Background: The impact of smartphone use on #MentalHealth is being rigorously debated. Some questionnaire-based research suggests that smartphone use correlates with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), self-reported data seem unlikely to capture actual smartphone use precisely, requiring objective measures to advance this field. Objective: To examine whether objectively measured smartphone use was associated with NSSI among college students. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from 2022 to 2024, enrolling college students from 559 classes across six universities in China. NSSI was measured by the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory (OSI) including 10 items of NSSI without suicidal intent within the past month. Participants answering “ever” were classified as having NSSI. Objectively measured smartphone screen time and number of smartphone unlocks were obtained from screenshots of smartphone use records. The association between objectively measured smartphone use and NSSI was analyzed using binary logistic regression models and restricted cubic splines (RCS) regression. Results: Of 16 668 included participants, 627 (3.8%) reported NSSI. Mean (SD) smartphone screen time and number of smartphone unlocks were 48.8 (28.8) hours/week and 271.6 (291.0) times/week. The models adjusted for different factors showed significant association between smartphone use and NSSI. Compared to participants with 0~21 hours/week of smartphone screen time, those with ≥63 hours/week of smartphone screen time had a higher odds of NSSI (OR=1.63; 95% CI, 1.32-2.01). Likewise, compared to participants with 0~50 times/week of smartphone unlocks, those with ≥400 times/week of smartphone unlocks had a higher odd of NSSI (OR=1.53; 95% CI, 1.25-1.88). No significant NSSI risk increases was observed for participants with 21~42 hours/week and 42~63 hours/week of smartphone screen time, nor for those with 50~150 times/week and 150~400 times/week of smartphone unlocks. Moreover, RCS analyses showed that the increasing risk of NSSI was associated with elevated smartphone screen time and number of smartphone unlocks. Conclusions: These findings emphasize that ≥63 hours/week of smartphone screen time and ≥400 times/week of smartphone unlocks are risk factors for NSSI among college students, and interventions targeting NSSI should consider the #Apparent association with smartphone use.

How far away is your phone right now? When did you last look at it? For many of us, these digital devices are almost constantly in our hands, and a new study highlights the effects on brain activity t...

Background: Contrary to popular concerns about the harmful effects of media use on mental health, research on this relationship is ambiguous, stalling advances in theory, interventions, and policy. Scientific explorations of the relationship between media…

While that message has been spread on social media, researchers are just beginning to understand how the devices affect the mind

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Japanese Town Proposes Two-Hour Daily Smartphone Limit for All ResidentsIn a move that has ignited national debate and drawn international...

Background: #Digital well-being encourages balanced mobile use. The Perceived #Digital Well-Being in Adolescence Scale (PDWBA) scale measures this in adolescents but was validated only in Slovenia, raising questions about its relevance for other age groups and cultural contexts. Objective: This study had three primary objectives: (1) to confirm the three-factor structure of an English version of the PDWBA—renamed the Perceived #Digital Well-being Scale (PDWS)—in samples of young adults from the United States (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK; (2) to examine the associations between PDWS dimensions and participants’ sociodemographic characteristics; and (3) to explore the relationships between PDWS scores and patterns of smartphone use. Methods: A total of 1,854 young adults from the USA and the UK (ages 18–25; M = 22.4, SD = 2.1); 892(48.1 %) female, 872(47.0 %) male, 90(4.9 %) non-binary participated in an online survey including the PDWS, #Digital flourishing and #Digital stress measures. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations, t-tests, chi-squared tests, and moderation-mediation analysis. Results: The smartphone screen time use and the smartphone time use for non-essential activities was statistically higher in the USA sample than in UK sample (M = 6.95 vs M = 6.13, t = 4.97, P

First study of its kind finds that restrictive school policies don’t lead to lower phone and social media use overall, nor better outcomes among students

Discover how bedtime smartphone use impacts your sleep quality and get expert-backed tips to reclaim restful nights and boost your well-being.

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New research published in Psychological Reports indicates that people who frequently experience spontaneous mind wandering also tend to be more preoccupied with the online world and use their smartphones...