Smartphone use among adolescents is positively linked to mood

THURSDAY, May 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Adolescent smartphone use is positively associated with mood, according to a study published online May 29 in PLOS ONE.

Matt Minich, Ph.D., and Megan Moreno, MD, MPH, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, longitudinally explored the relationship between adolescents' smartphone use and their mood. The analysis included 253 participants (aged 12 to 17 years).

The researchers found that adolescents' mood was positively associated with smartphone use (β = 0.261) and that mood was positively associated with the duration of phone use sessions (β = 0.100). During phone use, participants also reported significant mood changes, such that mood before phone use was significantly lower than mood during phone use. A positive association was observed between mood change and duration of smartphone use sessions (β = 0.097), such that participants who had greater mood change were more likely to report longer duration. longer use of the smartphone.

“Using real time, on the spot By measuring adolescent usage and mood, this study found that adolescents report better mood when using their phone and report improved mood during phone use,” the authors write. “This finding may suggest that adolescents use smartphones to alter their mood, consistent with an understanding of smartphone use as a potentially addictive behavior.”

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