Smartphone Addiction of High School Students in West Bengal
Author : Dr. Tuhina Begum and Chiranjib Saha
Abstract :
Smartphones have become an indispensable component of modern life, providing advanced computing capabilities such as internet connectivity, multimedia access, and a wide range of application-based services. While these devices offer significant educational, informational, and communicative benefits, the rapid increase in smartphone usage has raised growing concerns about potential addiction, particularly among school students. Adolescents, who are in a crucial stage of psychological and social development, are especially vulnerable to excessive smartphone use, which may affect their academic performance, mental well-being, and interpersonal relationships.
The present study aimed to examine the differences in smartphone addiction among secondary school students with respect to gender (boys and girls), locality (rural and urban), and the interactional effect between gender and locality. A descriptive survey method was employed for the investigation. A sample of 200 Higher Secondary School students was randomly selected from various high schools in the West Bengal district to ensure adequate representation of both genders and residential backgrounds. Data were collected using the Smartphone Addiction Scale developed by Dr. Vijayshri and Dr. Masaud Ansari, a standardized and reliable instrument designed to assess the level of smartphone dependency among adolescents. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques to determine whether significant differences existed across the selected variables.
The results of the statistical analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in smartphone addiction between boys and girls. Similarly, no significant difference was found between students from rural and urban localities. Furthermore, the interactional effect of gender and locality on smartphone addiction was also found to be statistically insignificant.
The findings indicate that smartphone addiction among secondary school students is widespread and not significantly influenced by gender or residential background. This suggests a uniform pattern of smartphone dependency among adolescents and highlights the need for awareness programs, digital well-being education, and guidance from parents and schools to encourage responsible use.
Keywords :
Smart Phone Addiction, Adolescents, Secondary School Students, Smartphone Dependency, Digital Well-being Education.
