A STUDY OF SMARTPHONE ADDICTION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS OF SAMBA DISTRICT (J&K)

This study investigated smartphone addiction patterns among college students in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, with specific focus on gender and academic stream differences. Using a quantitative research design, 200 undergraduate students (100 male, 100 female) from arts, science, and commerce streams were assessed through the standardized Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). Results revealed statistically significant gender differences with male students exhibiting higher addiction levels than females. However, no significant variation was found across academic streams, suggesting uniform smartphone dependency patterns regardless of discipline. The overall mean addiction score of 90.82 (SD = 16.05) indicates moderate to high smartphone dependency among the student population. These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive digital wellness interventions in educational settings while emphasizing the pervasive nature of smartphone addiction across all academic disciplines. The study contributes to existing literature by providing region-specific data and underscores the importance of developing balanced smartphone usage policies in higher education institutions.