Investigating predictors of smartphone dependency symptoms and effects on academic performance, improper phone use and perceived sociability

This study investigates the relationships between predictors (i.e., personal traits and mobile activities) of smartphone dependency and its impacts on improper phone use, academic performance and perceived sociability. Using a stratified sampling method, a web survey obtained data from 438 undergraduate smartphone users in Singapore. PLS results show that improper phone use is a critical factor which mediates the effects of smartphone dependency symptoms on grade point average and perceived sociability. Youths who feel higher leisure boredom tend to have more smartphone dependency. Female users are more likely to have smartphone dependency symptoms than males. The results also show that using mobile phones for videos and mobile gaming are better predictors of smartphone dependency symptoms than using it for social media and traditional phone activities. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.