Self-Reported - Problematic Smartphone Usage: A Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: The number of smartphone users in India is showing a rapidly increasing trend in the last few years. The expected user base is nearly one in three by 2021 in India. The evidence on compulsive smartphone use is growing making it an addiction along with raising concerns on other mental health issues. The current study aimed to find out the extent of problematic smart phone usage and various variables associated with smart phone addiction in the study population. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 186 participants. Responses were recorded online through a questionnaire on SAS-SV and analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: Study showed 24.2% (45 participants) of study population have smart phone addiction. Male gender, early exposure to smart phone, low income, and residence in a city predicted problematic smart phone usage. Conclusion: People across ages, residence, occupation, and social strata are involved with smart phone with one in four being problematic smart phone users.