Don't be dependent on your smartphone

In a bid to rest the debate on what comes first -- smartphone addiction or depression -- a new study has found that young people who are hooked on to their smartphones may be at an increased risk of depression and loneliness. A growing body of research has identified a link between smartphone dependency and symptoms of depression and loneliness.

However, it's been unclear whether reliance on smartphones precedes those symptoms, or whether the reverse is true -- that depressed or lonely people are more likely to become dependent on their phones.

In a study of 346 participants, ages 18-20, researchers found that smartphone dependency predicts higher reports of depressive symptoms and loneliness, rather than the other way around. "The main takeaway is that smartphone dependency directly predicts later depressive symptoms," said an assistant professor in the department of communication.

"There's an issue where people are entirely too reliant on the device, in terms of feeling anxious if they don't have it accessible, and they're using it to the detriment of their day-to-day life." In the study, researchers focus on smartphone dependency rather than on general smartphone use, which can actually provide benefits.

Understanding the direction of the relationship between smartphone dependency and poor psychological outcomes is critical for knowing how best to address the problem, said one of the authors of the study. "If depression and loneliness lead to smartphone dependency, we could reduce dependency by adjusting people's mental health," he said. "But if smartphone dependency (precedes depression and loneliness), which is what we found, we can reduce smartphone dependency to maintain or improve well-being."

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