Factors Influencing Smartphone Screen Time among Korean Adolescents: Insights from the Korea Youth Health Behavior Survey
Abstract
Background: This study is a secondary analysis aimed at identifying risk factors for smartphone overuse among adolescents, utilizing data from the 18th Korea Youth Health Behavior Survey (KYHBS) conducted in 2022.
Methods: A total of 50,071 participants were included, with schools selected through a stratified proportional allocation method that considered factors such as city/province, city size, and school type. Students were excluded from the survey if they had long-term absences, were special needs children unable to participate in the survey, or had reading disabilities. The survey encompassed students from the first year of middle school to the third year of high school across 800 schools nationwide.
Results: Several factors were significantly associated with increased smartphone screen time, including gender, education level, academic performance, economic condition, BMI, self-reported health, feelings of aloneness, insufficient sleep, breakfast consumption, fast food intake frequency, late-night meals, physical activity, current smoking, current alcohol consumption, and sexual experience.
Conclusion: These results underscore the complex interplay of various factors shaping adolescents' smartphone use patterns. Recognizing and addressing these factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions aimed at promoting healthier screen habits and mitigating the negative impacts of excessive smartphone use among adolescents. These findings underscore the complex interplay of various demographic, behavioral, and health-related factors that contribute to adolescents' smartphone use patterns.
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5. National Information Society Agency (2020). 2019 smartphone dependence survey report (NIA VIII-RSE-C-19067). https://www.nia.or.kr/site/nia_kor/ex/bbs/View.do?cbIdx=65914&bcIdx=21939&parentSeq=21939.
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14. Yonhap News Agency (2020). Increased risk of digital addiction at COVID19, portrait of the era of uncontact, https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200705038200004
15. Ha SY (2016). The analysis of smart-phone addiction tendency by prospective early childhood teacher` smart-phone usage time and self-control. The Journal of Hu-manities and Social science, 7( 2): 377-398.
16. Ju SJ, Cho SS (2015). A study on the dis-criminating factors of youth`s smartphone addiction -Focusing on dai-ly average smartphone usage time, im-pulsivity, peer relationships, mother`s authoritarianism-rearing attitudes. Korean Journal of Youth Welfare, 17(1): 97-118.
17. Song MH, Jin BS (2014). Understanding psychological factors regarding adoles-cents' addiction to smartphones and de-veloping persuasive message strategies for prevention. J Communi Sci, 14(3): 135-179.
18. Kim KT, Lee HJ, Mun SI (2016). Exploring the effects of network size, usage behav-iors, and assimilation for peer relations on adolescents smartphone addiction symptoms. Korean Journal of Broadcasting and Telecommunication Studies, 30(4): 5-40.
19. Hong JS, Lee JH (2018). The factors influ-encing damage due to smartphone us-age-Focusing on the general youth and the multicultural youth. AJMAHS, 8(7): 658-667
20. Hwang K, Cho O (2018). Factors related with problems experienced by adoles-cents due to smartphone use. J Korean Acad Soc Home Care Nurs, 25(3): 191–203.
21. National Information Society Agency (2020), 2020 The Survey on Smartphone Overdependence, pp.1-124.
22. Park J, Cho J (2020). Impact of negative emotions on youth’s immersion in adult media : The mediation effect of smartphone dependence. KJJCS, 64: 86-131.
23. Lee S, Kang H, Shin G (2015). Head flexion angle while using a smartphone. Ergo-nomics, 58(2): 220–226.
24. Shelton JT, Elliott EM, Lynn SD, et al (2009). The distracting effects of a ring-ing cell phone: An investigation of the laboratory and the classroom setting. J Environ Psychol, 29(4): 513-521.
25. Samaha M, Hawi NS (2016). Relationships among smartphone addiction, stress, ac-ademic performance, and satisfaction with life. Computers in Human Behavior, 57: 321-325.
26. Lee H, Ahn H, Choi S, et al (2014). The SAMS: Smartphone addiction manage-ment system and verification. J Med Syst, 38(1): 1.
27. Lin YH, Lin YC, Lee YH, et al (2015). Time distortion associated with smartphone addiction: Identifying smartphone ad-diction via a mobile application (App). J Psychiatr Res, 65: 139-145.
28. Lee HN and Yang SM (2018). Differential effects of parenting styles, psychological traits, and purpose of smartphone use upon Korean adolescents’ smartphone dependence. KJJCS, 62(5): 175-214.
29. Lee J, Kim J (2020). A Study on the factors affecting the over-dependence of ado-lescents’s smartphone -focusing on moderating effect of gender. The Journal of Humanities and Social science, 11( 1): 1171-1184.
30. Park MH, Song HY (2019). Relationship among the Korean adolescents obesity, health behavior and smart phone usage. J Korean Public Health Nurs, 33 (1):47-58.
31. Alotaibi MS, Fox M, Coman R, et al (2022). Smartphone Addiction Prevalence and Its Association on Academic Perfor-mance, Physical Health, and Mental Well-Being among University Students in Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), Saudi Arabia. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19(6):3710.
32. Alosaimi FD, Alyahya H, Alshahwan H, et al (2016). Smartphone addiction among university students in Riyadh, Saudi Ara-bia. Saudi Med J, 37(6):675-83.
33. Nikolic A, Bukurov B, Kocic I, et al (2023). Smartphone addiction, sleep quality, de-pression, anxiety, and stress among medical students. Front Public Health, 11: 1252371.
34. Yun HS, Kwon MS, Yu JS (2018). Mental health and physical health by college students' smartphone addiction. J Korean Pubilc Health Nurs, 32 (3): 411-423.
35. Kim DH, Han JD, Park KJ (2014). The rela-tionships of smartphone addiction and mental health according to exercise hours of the after-school exercise in el-ementary school students. Korean Journal of Elementary Physical Education, 20 (2): 51-64.
36. Zhang L. How game addiction and smartphone addiction affects teens physical health [Masters thesis]. Myongji University, Korea; 2013.
37. Yen JY, Ko CH, Yen CF, et al (2009). The association between harmful alcohol use and internet addiction among college students: Comparison of personality. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 63 (2): 218-224.
38. Hyun HK. Study on the association with sexual intercourse and healthy life style in adolescents [Masters thesis]. Gradu-ate School of Public Health and Wel-fare, Jeju National University, Korea; 2018.
2. Statista. (2021). Smartphone penetration in South Korea from 2011 to 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/505326/south-korea-smartphone-penetration-rate/
3. Cho H (2019). A study on the solution for the internet, smartphone, and internet game addiction of teenagers. Korean Journal of Youth Studies, 26 (10): 291-310.
4. Kim K, Moon W, Kwon M (2021). Factors related to problematic experiences of smartphone use among adolescents ac-cording to gender. JCIT, 11 (10): 84-92.
5. National Information Society Agency (2020). 2019 smartphone dependence survey report (NIA VIII-RSE-C-19067). https://www.nia.or.kr/site/nia_kor/ex/bbs/View.do?cbIdx=65914&bcIdx=21939&parentSeq=21939.
6. Rozgonjuk D, Levine JC, Hall BJ, et al (2018). The association between prob-lematic smartphone use, depression and anxiety symptom severity, and objective-ly measured smartphone use over one week. Computers in Human Behavior, 87: 10-17.
7. Riehm KE, Feder KA, Tormohlen KN, et al (2019). Associations between time spent using social media and internaliz-ing and externalizing problems among US youth. JAMA Psychiatry, 76: 1266-1273.
8. Lemola S, Gloor NP, Brand S, et al (2015). Adolescents' electronic media use at night, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms in the smartphone age. J Youth Adolesc, 44: 405-418
9. Helliwell J, Layard R, Sachs J (2019). World Happiness Report 2019. https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2019/
10. Luxton DD, June JD, Fairall JM (2012). So-cial media and suicide: a public health perspective. Am J Public Health, 102(Suppl 2):S195–S200.
11. Han JM, Song H (2021). Effect of subjective economic status during the COVID-19 pandemic on depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among South Korean adolescents. Psychol Res Behav Manag, 14: 2035-2043.
12. Ministry of Science and ICT. (2020). 2020 Smartphone Overdependence Survey Results. https://www.msit.go.kr/
13. Lee EH (2020). COVID-19 Generation, Mental health well-being. Gri Issue Anal, 414: 1–25.
14. Yonhap News Agency (2020). Increased risk of digital addiction at COVID19, portrait of the era of uncontact, https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200705038200004
15. Ha SY (2016). The analysis of smart-phone addiction tendency by prospective early childhood teacher` smart-phone usage time and self-control. The Journal of Hu-manities and Social science, 7( 2): 377-398.
16. Ju SJ, Cho SS (2015). A study on the dis-criminating factors of youth`s smartphone addiction -Focusing on dai-ly average smartphone usage time, im-pulsivity, peer relationships, mother`s authoritarianism-rearing attitudes. Korean Journal of Youth Welfare, 17(1): 97-118.
17. Song MH, Jin BS (2014). Understanding psychological factors regarding adoles-cents' addiction to smartphones and de-veloping persuasive message strategies for prevention. J Communi Sci, 14(3): 135-179.
18. Kim KT, Lee HJ, Mun SI (2016). Exploring the effects of network size, usage behav-iors, and assimilation for peer relations on adolescents smartphone addiction symptoms. Korean Journal of Broadcasting and Telecommunication Studies, 30(4): 5-40.
19. Hong JS, Lee JH (2018). The factors influ-encing damage due to smartphone us-age-Focusing on the general youth and the multicultural youth. AJMAHS, 8(7): 658-667
20. Hwang K, Cho O (2018). Factors related with problems experienced by adoles-cents due to smartphone use. J Korean Acad Soc Home Care Nurs, 25(3): 191–203.
21. National Information Society Agency (2020), 2020 The Survey on Smartphone Overdependence, pp.1-124.
22. Park J, Cho J (2020). Impact of negative emotions on youth’s immersion in adult media : The mediation effect of smartphone dependence. KJJCS, 64: 86-131.
23. Lee S, Kang H, Shin G (2015). Head flexion angle while using a smartphone. Ergo-nomics, 58(2): 220–226.
24. Shelton JT, Elliott EM, Lynn SD, et al (2009). The distracting effects of a ring-ing cell phone: An investigation of the laboratory and the classroom setting. J Environ Psychol, 29(4): 513-521.
25. Samaha M, Hawi NS (2016). Relationships among smartphone addiction, stress, ac-ademic performance, and satisfaction with life. Computers in Human Behavior, 57: 321-325.
26. Lee H, Ahn H, Choi S, et al (2014). The SAMS: Smartphone addiction manage-ment system and verification. J Med Syst, 38(1): 1.
27. Lin YH, Lin YC, Lee YH, et al (2015). Time distortion associated with smartphone addiction: Identifying smartphone ad-diction via a mobile application (App). J Psychiatr Res, 65: 139-145.
28. Lee HN and Yang SM (2018). Differential effects of parenting styles, psychological traits, and purpose of smartphone use upon Korean adolescents’ smartphone dependence. KJJCS, 62(5): 175-214.
29. Lee J, Kim J (2020). A Study on the factors affecting the over-dependence of ado-lescents’s smartphone -focusing on moderating effect of gender. The Journal of Humanities and Social science, 11( 1): 1171-1184.
30. Park MH, Song HY (2019). Relationship among the Korean adolescents obesity, health behavior and smart phone usage. J Korean Public Health Nurs, 33 (1):47-58.
31. Alotaibi MS, Fox M, Coman R, et al (2022). Smartphone Addiction Prevalence and Its Association on Academic Perfor-mance, Physical Health, and Mental Well-Being among University Students in Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), Saudi Arabia. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19(6):3710.
32. Alosaimi FD, Alyahya H, Alshahwan H, et al (2016). Smartphone addiction among university students in Riyadh, Saudi Ara-bia. Saudi Med J, 37(6):675-83.
33. Nikolic A, Bukurov B, Kocic I, et al (2023). Smartphone addiction, sleep quality, de-pression, anxiety, and stress among medical students. Front Public Health, 11: 1252371.
34. Yun HS, Kwon MS, Yu JS (2018). Mental health and physical health by college students' smartphone addiction. J Korean Pubilc Health Nurs, 32 (3): 411-423.
35. Kim DH, Han JD, Park KJ (2014). The rela-tionships of smartphone addiction and mental health according to exercise hours of the after-school exercise in el-ementary school students. Korean Journal of Elementary Physical Education, 20 (2): 51-64.
36. Zhang L. How game addiction and smartphone addiction affects teens physical health [Masters thesis]. Myongji University, Korea; 2013.
37. Yen JY, Ko CH, Yen CF, et al (2009). The association between harmful alcohol use and internet addiction among college students: Comparison of personality. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 63 (2): 218-224.
38. Hyun HK. Study on the association with sexual intercourse and healthy life style in adolescents [Masters thesis]. Gradu-ate School of Public Health and Wel-fare, Jeju National University, Korea; 2018.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 54 No 2 (2025) | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Adolescents Smartphones Screen time Overuse Health | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Kim E. Factors Influencing Smartphone Screen Time among Korean Adolescents: Insights from the Korea Youth Health Behavior Survey. Iran J Public Health. 2025;54(2):379-386.
