The Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Anxiety Levels among University Students: A Correlational Study

Abstract

Smartphone addiction is becoming a serious issue among university students, affecting their academic and personal lives. While smartphones are essential in today's digital world, students must maintain a balance in their usage. Awareness and self-discipline are necessary to prevent addiction and ensure that smartphones are used as a tool for growth rather than a source of distraction (Zhang & Zeng, 2024). This study explores the smartphone addiction among university students, which has become increasingly common among university students in Pakistan. Smartphone addiction refers to excessive and uncontrollable use of smartphone that affects the normal functioning of daily life. Smartphones offer numerous benefits, such as easy access to educational resources, improved communication with peers and teachers, and opportunities for online learning and earning. A non-random sampling technique was utilized for this qualitative research, which follows an exploratory design. The data was collected from university students age19-23. This data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveals that the 40% university students face social and behavioral changes. Additionally, 28% of students are having psychological impact and 27.4% are facing academic lifestyle disturbance. This study highlights the need of awareness and self-discipline to prevent smartphone addiction and ensure that smartphones should use as a tool for growth rather than a source of distraction.