Erfassung problematischer Smartphonenutzung und der Effekt auf die kognitive Unterrichtsmeidung von Schüler:innen

Smartphones play an important role in people’s daily lives—young people in particular are strongly attracted to cell phones and use smartphones for many hours a day. Recent research findings also point to potential problems from excessive mobile device use—digital dependence can lead to compulsive and addictive behavior. Problematic smartphone use has become established as a modern psychological term. Nevertheless, it is apparent that research on problematic smartphone use is still scarce. To address this desideratum, a reliable and valid instrument to measure problematic smartphone use (among adolescents) is essential. This paper presents operationalizations for measuring problematic smartphone use and presents a measurement model. The developed screening instrument also aims to address the question of how dimensions of problematic smartphone use affect students’ cognitive classroom avoidance, which has not yet come into research focus. As part of an adolescent study in Switzerland, 1333 lower secondary school students with an average age of 13.7 years were surveyed, with one in three adolescents providing information on smartphone use and two-thirds of adolescents providing information on cognitive class avoidance. A five-dimensional screening instrument was operationalized to measure problematic smartphone use, with dimensions of (I) narrowing of thinking and behavior, (II) tolerance development, (III) continuation despite negative consequences, (IV) loss of control, (V) withdrawal symptoms. The psychometric data show a 5-factorial structure as postulated theoretically. Multiple regressions show that three dimensions of problematic smartphone use are significant predictors of students’ cognitive class avoidance. Regression models separated by gender show that different dimensions are predictive with different explanations of variance.