Intercohort comparison of smartphone dependency in adolescence with increased smartphone possession and accessibility

Author(s): Changmin Yoo [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411970.a, 0000 0004 0532 6499, Department of Social Welfare, Hannam University, , 70, Hannam-ro, Daejeon, Daedeok-gu, Republic of Korea Introduction In many countries, [...]
Different cohorts experience different societal environments and may have different life experiences. We therefore examined long-term changing trajectories of smartphone dependency among Korean adolescents by directly comparing two cohorts. To compare cohorts in terms of the changing trajectories of smartphone dependency, a latent growth modeling analysis was performed, followed by a multi-group analysis involving 1972 students (2013-2016, from students in the 7th-10th grade, female 48.7%, mean age = 12.95-15.95 years) and 2159 students (2010-2013, from students in the 7th to 10th grade, female 51.7%, mean age = 12.95-15.95 years) who participated in the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey. The cohorts differed significantly both in the initial value of smartphone dependency and the slope. The effect size of gender, parental affection, and parental interference on the smartphone dependency of adolescents varied according to cohort. Compared with the past cohort, the recent cohort demonstrated high smartphone dependency at an earlier age, which gradually declined afterward, and that smartphone dependency in the past cohort rapidly increased over time, although it was not as high at an earlier age as that of the recent cohort. Based on the findings, implications for practice, policy, and theory are discussed.