A pair of pediatric psychologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found evidence that the use of smartphones can slightly improve the mood of adolescents. Matt Minich and Megan Moreno published their findings in the open access journal PLOS ONE.
The beneficial effects of the smartphone on adolescents
In recent years, social media and some traditional media have reported that young people’s smartphone use may be hindering their emotional and/or social maturity. In this new effort, researchers, noting that little research has been done on the topic, conducted a study to better understand the impact of phone use by teens of various ages on mood.
The researchers sent a short survey to 235 adolescents (aged 12 to 17) who had volunteered to participate in the project.
But instead of asking teenagers random questions about how they thought smartphone use affected their mood, they used an ecological momentary assessment procedure in which respondents are asked what their mood is at the time they take the survey.
In this case, such moments would have occurred while a teenager was using the phone, since the survey was based on text messages.
The project lasted six days. The volunteers each received 30 surveys at random times throughout the day. Volunteers rated their current mood on a scale of 1 to 7, and questions were designed to measure mood in real time and the mood just before they started using the phone.
The researchers found that the volunteers rated their mood slightly better when they actively used their smartphone. They also found that the volunteers’ moods increased when they started using the phone, going from an average of 5 to 5.5 on the scale. They noted that many teens reported experiencing an improvement in their mood while using their phone.
The researchers conclude by reporting a positive association for adolescents’ use of smartphones as a social tool.
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