Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

When Does Internet and Smartphone Use Become a Problem?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Technology and Adolescent Mental Health

Abstract

Internet and smartphone use has become problematic for teenagers who experience negative emotional, cognitive, and physical states during and after their use. A variety of definitions and classifications exist to explain this phenomenon including dependency, problematic use, and addiction. This chapter covers the extant research on Internet and smartphone “addictions” and offers possible clinical interventions to mitigate its effects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Vondráčková P, Šmahel D. Internet addiction. In: The Wiley handbook of psychology, technology, and society. New York: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015. p. 469–85.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Young KS. Internet addiction: the emergence of a new clinical disorder. Cyberpsychol Behav. 1998;1(3):237–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Beard KW, Wolf EM. Modification in the proposed diagnostic criteria for internet addiction. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2001;4(3):377–83.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rosen LD, Cheever NA, Carrier LM, editors. The Wiley handbook of psychology, technology and society. New York: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Griffiths M. Does internet and computer “addiction” exist? Some case study evidence. CyberPsychol Behav. 2000;3(2):211–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Petry NM, O’Brien CP. Internet gaming disorder and the DSM-5. Addiction. 2013;108(7):1186–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Salmela-Aro K, Upadyaya K, Hakkarainen K, Lonka K, Alho K. The dark side of internet use: two longitudinal studies of excessive internet use, depressive symptoms, school burnout and engagement among Finnish early and late adolescents. J Youth Adolesc. 2016;2:1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Oktan V. An investigation of problematic internet use among adolescents in terms of self-injurious and risk-taking behavior. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2015;52:63–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Jorgenson AG, Hsiao RC, Yen CF. Internet addiction and other behavioral addictions. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2016;25(3):509–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Cerniglia L, Zoratto F, Cimino S, Laviola G, Ammaniti M, Adriani W. Internet addiction in adolescence: neurobiological, psychosocial and clinical issues. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2017;76(Pt A):174–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Kayiş AR, Satici SA, Yilmaz MF, Şimşek D, Ceyhan E, Bakioğlu F. Big five-personality trait and internet addiction: a meta-analytic review. Comput Hum Behav. 2016;63:35–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lortie CL, Guitton MJ. Internet addiction assessment tools: dimensional structure and methodological status. Addiction. 2013;108(7):1207–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Cheever NA, Rosen LD, Carrier LM, Chavez A. Out of sight is not out of mind: the impact of restricting wireless mobile device use on anxiety levels among low, moderate and high users. Comput Hum Behav. 2014;37:290–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Kuss DJ, Griffiths MD. Online gaming addiction in children and adolescents: a review of empirical research. J Behav Addict. 2012;1(1):3–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. King DL, Delfabbro PH. The cognitive psychology of internet gaming disorder. Clin Psychol Rev. 2014;34(4):298–308.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Müller KW, Dreier M, Beutel ME, Duven E, Giralt S, Wölfling K. A hidden type of internet addiction? Intense and addictive use of social networking sites in adolescents. Comput Hum Behav. 2016;55:172–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Ryan T, Chester A, Reece J, Xenos S. The uses and abuses of Facebook: a review of Facebook addiction. J Behav Addict. 2014;3(3):133–48.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Vondráčková P, Gabrhelík R. Prevention of internet addiction: a systematic review. J Behav Addict. 2016;5(4):568–79.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Young KS. Cognitive behavior therapy with internet addicts: treatment outcomes and implications. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2007;10(5):671–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kim JU. The effect of an R/T group counseling program on the internet addiction level and self-esteem of internet addiction university students. Int J Real Ther. 2008;27(2):4–12.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Kim SM, Han DH, Lee YS, Renshaw PF. Combined cognitive behavioral therapy and bupropion for the treatment of problematic on-line game play in adolescents with major depressive disorder. Comput Hum Behav. 2012;28(5):1954–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Moreno M, Jelenchick L. 135. Problematic Internet use among older adolescents: a conceptual framework. J Adolescent Health. 2013;52(2):S86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Young KS. Internet addiction: symptoms, evaluation and treatment. In: Innovations in clinical practice: a source book, vol. 17. Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Press; 1999. p. 19–31.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Villella C, Martinotti G, Di Nicola M, Cassano M, La Torre G, Gliubizzi MD, Messeri I, Petruccelli F, Bria P, Janiri L, Conte G. Behavioural addictions in adolescents and young adults: results from a prevalence study. J Gambl Stud. 2011;27(2):203–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ni X, Yan H, Chen S, Liu Z. Factors influencing Internet addiction in a sample of freshmen university students in China. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2009;12(3):327–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Liu T, Desai R, Krishnan-Sarin S, Cavallo D, Potenza M. Problematic internet use and health in adolescents. J Clin Psychiatry. 2011;72(06):836–45.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Christakis D, Moreno M, Jelenchick L, Myaing M, Zhou C. Problematic internet usage in US college students: a pilot study. BMC Med. 2011;9(1):77.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Yates T, Gregor M, Haviland M. Child maltreatment, alexithymia, and problematic internet use in young adulthood. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2012;15(4):219–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Derbyshire K, Lust K, Schreiber L, Odlaug B, Christenson G, Golden D, et al. Problematic internet use and associated risks in a college sample. Compr Psychiatry. 2013;54(5):415–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Lewinsohn P. Major depressive disorder in older adolescents: prevalence, risk factors, and clinical implications. Clin Psychol Rev. 1998;18(7):765–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Yen J, Ko C, Yen C, Wu H, Yang M. The comorbid psychiatric symptoms of internet addiction: attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, social phobia, and hostility. J Adolesc Health. 2007;41(1):93–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Ko C, Yen J, Chen C, Yeh Y, Yen C. Predictive values of psychiatric symptoms for internet addiction in adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(10):937.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Lam L, Peng Z. Effect of pathological use of the internet on adolescent mental health. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(10):901–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Moreno M, Jelenchick L, Christakis D. Problematic internet use among older adolescents: a conceptual framework. Comput Hum Behav. 2013;29(4):1879–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Wölfling K, Beutel ME, Koch A, Dickenhorst U, Müller KW. Comorbid Internet addiction in male clients of inpatient addiction rehabilitation centers: psychiatric symptoms and mental comorbidity. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2013;201(11):934–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Jelenchick LA, Christakis DA. Problematic internet use during adolescence and young adulthood. Adolesc Med State Art Rev. 2014;25(3):605.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Jelenchick L, Eickhoff J, Christakis D, Brown R, Zhang C, Benson M, et al. The problematic and risky internet use screening scale (PRIUSS) for adolescents and young adults: scale development and refinement. Comput Hum Behav. 2014;35:171–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Jelenchick L, Hawk S, Moreno M. Problematic internet use and social networking site use among Dutch adolescents. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2016;28(1):119–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Moreno M, Arseniev-Koehler A, Selkie E. Development and testing of a 3-item screening tool for problematic internet use. J Pediatr. 2016;176:167–172.e1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Arroll B, Goodyear-Smith F, Crengle S, Gunn J, Kerse N, Fishman T, et al. Validation of PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 to screen for major depression in the primary care population. Ann Family Med. 2010;8(4):348–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Kroenke K, Spitzer R. The PHQ-9: a new depression diagnostic and severity measure. Psychiatr Ann. 2002;32(9):509–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Smith A. U.S. Smartphone use. http://www.pewInternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/.

  43. Drouin M, Kaiser D, Miller DA. Mobile phone dependency. In: The Wiley handbook of psychology, technology, and society. New York: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015. p. 192–206.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Choi SW, Kim DJ, Choi JS, Ahn H, Choi EJ, Song WY, Kim S, Youn H. Comparison of risk and protective factors associated with smartphone addiction and Internet addiction. J Behav Addict. 2015;4(4):308–14.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  45. Jenaro C, Flores N, Gómez-Vela M, González-Gil F, Caballo C. Problematic Internet and cell-phone use: psychological, behavioral, and health correlates. Addict Res Theory. 2007;15(3):309–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Kwon M, Kim DJ, Cho H, Yang S. The smartphone addiction scale: development and validation of a short version for adolescents. PLoS One. 2013;8(12):e83558.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  47. Park BW, Lee KC. The effect of users’ characteristics and experiential factors on the compulsive usage of the smartphone. In: International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing and Multimedia Applications. Berlin: Springer; 2011. p. 438–46.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  48. Wu AM, Cheung VI, Ku L, Hung EP. Psychological risk factors of addiction to social networking sites among Chinese smartphone users. J Behav Addict. 2013;2(3):160–6.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  49. Pini S, Abelli M, Shear KM, Cardini A, Lari L, Gesi C, Muti M, Calugi S, Galderisi S, Troisi A, Bertolino A. Frequency and clinical correlates of adult separation anxiety in a sample of 508 outpatients with mood and anxiety disorders. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2010;122(1):40–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Przybylski AK, Murayama K, DeHaan CR, Gladwell V. Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Comput Hum Behav. 2013;29(4):1841–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Bianchi A, Phillips JG. Psychological predictors of problem mobile phone use. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2005;8(1):39–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Jin B, Pena JF. Mobile communication in romantic relationships: mobile phone use, relational uncertainty, love, commitment, and attachment styles. Commun Rep. 2010;23(1):39–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Lin YH, Chiang CL, Lin PH, Chang LR, Ko CH, Lee YH, Lin SH. Proposed diagnostic criteria for smartphone addiction. PLoS One. 2016;11(11):e0163010.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  54. Lin YH, Lin YC, Lin SH, Lee YH, Lin PH, Chiang CL, Chang LR, Yang CC, Kuo TB. To use or not to use? Compulsive behavior and its role in smartphone addiction. Transl Psychiatry. 2017;7(2):e1030.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Walsh SP, White KM, McD Young R. Needing to connect: the effect of self and others on young people’s involvement with their mobile phones. Aust J Psychol. 2010;62(4):194–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Walsh SP, White KM. Me, my mobile, and I: the role of self-and prototypical identity influences in the prediction of mobile phone behavior. J Appl Soc Psychol. 2007;37(10):2405–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Walsh SP, White KM, Young RM. Over-connected? A qualitative exploration of the relationship between Australian youth and their mobile phones. J Adolesc. 2008;31(1):77–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Kim D, Lee Y, Lee J, Nam JK, Chung Y. Development of Korean smartphone addiction proneness scale for youth. PLoS One. 2014;9(5):e97920.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  59. Haug S, Castro RP, Kwon M, Filler A, Kowatsch T, Schaub MP. Smartphone use and smartphone addiction among young people in Switzerland. J Behav Addict. 2015;4(4):299–307.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  60. Elhai JD, Dvorak RD, Levine JC, Hall BJ. Problematic smartphone use: a conceptual overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression psychopathology. J Affect Disord. 2017;207:251–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Lister-Landman KM, Domoff SE, Dubow EF. The role of compulsive texting in adolescents’ academic functioning. Psychology of popular media. 2015 Oct 5. http://apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/ppm-ppm0000100.pdf.

  62. Lenhart A. Teens, smartphones & texting. Pew Internet American Life Project. 2012;19:1–34.

    Google Scholar 

  63. Davey S, Davey A. Assessment of smartphone addiction in Indian adolescents: a mixed method study by systematic-review and meta-analysis approach. Int J Prevent Med. 2014;5(12):1500.

    Google Scholar 

  64. Kee IK, Byun JS, Jung JK, Choi JK. The presence of altered craniocervical posture and mobility in smartphone-addicted teenagers with temporomandibular disorders. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016;28(2):339–46.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  65. Randler C, Wolfgang L, Matt K, Demirhan E, Horzum MB, Beşoluk Ş. Smartphone addiction proneness in relation to sleep and morningness–eveningness in German adolescents. J Behav Addict. 2016;5(3):465–73.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  66. Akın A, Altundağ Y, Turan ME, Akın U. The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the smart phone addiction scale-short form for adolescent. Procedia-Soc Behav Sci. 2014;152:74–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Konok V, Pogány Á, Miklósi Á. Mobile attachment: separation from the mobile phone induces physiological and behavioural stress and attentional bias to separation-related stimuli. Comput Hum Behav. 2017;71:228–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Carrier LM, Rosen LD, Cheever NA, Lim AF. Causes, effects, and practicalities of everyday multitasking. Dev Rev. 2015;35:64–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. Lee H, Seo MJ, Choi TY. The effect of home-based daily journal writing in Korean adolescents with smartphone addiction. J Korean Med Sci. 2016;31(5):764–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communications, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA, USA

    Nancy A. Cheever

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Megan A. Moreno

  3. Department of Psychology, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA, USA

    Larry D. Rosen

Authors
  1. Nancy A. Cheever
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Megan A. Moreno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Larry D. Rosen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nancy A. Cheever .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Megan A. Moreno

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ana Radovic

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Cheever, N.A., Moreno, M.A., Rosen, L.D. (2018). When Does Internet and Smartphone Use Become a Problem?. In: Moreno, M., Radovic, A. (eds) Technology and Adolescent Mental Health . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69638-6_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69638-6_10

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69637-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69638-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation