Child Smartphone Usage Behaviors: Impacts and Preventions
Main Article Content
Abstract
The problem of smartphone addiction is becoming a significant issue among Thai children and children worldwide. According to surveys on Thai children’s behavior, those aged 8-12 spend up to 35 hours per week on internet usage, significantly higher than the global average of 3 hours. This excessive smartphone usage leads to various negative impacts, including health problems, developmental issues, mental health concerns, behavioral problems, and interpersonal relationship challenges. These issues are crucial as they can lead to further problems in the future. Therefore, caring for and preventing smartphone addiction in children is an important mission and commitment that must be prioritized. Families, schools, and communities should cooperate to address and prevent this issue for the benefit of the children’s future.
Article Details
References
DQ Institute. Outsmart the cyberpandemic: Empower every child with digital intelligence by 2020 2020 [Available from: https://www.dqinstitute. org/2018dq_impact_report.
Sohn SY, Rees P, Wildridge B, Kalk NJ, Carter B. Prevalence of problematic smartphone usage and associated mental health outcomes amongst children and young people: a systematic review, meta-analysis and GRADE of the evidence. BMC psychiatry. 2019;19(1):356.
Sulaiman R, Shaji, S., Sheela, V. V., & Raheela, A. S. Mobile phone addiction among children aged 5-12 years, a hospital-based study in South Kerala. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health. 2021; 8(12):5938-42.
Nikhita CS, Jadhav PR, Ajinkya SA. Prevalence of Mobile Phone Dependence in Secondary School Adolescents. J Clin
Diagn Res. 2015;9(11):Vc06-vc9.
Gangadharan N, Borle AL, Basu S, Navya G, Borle AL. Mobile phone addiction as an emerging behavioral form of addiction among adolescents in India. Cureus. 2022;14(4).
Cha SS, Seo BK. Smartphone use and smartphone addiction in middle school students in Korea: Prevalence, social networking service, and game use. Health Psychol Open. 2018;5(1):20551029187 55046.
Nasution M, editor Factors affecting smartphone addiction in children. Proceeding International Seminar of
Islamic Studies; 2021.
Wang M. A Review on Mobile Phone Addiction among Teenagers. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media. 2023;24:283-8.
Kwon M, Lee J-Y, Won W-Y, Park J-W, MinJ A, Hahn C, et al. Development and validation of a smartphone addiction scale (SAS). PloS one. 2013;8(2):e56936.
Center for Health Promotion and Technology Management Support, Department of Partnership Development
and International Relations, Health Systems Research Institute. Thai Health Watch 2020. 2020 [cited 2024 Mar 11]. Available from: https://www.thaihealth. or.th/data/ecatalog/614/pdf/614.pdf
Edtechbooks. Transparent screens are more dangerous for early childhood than you think. 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 11]. Available from: https://www.edtech books.com/th/articles/276475-dan gerkidz
Park C, Park YR. The conceptual model on smartphone addiction among early childhood. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity. 2014;4(2):147.
Dhamayanti M, Dwiwina RG, Adawiyah R. Influence of adolescents’ smartphone addiction on mental and emotional development in west java, Indonesia. behavioral disorders. 2019;5(6).
Wu W, Chen Y, Shi X, Lv H, Bai R, Guo Z, et al. The Mobile phone addiction and Depression among High School students: the Roles of Cyberbullying victimization, perpetration, and gender. Front Psychol. 2022;13:845355.
Pera A. The psychology of addictive smartphone behavior in young adults: Problematic use, social anxiety, and depressive stress. Frontiers in psychiatry. 2020;11:573473.
Sahu M, Gandhi S, Sharma MK. Mobile phone addiction among children and adolescents: a systematic review. Journal of Addictions Nursing. 2019;30(4):261-8.
The Royal College of Pediatricians of Thailand and the Pediatric Society of Thailand. A guide for parents: knowledge dissemination on child care and development for preschool children aged 3-6 years. 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 11]. Available from: https://www.brainten10. com/blogs/article/item/117brain?fbclid= IwAR2Ml3lZzGOHCBkodL3MBBHIufPgt 07h_wIeK0yexJfCexcmUVy_WeYbPtM
Li Z, Xia X, Sun Q, Li Y. Exercise intervention to reduce mobile phone addiction in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Psychol. 2023; 14:1294116.