Unraveling the dynamics of perceived smartphone overuse and disconnection strategies: Longitudinal insights

Abstract

This six-wave longitudinal survey study investigated associations between perceived smartphone overuse and the use of technology-based disconnection strategies. The sample was representative of the Dutch population regarding age, gender, and education level ( N = 1674). Linear mixed models showed that perceived overuse was positively related to self-reported screen time and motivations to reduce screen time. People with higher perceived overuse were more likely to adopt disconnection strategies in the following 2 months. Yet, surprisingly, at the within-person level, we found that when someone experienced more overuse than they normally do, they were not more likely to adopt disconnection strategies. Moreover, using disconnection strategies in the previous 2 months was related to higher perceived overuse and self-reported screen time. Together, these findings suggest that people do not always take action when unsatisfied with their smartphone use, and when they do, technology-based disconnection strategies are not effective in reducing perceived smartphone overuse.