Youngsters addicted to smartphones, become 'panicky' when denied access, reveals study

Youngsters exhibit 'problematic smartphone usage' (PSU) and almost a quarter of them are so dependent on their mobile devices that they become "panicky" when denied constant access, said a report. The study, from King’s College London, published in BMC Psychiatry, included 41, 871 children and young people of which 55% were female.

Systematic review and meta-analysis

The researchers found that 23% of the people exhibited PSU in a way that is consistent with a behavioural addiction. The report named Prevalence of Problematic Smartphone Usage and Associated Mental Health Outcomes Amongst Children and Young People was aimed at conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of PSU and quantify the association with mental health harms.

“PSU is an evolving public health concern that requires greater study to determine the boundary between helpful and harmful technology use,” the report read.

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The researchers, Samantha Sohn, Phillipa Rees, Bethany Wildridge, Nicola J. Kalk, and  Ben Carter, in their report, said that the widespread use of smartphones among children and youngsters parallels an increase in poor mental health in this group. According to the report, there has been much recent research concerning the prevalence of problematic smartphone use is in children and young people who use smartphones, and how this syndrome relates to mental health outcomes, but this was not synthesised and critically evaluated.

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Further work urgently needed

The research was a result of increasing ownership of smartphones in children aged 11 and older and the prevalence of mental health problems during the teenage years. “There is a public health uncertainty regarding a possible association between smartphone use and mental health in CYP, and in the UK, policymaking has been hindered by a paucity of evidence,” said the researchers. The report suggested that further work is urgently needed to develop assessment tools for PSU, and prevent possible long-term widespread harmful impact on this and future generations’ mental health and wellbeing.

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