An Analysis of Smartphone Usage Behavior and Patterns of Change Based on Adolescents' Usage Purposes

This study aimed to classify latent profiles of smartphone usage among adolescents based on usage purposes and explore their transitions from the second year of middle school to the second year of high school. Using data from the 2nd and 5th waves of the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS), the sample included 1,963 students who provided data on smartphone usage frequency. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), Latent Transition Analysis (LTA), and one-way ANOVA. Five distinct smartphone usage profiles were identified at both time points: low engaged, communication-focused, average usage, entertainment-focused, and high engaged. The majority of participants in the average, entertainment-focused, and high-engaged profiles remained in their respective categories over time. However, those in the low-engaged profile were most likely to transition to the average usage profile, while participants in the communication-focused profile were likely to transition to the high-engaged profile. These findings suggest that while many adolescents maintain consistent usage patterns, some experience significant changes, particularly toward higher engagement. This study contributes to understanding how adolescents' smartphone usage types evolve over time and provides valuable insights for developing tailored interventions aimed at managing smartphone dependency based on specific usage patterns.