Associations of digital media usage time with problematic smartphone use in Hong Kong Chinese adults: a population-based study

Abstract

Background: Few studies have clarified which types of digital media are associated with problematic smartphone use (PSU). We studied associations of usage time on different digital media with PSU in Hong Kong Chinese adults. Methods: We analyzed data of 698 respondents (mean age 47.7 years, SD18.2; 43.8% men) from a telephone survey in 2017. PSU symptoms, i.e., daily-life disturbance, withdrawal, cyber-oriented relationship, overuse, and tolerance; each range 1 – 6, were assessed by the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. Hours per day on different types of digital media with computer / smartphone were self-reported. We used multivariable regression to examine the associations adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Results: Respondents reported the longest usage time on the Internet (mean 3.0 hours, SD ± 3.5), followed by instant messaging (1.5 ± 2.3) and social media (1.1 ± 1.8). Increased usage time on the Internet and instant messaging were associated with higher risks of symptoms of daily-life disturbance (adjusted beta 0.04; 95% CI 0.003 – 0.08) and cyber-oriented relationship (0.12; 0.04 – 0.21) respectively. Increased usage time on social media was associated with higher risks of withdrawal symptoms (0.10; 0.02 – 0.17) and overall PSU risks (0.63; 0.05 – 1.21). Conclusions: Longer digital media usage time was associated with PSU, but the association varied by the types of digital media.