Disconnect to detox: a study of smartphone addiction among young adults in India

Abstract

Purpose Although there are many benefits that technological progress offers, there is also a dark side to several innovations. This study aims to examine smartphone usage amongst young Indian adults and identify likely antecedents and consequences of addictive smartphone usage behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Primary data, through an online structured questionnaire, was collected from 240 smartphone users. The survey was conducted among college students between 18-25 years of age. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed research framework. Findings The results show that almost 25 per cent of respondents had high scores on the smartphone addiction scale. The respondents spend most of their time on applications such as WhatsApp and other social networking sites. The findings indicate fear of missing out to be a predictor of problematic smartphone usage behaviour. Further, the study points to poorer quality of sleep as a consequence of high smartphone usage. Research limitations/implications Based on the findings of the study, the importance of digital detoxification has been highlighted. Further, recommendations have been made to discourage excessive smartphone usage and avoid the resulting negative consequences. Originality/value With the increasing usage of smartphones, there is a need to study addictive behaviour amongst sections of the population, specially those which tend to be more vulnerable. The study examines the extent of smartphone addictive behaviour amongst young Indian adults and identifies antecedents and consequences of such behaviour.