Adolescents’ behavior patterns in virtual spaces and their integration into physical urban environments: An empirical investigation using high-resolution data

• Portable devices make virtual spaces ubiquitous and accessible from almost anywhere. • Tracking GPS and phone logs we map adolescents’ virtual and physical space activity. • Environmental characteristics correlate with specific virtual space usage patterns. • Outdoor environments feature longer durations and more frequent smartphone use. • Future spatial behavior studies must consider both virtual and physical space traits This study provides empirical, data-driven insights into adolescents’ evolving virtual space usage patterns, primarily driven by the widespread adoption of ubiquitous digital devices like smartphones. By integrating high-resolution GPS data with mobile phone app usage logs, the study identifies diverse usage types and distinct temporal patterns of virtual space engagement, highlighting their association with characteristics of the physical environment. Contrary to expectations, longer smartphone usage in general and at home does not come at the expense of time spent outdoors. Moreover, outdoor environments were characterized by longer and more frequent virtual space engagement through smartphones, with suburban participants showing more process-oriented (e.g., games, streaming services) usage compared to city center adolescents. Gender differences were observed in some contexts, with girls showing a greater tendency to engage with social virtual activities and boys with process usage. Additionally, specific usage patterns were found to be associated with distinct environmental characteristics, including distance from home, green spaces and built area density. Our findings align with recent geographical research frameworks, such as fused and hybrid spaces, which theorize current virtual space as being intertwined with and inseparable from the physical space. This perspective underscores the need to study these spaces jointly to fully understand urban spaces and human spatial behavior.