Girls at higher risk of falling to smartphone addiction, per study

Ewha Womans University from South Korea has recently conducted a study on smartphone usage, and the results of its research seems to suggest that girls are twice as likely as boys to become addicted to handsets. The key findings of the study was featured in a report published by Yonhap just this week.

The study completed by the team of researchers from Ewha Womans University involved asking the feedback of 820 boys and 976 girls, all living in South Korea. The average age of these respondents was just under 15 years old. The results showed that 23.9 percent of girls are at risk of falling to smartphone addiction, while just 15.1 percent of boys are in danger of suffering a similar fate. 

The research team from Ewha Womans University did make sure to note that the difference in risk levels may be attributed to a higher usage of social media platforms among female users. On top of that, the results of the study also offer evidence that female students who drank alcohol, performed worse in school and did not feel refreshed in the morning have a significantly higher risk of developing addiction to mobile devices.

The research effort also attempted to look into how too much screen time could affect sleeping habits. The Ewha Womans University study found that 40.4 percent of those surveyed in the high risk group have claimed they are sleeping not more than half a dozen hours at night. Now compare this with the lower risk group, with only 28.3 percent saying they get six hours of sleep or less. According to the research team, the amount of sleep an adolescent person gets plays a huge role, especially in growth, emotional stability, and learning skills. But sleeping hours are rapidly becoming in danger of changing because of improper management of smartphone usage.

The last few years have seen increased concern over how today’s consumers may be engaging way too much with their mobile devices. During this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), not only did Apple officially unveil the newest version of its mobile operating system (iOS 12), it also introduced new features that should help its users protect themselves against developing iPhone addiction.

Many agree that the younger generation is particularly vulnerable -- mainly because today’s kids have practically grown up with mobile devices always nearby. However, there are concerns that exposing children too much to smartphones can lead to mental health issues, and even problems with family relationships, school performance, and even community interaction.