, smartphone use time, smartphone dependence and suicidal ideation were significantly different by academic grades. Second, all academic grades showed the effect of smartphone dependence on suicidal ideation. Conclusion: It was suggested that education on smartphone use and development of mental health programs were necessary to reduce suicidal ideation.