Decreases in problematic smartphone use among adults in general after the COVID-19 outbreak: A three-year prospective study

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) led many individuals to utilize digital devices, including smartphones, to minimize in-person activities. Due to mixed results from previous studies, how the pandemic brought about a long-term impact on problematic smartphone use (PSU) is still unclear. This prospective study investigated whether levels of PSU increased over three years after the COVID-19 outbreak and afterward. Recruited through a research marketing company, 86,827 Japanese adults were eligible to take part in this study and responded to three outcome measures of PSU and other measures related to smartphone use and COVID-19. Data collection occurred before the outbreak in December 2019 and at six subsequent time points between the first outbreak in Japan and December 2022. Contrary to the hypothesis, growth model analysis revealed downward trajectories in all three PSU measures: the Smartphone Addiction Scale, Short Version, d = –0.13; smartphone overuse, d = –0.14; and negative consequences from overuse, d = –0.23. Complete case analysis suggested the robustness of these effect sizes. Moderators of the declines in all three PSU measures were higher PSU measures, namely spending less money on purchasing new apps and stronger beliefs about not having contracted COVID-19. The social cognitive theory may be particularly applicable to the findings such that digital technologies, including smartphones, may have been perceived as necessary preventive measures against the pandemic, resulting in lower perceptions of PSU.