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Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, smartphones have transitioned from a luxury to a necessity. Today, there are more mobile phone subscriptions globally than there are people on Earth. The COVID-19 pandemic further intensified reliance on smartphones, with people relying heavily on internet-connected apps like WhatsApp and Zoom for communication, shopping, and more. While smartphones offer numerous conveniences in daily life, their excessive use can lead to problems.
Although technological advancements have improved global public health, overreliance on smartphones poses health risks. Smartphone addiction, characterized by compulsive and excessive use, is a growing concern linked to decreased physical activity and various behavioral disorders. It leads to decreased productivity, impaired social and mental health, and physical issues like headaches and memory impairment.
Studies show a correlation between smartphone addiction and sedentary lifestyles, particularly among college students. Sedentary behavior, a significant health concern, is associated with physical and mental health problems. Globally, a large proportion of the population, including young people, does not engage in enough physical activity.
Research suggests that increasing physical activity can help combat smartphone addiction . Studies have shown that regular exercise improves psychological well-being and reduces addictive tendencies. An active lifestyle may also reduce the risk of smartphone addiction and promote better psychological health.
This systematic literature review focuses on university students, a demographic particularly prone to smartphone addiction. Physical activity is defined broadly to include all planned sports or exercises, while smartphone addiction is defined as a predisposition to excessive smartphone app use. Studies included in the review assess the risk of addiction without diagnostic implications.
Most studies indicate a negative link between smartphone addiction (SA) and Physical Activity (PA). Out of 28 cross-sectional studies, 24 showed small to moderate effects, one showed a large effect, two found no effects, and one had inconclusive results. For instance, Han et al. (2023) found a weak to moderate association between PA and SA. Similar correlations were found in other studies, ranging from −.124 to −.381. Less physical exercise was associated with a higher risk of SA, as shown by Saffari et al. (2022) who found a significant correlation between PA levels and SA prevalence among university students.
Alotaibi et al. (2022) discovered that physically inactive students were more likely to be at risk of SA. High-frequency mobile phone users tend to prioritize sedentary phone-related tasks over exercise (Lepp et al., 2013). Moreover, Kim et al. (2015) found that high-risk smartphone users had lower PA levels. Gender differences in SA were noted by some researchers, with more females exhibiting SA compared to males (Kim et al., 2015; Yang et al., 2021; Buke et al., 2021). However, the exact nature of these differences remains unclear due to various factors such as assessment methods and social influences.
Physically active students generally had a lower risk of SA, suggesting a weak inverse association between PA and SA. However, this relationship’s weakness can be attributed to the diverse backgrounds of the studies. They were conducted across 12 different countries, with different university settings, social compositions, and assessment methods for SA and PA. Despite this, over 85% of the studies confirmed an inverse relationship between SA and PA, offering a basis for future research, particularly intervention and longitudinal studies, which are currently limited but have shown significant effects.
Indeed, all three intervention studies conducted in China demonstrated significant effects in reducing smartphone addiction (SA). For instance, a 12-week Baduanjin training significantly lowered the risk of SA in Chinese university students (Lu et al., 2020). This randomized controlled trial compared Baduanjin exercises with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and found both to be effective in reducing SA, with CBT showing a slightly larger effect. Xiao et al. (2021) showed that Baduanjin and basketball practice, conducted three times a week for 90 minutes, had short-term and long-term positive effects on SA. Participants maintained lower addiction scores even two months after intervention, indicating lasting effects.
Fan et al. (2021) demonstrated that a single 30-minute session of acute cycling exercise led to significant improvements in response inhibition among college students with smartphone addiction. Moderate-intensity exercise showed the most substantial improvement in reaction time, but even low-intensity cycling had a significant effect. However, the studies didn’t test gender differences in response to interventions. Despite this, all interventions produced large effects, suggesting promise for implementing exercise interventions to reduce SA, though further research, particularly outside Asia, is needed to confirm these findings.
Ding et al. (2021) discovered a positive correlation between physical activity (PA) in college students and controlled internet use, self-control, and subjective well-being. Smartphone addiction (SA) was associated with lower well-being, while regular PA correlated with reduced excessive smartphone use, increased life satisfaction, and fewer addictive behaviors. Guo et al. (2022) also found a negative link between PA and SA, suggesting that PA positively predicts self-control, which inversely relates to smartphone addiction. The study indicates that a positive exercise environment, along with improved self-control, significantly reduces the likelihood of SA. Furthermore, Yang et al. (2019) and Zhong et al. (2021) supported the idea that PA decreases mobile phone dependence directly and indirectly by enhancing self-control. However, Lin et al. (2022) found that SA increases social motivation but reduces self-efficacy, potentially hindering participation in PA, as self-efficacy mediates the relationship between SA and PA.
Zhao et al. (2022) found that psychological resilience links physical activity (PA) and subjective well-being (SA), suggesting PA indirectly reduces SA by boosting resilience and lowering perceived stress. This implies PA has a direct effect on SA, with resilience as a mediator, while stress isn’t. There’s a chain mediation role between resilience and stress. Also, Xie et al. (2019) noted a connection between Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU), Insufficient Physical Activity (IPA), and student depression. IPA could worsen SA, increasing depressive symptoms. Lastly, Zhu et al. (2023) stressed PA’s importance in reducing SA, thus lowering burnout levels.
This review investigated the relationship between physical activity (PA) and smartphone addiction (SA) in university students, analyzing thirty-one studies from twelve countries, mostly cross-sectional (28), with three interventions. Most studies (29/31) suggested a negative association between PA and SA, except for two (Demirbilek and Minaz, 2020; Zhao et al., 2022). One study had a small sample size and reported no significant correlation between PA and SA, while the other found that resilience mediated the relationship between PA and SA, suggesting unexplored factors. The findings align with previous research on adolescents, indicating that less PA is linked to greater SA risk, but cross-sectional studies suggest a weak connection, possibly mediated by other factors or influenced by the type of exercise.
These results also support general research linking PA levels to lower internet and SA. Intervention studies showed positive effects of exercise on reducing SA, with two longitudinal studies showing significant effects after 12 weeks, lasting even two months post-study. An acute intervention also demonstrated positive effects on response inhibition. However, more intervention research with various exercises and objective SA assessments is needed. Smartphone applications could be utilized for screentime tracking and activity monitoring.
Most cross-sectional studies relied on questionnaires, lacking clinical assessment, thus having limited diagnostic value. However, high scores may indicate a predisposition to addiction as a coping mechanism. Research suggests hedonic use poses a greater SA risk than utilitarian use, which is supported by reviewed studies. Future research should consider primary smartphone use motivations, such as utilitarian or entertainment, when examining the PA-SA relationship.
The literature suggests a weak inverse link between physical activity (PA) and suicide risk in cross-sectional studies, but experimental studies show stronger evidence. Longitudinal studies on physical activity and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) showed significant improvements in suicide risk. An acute cycling intervention also had robust effects on response inhibition. Future research should explore different exercise durations and popular activities like running or swimming, especially outside Asia, and include cross-cultural evaluations. Additionally, studies should combine subjective smartphone use measures with objective ones.
Source:
Pirwani, N., & Szabo, A. (2024). Could physical activity alleviate smartphone addiction in university students? A systematic literature review. Preventive medicine reports, 42, 102744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102744