Smartphone Overuse from Iranian University Students' Perspective: A Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Smartphone usage has significantly increased, necessitating an understanding of user behaviors and dependency.
• Excessive smartphone use poses potential negative consequences for individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how university students use their smartphones.
• To investigate student dependence on smartphones.
• To identify the consequences of smartphone overuse among students.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research design.
• Thematic analysis of data.
• Conducted 3 focus group discussions with 22 self-reported smartphone overusers at a University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, using snowball sampling.

Main Results:

• Identified three main categories of smartphone usage: process usage (e.g., daily routines, entertainment, academic work), social usage (e.g., relationships, self-expression), and disadvantages (e.g., interference with activities, decreased face-to-face communication, overdependence, stress, sleep disturbances).
• Specific sub-categories detailed various ways students utilize smartphones for practical, social, and escapist purposes.
• Overdependence, automatic use, and negative impacts on time perception, well-being, and physical health were significant findings.

Conclusions:

• Students utilize smartphones to fulfill personal needs, continuing usage despite negative consequences.
• Smartphone overuse leads to various disadvantages, including overdependence and interference with essential activities.
• Usage patterns and consequences may be influenced by environmental and cultural factors.