HOOKED ON SCREENS: The Hidden Costs of Smartphone Addiction in Youth

Interview with Prof. Corrado Petrucco

Technology addiction is becoming a bigger problem day by day and brings many undesirable consequences, especially in young people. As part of the TechWell Project, which we have implemented to find innovative solutions to technology addiction, we interviewed Prof. Corrado Petrucco from the University of Padova. In this short interview, Prof. Petrucco skilfully summarises many different dimensions of the problem. 

Prof. Petrucco, thank you for accepting our request for an interview about technoılogy addiction. First of all, can you describe technological addiction as a concept? What are the implications of technological addiction among young people?

Based on my experience and researches on the topic, technological addiction, specifically smartphone addiction, can be defined as a behavioral addiction resulting in psychological dependence. It manifests through loss of sense of time, difficulty completing tasks involving work or family commitments. In high degree it can lead to isolation from family and friends and to anxiety/depression when offline. The implications for young people (14-20 years) are particularly concerning as this age group shows the highest risk rates. This suggests increased vulnerability to critical negative effects including school or academic performance problems.

“THREE OUT OF EVERY FOUR STUDENTS ARE ON THEIR SMARTPHONES DURING LESSONS…”

Can you tell us about academic studies in this field, including contributions of your university and yourself as a researcher?

Through my research in Italy at the University of Padova, I've examined smartphone addiction's impact on academic performance. In recent studies with university students, we found strong correlations between high smartphone addiction levels and difficulty concentrating during study activities. My work has particularly focused on the classroom environment, where over 75% of students report a significant smartphone use during lectures, primarily driven by social media (61%) and boredom (41%). It's a real problem for teachers and students because it heavily impacts attention spans.

"CURRENT PRECAUTIONS NEED TO SHIFT FROM RESTRICTION-FOCUSED APPROACHES TO MORE EDUCATIONAL AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES."

What are the current precautions and regulations applied by country and EU level? Do you find these precautions effective?

I've observed that many countries have implemented screen time guidelines, though they vary significantly. For instance, France has implemented some of the strictest measures through their “Carnet de santé”, suggesting no screen exposure before age 3. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) takes a more moderate stance, recommending no screen time before 18 months except video-chatting, and limiting screen time to 1 hour of high-quality programming for children up to age 5. For Italy, a research from the Institute Superior of Healthcare found concerning early exposure trends - smartphone use begins in infancy for many children, affecting 58% of 12-15 month olds, while 3-year-olds commonly demonstrate some device proficiency. The Italian Pediatric Associations  suggests that exposure to multimedia devices during childhood should be regulated limiting exposure to less than 1 hour a day for children aged between 2 and 5 years and  to less than 2 hours a day for children aged between 5 and 8 years.

Research indicates that early exposure to smartphones strongly correlates with problematic usage patterns in adolescence and young adulthood. Children who begin using smartphones before age 3 demonstrate higher rates of smartphone addiction by their teenage years, with increased difficulty in self-regulation and higher levels of nomophobia and addiction.

Looking at specific research findings from studies , smartphone addiction rates vary significantly between regions - from around 3% in Northern/Western Europe to around 11% in the East. These variations suggest current regulations may need to be more culturally grounded.

The most comprehensive EU-level response has come through the European Parliament's strategies for preventing problematic internet use, particularly focusing on gaming and social networking addictions. However, based on my research findings showing increasing addiction rates despite regulations, I believe current precautions need to shift from restriction-focused approaches to more educational and preventive measures. Italy for example few months ago, established a strict policies banning all phones in schools and limit also for possible teaching activities.

 What do you think about the ban on smart phones in schools? Do you think it's correct?

From my research perspective, I find that restriction-focused approaches are often oversimplistic and don't adequately address the complexity of modern digital integration in youth's lives. Based on my research, completely banning smartphones can be countrproductive as it may trigger nomophobia and anxiety that further interferes with learning. While some studies show banning phones slightly improves performance, I believe a more balanced approach incorporating phones into educational activities while teaching self-regulation skills would be more effective in the long-term.

“AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH IS NEEDED...”

Which academic disciplines can be involved in addressing tech addiction? Do you think interdisciplinarity efforts can support finding solutions?

Absolutely, I've seen that addressing tech addiction requires multiple disciplines: psychology to understand behavioral patterns, neuroscience to study brain impacts, education to developing interventions, sociology to examine social impacts, and computer science to create monitoring tools, such as  specific apps. This interdisciplinary approach is crucial because smartphone addiction affects cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of young peoples' lives.

What is the threshold point where technology becomes an addiction? How can we be aware of it? What kind of tools can be developed to cope with it?

Based on my research experience and the SAS-SV scale I've often used, addiction manifests when usage significantly interferes with daily activities, causes anxiety when separated from the device, and impacts sleep patterns. I've found that self-monitoring apps combined with mindfulness-based interventions can be effective strategies. The threshold varies individually, but key warning signs include using phones during urgent tasks, constant checking, and sleep problems.

About Corrado Petrucco
Corrado Petrucco is Associate Professor of Educational Technologies at University of Padova – Dipartimento di Filosofia, Sociologia, Pedagogia e Psicologia Applicata. His research interests center on Information literacy,  knowledge sharing (students as Wikipedia editors), Digital Storytelling in education,  Mobile Learning and Artificial Intelligence applications in teaching and learning. He has published extensively in leading national and international journals on these topics. His recent authored book examines mobile learning and strategies to address the problem of students smartphone distraction and addiction.