“As Long as You Have Your Smartphone, You’re Connected with Friends”: Lower Secondary Students’ Perceptions of Smartphones’ Role in Social Relationships at School

Smartphones’ role in schools has been widely debated in recent years, and this study foregrounds students’ voices on their role in social processes at school. Data were collected from 58 students in two Finnish lower secondary schools through open-ended questionnaires and focus group interviews and analyzed inductively using qualitative content analysis. The findings emphasize that, according to students, smartphone use plays a central role in forming and maintaining relationships in school. Their influence in face-to-face interaction is ambivalent: while smartphone use can facilitate interaction, their pervasive presence may reduce conversations and expose students to social tensions and loneliness. Students describe smartphones as sources of social support and safety, but also as exposing them to inappropriate content and uncertainty. Overall, peer relationships are strongly mediated through smartphones, reflecting a transformed media ecology and underscoring the need for schools to support face-to-face peer socialization and students’ interpersonal and digital citizenship skills.