A comparative study on cognitive, emotional, and social functioning in adolescents with and without smartphone addiction

Abstract

Background: It has been well established that any form of addiction does not only have physiological impact but also long term cognitive, emotional and social impact. What is noticeable is however that, addiction has now become associated with many behaviours which are actually part of everyday life and is often termed as Behavioural Addiction. One of them being Smartphone Addiction. Although smartphones have become a necessity with many technological advantages, the rampant increase in use also has effects on our functioning and capacities. The young population being the prominent consumers, such effects are likely to be even more pronounced. Aims: The present study thus aims to assess the cognitive, emotional and social functioning of adolescents having smartphone addiction. Methods: The study compares adolescents having smartphone addiction with those who form the comparative group. A sample of 100 adolescents have been taken into account, belonging to the age range of 12-17 years. The Smartphone Addiction Scale- Short version (SAS-SV) has been used as a screening tool to form the two groups, with 50 participants in each group. The t-test has been chosen as the statistic and statistical analysis has been conducted using SPSS-20. Results: Significant differences has been found between the two groups with regards to working memory, Impulsivity and Social desirability. Conclusion: Overall, Smartphone Addiction produces differences in Adolescent’s functioning. Smartphones comes in the way of enriched psychological experience and adjusting to a world outside their screens becomes difficult.