Students and Smartphone Usage: Influencing Factors

Smartphone usage is rapidly increasing worldwide, thanks in part to their growing accessibility and affordability. Previous research has shown that there is a negative correlation between smartphone usage and academic performance. In this study we aimed to not only replicate these findings but also to explore the specific factors that influence students' smartphone usage. To do so, we utilized the Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version (SAS-SV) questionnaire to identify between self-reported smartphone "addicts" and "non-addicts" and then analyzed correlations with factors such as age group, college year, mobile app usage, and smartphone operating system. The results suggest that a student's age, most frequently used app, and operating system may impact their smartphone usage. The paper discusses practical design implications for mitigating smartphone addiction among university students.