Abstract

ROIG-VILA, Rosabel; LOPEZ-PADRON, Alexander  and  URREA-SOLANO, Mayra. Smartphone dependence and addiction among university students: Myth or reality?. Alteridad [online]. 2023, vol.18, n.1, pp.34-47. ISSN 1390-8642.  https://doi.org/10.17163/alt.v18n1.2023.03.

The advance and development of digital technologies has led to the smartphone becoming, nowadays, an integral part of human existence. This is particularly evident among the younger generations, who use it frequently in almost all facets of their lives. However, the disproportionate and unbalanced consumption of this type of device can generate a serious impact on their physical and mental health. This, together with the high employment rates of this group, means that their use is sometimes labelled as dependent and addictive. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the usage profile of university students with respect to the smartphone and to determine whether it is problematic. The research involved 350 students in the 1st year of the Bachelor’s Degrees in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education at the University of Alicante (Spain). All of them completed a questionnaire on this topic. The data were processed with the statistical analysis program SPSS version 25, with which a descriptive study was carried out. The findings obtained indicate that, although sometimes the smartphone becomes a means to avoid loneliness, most of the participants presented a habitual user pattern linked to other users or networks. Therefore, from the perspective of university students, the use of this type of device cannot be described as dependent or addictive. For this reason, and considering its potential for learning, we conclude by stressing the need to integrate it into university classrooms but foreseeing the risks that its excessive use can provoke.

Keywords : Digital technologies; problematic use; higher education institutions; nomophobia; smartphone; university students.

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