Influential Factors of the Smartphone Addiction Among the Korean Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate and understand the Korean adolescents' self-regulation, temperament, parenting attitude, and level of smartphone addiction, and examine the factors that affect the smartphone addiction, and consider to prevent smartphone addiction in adolescents, thereby providing the basic data for the establishment of effective intervention strategies.

Methods: In this research, 4 male high schools located in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do were conveniently sampled, and a total of 287 students were used for the analysis. The subjects' general characteristics, self-regulation, temperament, parenting attitude, and smartphone addiction were measured. The data were analyzed by using the Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, analysis of variance ANOVA, and Hierarchial stepwise multiple regression with the SPSS/ Windows version 25.0 program.

Results: To examine the effect of this research on the smartphone addiction, a hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was performed. Consequently, model 1 had the motivation to purchase a smartphone (β=0.12, p=.023), smartphone use function (β=0.16, p=.003), smartphone use control (β=-0.26, p<.001), and the monthly average amount spent (β=0.19, p=.001) influenced the smartphone addiction, which was explained by 22.1% (F=11.26, p<.001), respectively. Model 2 had the smartphone use function (β=0.14, p=.008), smartphone use control (β=-0.23, p<.001), monthly average amount spent (β=0.15, p=.004), and self-regulation (β=0.34, p<.001) influenced the smartphone addiction, which was explained by 34.6% (F=16.48, p<.001), respectively.

Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, an active and educational intervention is needed along with the development of a smartphone addiction prevention program for the adolescents, and the strategies to enhance self-regulation and self-restrain will be important.