Determining Typical Smartphone Usage: What Data Do We Need?

Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
Thomas D W WilcocksonHeather Shaw

Abstract

Problematic smartphone use is an emerging issue in behavioral addiction research. At the same time, measuring smartphone use with mobile apps has become increasingly common. However, understanding how much data are necessary requires careful consideration if the field is to move forward. Here, we examine how much time should be spent measuring mobile phone operation to reliably infer general patterns of usage and repetitive checking behaviors. In a second analysis, we consider whether a self-report measure of problematic smartphone use is associated with real-time patterns of use. Results suggest that smartphone usage collected for a minimum of 5 days will reflect typical weekly usage (in hours), but habitual checking behaviors (uses lasting <15 seconds) can be reliably inferred within 2 days. These measurements did not reliably correlate with a self-reported measure. We conclude that patterns of smartphone use are repetitive and our results suggest that checking behavior is a particularly consistent and efficient measure when quantifying typical and problematic smartphone usage.

References

Mar 2, 2005·Cyberpsychology & Behavior : the Impact of the Internet, Multimedia and Virtual Reality on Behavior and Society·Adriana Bianchi, James G Phillips
Jun 16, 2012·PloS One·James P Bagrow, Yu-Ru Lin
Mar 2, 2018·International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction·David A EllisFrancesca C Ryding

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Citations

Apr 3, 2019·Psychological Science·Amy Orben, Andrew K Przybylski
May 7, 2019·World Psychiatry : Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA)·Joseph FirthJerome Sarris
Nov 30, 2018·Behavior Research Methods·Kristoffer GeyerLukasz Piwek
Sep 11, 2020·Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking·Dmitri RozgonjukChristian Montag
Mar 27, 2019·JMIR MHealth and UHealth·Yuan-Chien PanYu-Hsuan Lin
Jan 12, 2020·Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology·Amy Orben
Jan 13, 2021·Translational Psychiatry·Philip HensonJohn Torous
May 1, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Kristoffer GeyerFran Calvo
Jun 5, 2021·Behavior Research Methods·Kristoffer GeyerBrittany I Davidson

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