Analysis and Research on Mobile Phone Addiction among College Students: A Case Study of Five Universities in Shaanxi Province

Authors

  • Hao Tian UNIRAZAK

Keywords:

Mobile Phone Addiction; College Students; Higher Education; Shaanxi Province

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of mobile phone addiction among students from five universities in Shaanxi Province and found that 17.62% of the students met the diagnostic criteria for mobile phone addiction, with the overall level of addiction being slightly below moderate. The study analysed the influence of background variables—such as gender, place of residence, academic performance, parents’ educational attainment, institution, field of study, and year of study—on university students’ mobile phone addiction. The findings indicate that males and females differ across specific dimensions of mobile phone addiction; students from rural areas scored significantly higher than those from urban areas; students with strong academic performance and those with at least one parent who had attended university recorded lower addiction scores; and significant differences were observed across universities and disciplines. First-year students had the lowest scores, while third-year students had the highest. In addition, factors such as being an only child, relationship status, and coming from a single-parent family did not exert a significant impact on students’ mobile phone addiction. The study concludes that mobile phone addiction among university students is shaped by multiple factors, and that it is necessary to consider these factors holistically and adopt appropriate measures to guide students towards the healthy use of mobile phones.

References

Ahmed, N. (2019). Generation Z’s Smartphone and Social Media Usage: A Survey. Journalism and Mass Communication. https://doi.org/10.17265/2160-6579/2019.03.001.

Cao, Yunfei, Li, Yunxia & Wei, Qing. 2011 A new species of the genus Cephalophorus (Hymenoptera, Braconidae). (2023). A Survey Study on the Relationship between Loneliness and Mobile Phone Addiction among College Students. Science Enthusiast (03), 8-11. doi:CNKI:SUN:LKAH.0.2023-03-003.

Chen, X., Ding, H., Wei, H. & Huang, F.. (2022). College Students' Need for Uniqueness and Mobile Phone Addiction: the Chain-Mediated Role of Depression and Nonadaptive Cognition. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology (02), 314-317+330. doi:10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2022.02.014.

Chen, Xiaoyun, Miaomiao Chen, Yaqin Wang, Jinfeng Long & Peng Dong. (2021). Study on the Current Situation of College Students' Mobile Phone Addiction and Its Relationship with Learning Burnout - A Case Study of College Students Majoring in Medical Imaging. China Education Technology Equipment (02), 26-28+34. doi:CNKI:SUN:ZJJB.0.2021-02-008.

Domoff, S., Foley, R., & Ferkel, R. (2019). Addictive phone use and academic performance in adolescents. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.171.

Fook, C., Aziz, N., Narasuman, S., Mustafa, S., & Han, C. (2020). MOBILE ADDICTION, ATTITUDE AND PURPOSE OF USE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA. , 7, 4421-4428.

Herrell, C., & Foster, S. (2024). Can't stop won't stop: problematic phone use, sleep quality, and mental health in U.S. Graduate students.. Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 1-7 . https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2334068.

Huang, Jian, Xue, Sheng, Liu, Na, Fu, Lijuan & Li, Zhengbin. (2024). A Study on the Influence of Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency on the Sleep Quality and Mood of College Students Majoring in Ice and Snow Sports. Ice and Snow Sports Innovation Research (13), 22-24. doi:10.20155/j.cnki.issn2096-8485.2024.13.008.

Huang, Mengru. (2021). The effects of college students' physical exercise on cell phone dependence: the mediating effects of psychological capital and subjective well-being (Master's thesis, Wuhan Institute of Physical Education and Sports). https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CMFD202201&filename=1021599045. nh

Huang, Yongmei, Wang, Weijie & Hao, Sizhe. (2022). Relationship between boredom tendency and exercise procrastination among college students: the mediating role of Mobile Phone Addiction. Journal of Quanzhou Normal College (02), 99-103. doi:10.16125/j.cnki.1009-8224.2022.02.004.

Kheradmand, A., Amirlatifi, E., & Rahbar, Z. (2023). Personality traits of university students with smartphone addiction. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1083214.

Leung, L. (2008). Linking psychological attributes to addiction and improper use of the mobilephone among adolescents in Hong Kong. Journal of Children and Media, 2(2), 93–113.

Li, Xiaodong & Long, Sulan. (2022). Prevalence of Mobile Phone Addiction, Mental Health Status and Influencing Factors among Contemporary Medical College Students. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology (12), 1831-1835. doi:10.13342/j.cnki.cjhp.2022.12.015.

Liu, Qinxue, Juyuan Zhang & Yue Lin. (2021). Relationship between Mobile Phone Addiction and Inhibitory Control in College Students: Moderating Roles of Mobile Phone Location and Cognitive Load. Psychological Development and Education (02), 257-265. doi:10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2021.02.13.

Ma, Y. H., Tan, J., Shi, M. J. & Lei, J.. (2018). Analysis of college students' cell phone dependence behavior and influencing factors. Practical Preventive Medicine (10), 1166-1168. doi:CNKI:SUN:SYYY.0.2018-10-004.

Mathews, J., Tirwa, I., & Ligori, A. (2020). Evaluation of the Extent of Mobile Phone Use among the Students. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3559474.

Nasser, N., Ling, L., Rashid, A., Sharifat, H., Ahmad, U., Ibrahim, B., Mustafa, S., Kee, H., Mooi, C., & Suppiah, S. (2020). A Cross-Sectional Survey on Smartphone Usage Pattern, the Level of Mobile Phone Dependence and Psychosocial Effects among Undergraduate Students in a Malaysian University. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.06.20016592.

Ou, Zixin, Yang, Cuiying, Fu, Tong & Dang, Caiping. (2023). Multiple Sequential Mediating Roles of Stress Perception, Depression and Anxiety between Mobile Phone Addiction and Sleep Quality in College Students. Occupation and Health (18), 2527-2532. doi:10.13329/j.cnki.zyyjk.2023.0462.

Said, A., Mohd, F., Yusof, M., Win, N., Mazlan, A., & Shaharudin, A. (2022). Prevalence of smartphone addiction and its associated factors among pre-clinical medical and dental students in a public university in Malaysia. Malaysian Family Physician : the Official Journal of the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia, 17, 64 - 73. https://doi.org/10.51866/oa.75.

Sheinov, V., & Павлович, Ш. (2021). Smartphone Addiction and Personality: Review of International Research. , 18, 235-253. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-1683-2021-18-1-235-253.

Sheng, Dongfeng, Chang, Yunxia, Li, Shumei & Wang, Hongxing. (2019). Analysis of Reasons and Countermeasures of Smartphone Addiction among High School Students. Education Modernization (97), 263-265. doi:10.16541/j.cnki.2095-8420.2019.97.103.

Sohn, S. Y., Krasnoff, L., Rees, P., Kalk, N. J., & Carter, B. (2021). The Association Between Smartphone Addiction and Sleep: A UK Cross-Sectional Study of Young Adults. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 629407. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.629407

Sunday, O., Adesope, O., & Maarhuis, P. (2021). The effects of smartphone addiction on learning: A meta-analysis. Computers in Human Behavior Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100114.

Tateno, M., Kim, D., Teo, A., Skokauskas, N., Guerrero, A., & Kato, T. (2019). Smartphone Addiction in Japanese College Students: Usefulness of the Japanese Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale as a Screening Tool for a New Form of Internet Addiction. Psychiatry Investigation, 16, 115 - 120. https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2018.12.25.2.

Tateno, M., Teo, A., Ukai, W., Kanazawa, J., Katsuki, R., Kubo, H., & Kato, T. (2019). Internet Addiction, Smartphone Addiction, and Hikikomori Trait in Japanese Young Adult: Social Isolation and Social Network. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00455.

Wang, Dongfang, Jiang, Wen, Chen, Chunping, Liu, Shuangjin, Gao, Pengcheng, Liu, Jianqun & Yang, Xinhua. (2019). Relationship between Subjective Family Economic Status Interpersonal Adaptation Family Functioning and Mobile Phone Addiction in College Students. Chinese School Health (09), 1425-1427. doi:10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2019.09.043.

Xiong, S., Zhang, B., Jiang, Y. C., Jiang, H. B. & Chen, R.. (2021). A Meta-Analysis of the Prevalence of Mobile Phone Addiction and Its Influencing Factors. Psychological and Behavioral Research (06), 802-808. doi:CNKI:SUN:CLXW.0.2021-06-012.

Xu, Zi-Qi, Li, Yi-Lin & Yang, Jia. (2023). A Study on the Current Situation of Mobile Phone Addiction among College Students in a Medical School by Applying Focus Group Interviews and Individual In-depth Interviews. China Health Education (11), 1006-1010+1022. doi:10.16168/j.cnki.issn.1002-9982.2023.11.008.

Yu, Sha, Yu, Wei-Yi, Yao, Zhi-Jun & Dong, Jia-Shen. (2021). The Relationship between Current Status of College Students' Smartphone Addiction and Big Five Personality Traits. Journal of Shangrao Normal College (06), 97-101. doi:CNKI:SUN:SRSX.0.2021-06-015.

Yu, Tingting & Liu, Yanli. (2019). A Study on the Relationship between Mobile Phone Addiction, Study Burnout and Future Time Insight of College Students--Taking Yangzhou University as an Example. Education Teaching Forum (43), 68-73. doi:CNKI:SUN:JYJU.0.2019-43-028.

Yuan, Wenping & Lei Ma. (2024). Effects of Mobile Phone Addiction on Learning Burnout in Higher Vocational Preschool Students: the Mediating Role of Core Self-Esteem. Campus Psychology (01), 32-36. doi:10.19521/j.cnki.1673-1662.2024.01.006.

Zhang, Guilin. (2021). The relationship between college students' cell phone dependence and social anxiety: the chain-mediated effects of psychological resilience and stress perception (Master's thesis, Southwest University). https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CMFD202201&filename=1021767220. nh

Zhang, Y. P., Liang, H., Guo, M. L. & Wu, Y.. (2020). Relationship between anxiety and academic burnout among college students: the mediating role of smartphone addiction. Journal of Mudanjiang Normal University (Social Science Edition) (05), 138-144. doi:10.13815/j.cnki.jmtc(pss).2020.05.015.

Zou, Yan, Chen, Shanjiao, Dong, Qian, Wang, Hong, Xie, Xin, Ji, Shanshan & Yu, De'e. (2017). Current Situation of Mobile Phone Addiction and Relationship with Personality among College Students in Hainan. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology (09), 1372-1375. doi:10.13342/j.cnki.cjhp.2017.09.025.

Published

08-12-2025

How to Cite

Tian, H. (2025). Analysis and Research on Mobile Phone Addiction among College Students: A Case Study of Five Universities in Shaanxi Province. International Journal of Management, Accounting, Governance and Education , 5(2). Retrieved from https://ojs.unirazak.edu.my/index.php/image/article/view/132

Issue

Section

Articles