The Effects of Smartphone Usage Time on Self-Esteem among College Students: Mediating Roles of Empathy and Self-Control

Key Points

• This study aims to investigate the impact of smartphone usage time on self-esteem among college students, focusing on the mediating roles of empathy and self-control.
• Data collected from students enrolled in an addiction studies course at J University.
• Analysis conducted using SPSS and PROCESS macro, incorporating descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis.
• Period of data collection spanned from March 4 to March 17, 2025.
• Smartphone usage time negatively impacts empathy (B=-.34, p<.01) and self-control (B=-.67, p<.01).
• Empathy shows a positive correlation with self-esteem (r=.29, p<.01) but has no significant effect (B=.04, p=.61).
• Self-control positively influences self-esteem (B=.20, p<.01) and demonstrates significant mediating effects (effect=-.13, 95% CI=[-.21, -.07]).

Abstract