Smartphone Use and Social Media Addiction Associated with Learning and Measures of Wellbeing Among College Students

Author : Cougar Hall, Benjamin Crookston and Joshua West

Abstract :Smartphone and social media use has become pervasive among university students. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential impact of smartphone and social media addiction on student learning and wellbeing. This study utilized a cross-sectional survey design to assess potential associations between study variables among 340 undergraduate students 18-years-of-age and older at a large private university in the United States. The study questionnaire included the Mobile Phone Addiction Scale (MPAS), the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) for measuring independent variables and a variety of indicators associated with learning alongside other dependent variable measures of mental and emotional health (the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the CORE-10 Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Internal-External Locus of Control Short Scale – 4, the Impulsive Behavior Short Scale – 8, the General Life Satisfaction Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Most indicators and measures of learning and wellbeing were significantly and negatively associated with both smartphone and social media addiction. These findings add to the extant literature and suggest a significant and negative impact of smartphone and social media addiction on learning readiness generally the psychological, mental, and emotional wellbeing of college students specifically.

Keywords :Smartphones, Social Media, Learning, Health, Wellbeing.

Conference Name :International Conference on Multi-Disciplinary Studies and Education

Conference Place Bangkok,Thailand

Conference Date 8th Dec 2025