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Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction: An Issue That Needs Attention

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 10506

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Haibo Yang

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Guest Editor

Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, No. 393 Binshuixi Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin 300387, China
Interests: cognitive development; problematic smartphone use; attentional bias

Dr. Tour Liu

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Guest Editor

Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, No. 393 Binshuixi Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin 300387, China
Interests: psychological assessment; educational evaluation; quantitative psychology; multimodal data mining
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Dear Colleagues,

The Internet and smartphones are now extensively used in our daily lives, and individuals cannot be separated from the Internet and smartphones. The development of information technology and the increasing immersion of the Internet and smartphones have made people's lives easier in multiple ways, such as for work, social interaction, seeking information, relaxation and entertainment, etc. In particular, an increasing number of people are using smartphones for the purpose of gaming, social network services, viewing video clips, or searching for information. However, the greater integration of Internet and smartphones in daily life is paired with rapidly growing concerns that some individuals show a loss of control over Internet and smartphone use and even experience psychological distress and dependence symptoms, similar to those of substance use disorder.

Given that Internet addiction and problematic smartphone use can be considered a consequence of the content of the medium, such as online chatting, pornography, and information searching, rather than the medium itself, the Internet- and smartphone-related activity of individuals showing addictive phenomena is of considerable interest. Therefore, further research is needed regarding Internet addiction and problematic smartphone use in different groups of people, starting from neurobiology to risk factors, screening and diagnosis, prevention, and comprehensive management.

The goal of this Special Issue is to highlight the influence of Internet addiction and problematic smartphone use on the cognitive processing, emotions, and behavior of individuals in general. Furthermore, we also aim to illustrate the diverse ways in which Internet addiction and problematic smartphone use affects the mental health of different groups.

This Special Issue aims to encourage laboratory, epidemiological, and modeling studies related to Internet addiction and problematic smartphone use at both the individual and population levels. We aim to invite theoretical and empirical contributions exploring the consequences of Internet addiction and problematic smartphone use from psychological scales, behavioral experiments, physiological measurements, or integrative approaches and perspectives. We welcome original research studies and topic-relevant literature reviews including (but not limited to) the following subtopics:

The cognitive changes, emotional disorders, and deviant behaviors of individual with Internet addictions or problematic smartphone use.
The effects of changes in settings on the mental health of individuals with Internet addiction or problematic smartphone use.
The effect of an Internet addiction or problematic smartphone use on mental health.
The influence of Internet addictions or problematic smartphone use on individuals' peer relationships.
The role of family and society in influencing Internet addictions or problematic smartphone use.
Interventions related to Internet addictions or problematic smartphone use.
The development or validation of instruments for the assessment of internet addictions or problematic smartphone use.

Prof. Dr. Haibo Yang
Dr. Tour Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

internet addiction
online addictive behaviors
online gambling
online gaming disorders
problematic smartphone use
problematic online behaviors
problematic pornography use
problematic social network use
problematic buying–shopping

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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10 pages, 885 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Relationship of Internet Gaming Addiction and Suicidal Ideation among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Negative Emotion and the Moderating Role of Hope

by Yuntian Xie, Qian Yang and Fan Lei

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3375; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043375 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2587

Abstract

Recently, internet gaming addiction and suicide have been global public health issues among adolescents. This study used convenience sampling and surveyed 1906 Chinese adolescents to investigate the relationship between internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation and the role of negative emotion and hope in the relationship between the two. The results showed that the detection rate of internet gaming addiction among adolescents was 17.16% and the detection rate of suicidal ideation was 16.37%. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation. Negative emotion partially mediated the relationship between internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation. In addition, hope moderated the relationship between negative emotion and suicidal ideation. The effect of negative emotion on suicidal ideation decreased as hope increased. These findings suggest that the role of emotion and hope in coping with adolescent internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation should be emphasized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction: An Issue That Needs Attention)

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10 pages, 553 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Are Bystanders Involved in Cyberbullying? A Latent Class Analysis of the Cyberbystander and Their Characteristics in Different Intervention Stages

by Yanru Jia, Yuntena Wu, Tonglin Jin and Lu Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16083; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316083 - 1 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2527

Abstract

Background: Cyberbullying is a phenomenon that occurs by means of digital devices in virtual environments. Although research reveals the relevant role played by bystanders in stopping cyberbullying, the patterns of cyberbullying bystanders among Chinese college students is not clear. Data: Participants were 1025 Chinese college students (62.0% girls, 38.0% boys). The present analyses empirically explored the roles of cyberbystanders (passive outsider online, defender of the cybervictim online, reinforcer of the cyberbully online, passive face-to-face outsider, face-to-face defender of the cybervictim, and face-to-face reinforcer of the cyberbully) using latent class analysis. Results: (1) Five latent classes were identified: defensive bystander (17.9%), indifferent bystander (10.1%), low-involved bystander (10.2%), medium-involved bystander (45.7%), and high-involved bystander (16.0%). (2) The cyberbystander patterns varied significantly for all stages of bullying intervention, among which the defensive bystander had the lowest score in the notice stage but the highest scores in the other stages. (3) There was a graded relationship between the five latent classes and the level of social network site use and cyber-victimization experience. College students with high usage of social network sites and high cyber-victimization experience were more likely to engage in diverse bystander behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction: An Issue That Needs Attention)

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14 pages, 379 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Current Status and Correlation of Physical Activity and Tendency to Problematic Mobile Phone Use in College Students

by Wen-Xia Tong, Bo Li, Shan-Shan Han, Ya-Hui Han, Shu-Qiao Meng, Qiang Guo, You-Zhi Ke, Jun-Yong Zhang, Zhong-Lei Cui, Yu-Peng Ye, Yao Zhang, Hua-Lan Li, He Sun and Zhan-Zheng Xu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15849; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315849 - 28 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1997

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effect of problematic mobile phone use on college students’ physical activity and their relationships. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3980 college students from three universities in Jiangsu province by random cluster sampling. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short (IPAQ-SF) measured college students’ physical activity. The Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale for College Students (MPATS) measured problematic mobile phone use tendencies. College students’ physical activity was measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short (IPAQ-SF), and the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale measured their mobile phone addiction tendency for College Students (MPATS). Results: (1) The proportions of the low-, medium-, and high-intensity physical activity were 83.5%, 10.7%, and 5.8%, respectively, with gender differences; The score of problematic mobile phone use tendency was 38.725 ± 15.139. (2) There were significant differences in problematic mobile phone use tendency among college students with different physical activity intensity (F = 11.839, p < 0.001, η² = 0.007). (3) The level of physical activity was significantly correlated with the tendency of problematic mobile phone use (r = −0.173, p < 0.001). (4) Physical activity of college students could significantly predict the tendency of problematic mobile phone use (F (3,3605) = 11.296, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The physical activity of college students was mainly moderate to low intensity, while the tendency of problematic mobile phone use was high. College students’ physical activity level was one of the important constraints of problematic mobile phone use tendency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction: An Issue That Needs Attention)

15 pages, 780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of the Chinese Dating App Use Motivation Scale According to Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory

by Fen Ren and Kexin Wang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 13838; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113838 - 24 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2682

Abstract

Dating apps are popular worldwide among young adults, and the Tinder use motivation scale is widely used to measure the primary motives for dating app use. In light of the increasing prevalence of dating apps among young Chinese adults, this study applied both item response theory and traditional classical test theory to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the dating app use motivation scale that is applicable across different dating apps. In total, 1046 current or former dating app users (age range: 18–30, M = 26.20, SD = 4.26, 52.30% girls) completed the online survey. From the original item pool, this study selected 25 items according to item response theory analysis, retracted six factors based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and conducted confirmatory factor analysis for further validation. The motivations were seeking a relationship, self-worth validation, the thrill of excitement, ease of communication, emotion-focused coping, and fun. The first four motivations were consistent with the original scale, and two new motivations were found in the present sample. All six motivations were validated among the Chinese sample. Not consistent with the Tinder use motivation scale, casual sex was not identified as a primary motivation among young Chinese adults. One related measure was used to obtain convergent validity. The discussion focused on the cultural and methodological factors that may explain the differences between the original scale and the Chinese version of the scale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction: An Issue That Needs Attention)

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