The Effect of Adolescents' Smartphone Dependency on Self-Esteem and Academic Helplessness : The Moderating Effect of Parental Nurturance

Since the onset of COVID-19, restrictions on students' extracurricular activities have increased academic stress, leading to decreased concentration and learning efficiency, and a rise in academic helplessness. therefore, this study aimed to examine how the surge in smartphone dependency among adolescents living alone during the pandemic affected academic helplessness, mediated by self-esteem, and moderated by parental nurturance. Data from a cohort of 2,384 third-year middle school students in South Korea during 2020, using the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018, were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 to validate each hypothesis. The results revealed that smartphone overdependence negatively influenced self-esteem, which in turn negatively affected academic helplessness. Moreover, smartphone overdependence directly positively influenced academic helplessness. Self-esteem significantly mediated the impact of smartphone overdependence on academic helplessness, and positive parental nurturance moderated the effect of self-esteem on academic helplessness. Based on these findings, the study emphasizes the critical educational implications of smartphone overdependence, suggesting tailored strategies for self-control and practical step-by-step interventions. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of parents providing supportive interventions rather than mere reprimands, focusing on student recovery and resilience in devising intervention strategies.