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Smartphone addiction has become an escalating issue among adolescents, raising significant concerns about its potential detrimental effects on various aspects of their lives. This growing phenomenon is particularly worrisome due to its capacity to negatively impact academic achievement, alter social dynamics, and compromise overall mental and physical well-being. This study examined smartphone addiction among high school students in Madurai District, focusing on differences based on locality (rural vs. urban) and the nature of the institution (Boys, Girls, and Co-education schools).The study involved 865 high school students (470 males and 395 females) from government, aided, and corporation schools in Madurai District. Data was collected using a standardized smartphone addiction scale, and statistical analyses, including t-tests and one-way ANOVA, were performed. The analysis of locality-based differences revealed that rural students had a higher mean score of smartphone addiction (M=102.22, SD=18.048) compared to urban students (N=617, M=99.08, SD=29.403). However, this difference was not statistically significant (t(863)=1.567, p=0.118). This suggests that the locality of students (rural or urban) does not significantly influence their level of smartphone addiction. In contrast, when examining the nature of the institution, significant differences were found among students from Boys, Girls, and Co-education schools (F (2, 862) =17.544, p<0.001). This indicates that the type of school (single-gender or co-educational) plays a significant role in the levels of smartphone addiction among high school students in Madurai District.
Prakash et al. (Thu,) studied this question.