THE IMPACT OF SMARTPHONE USE AND SLEEP DURATION ON YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Previous research has consistently observed an association between smartphone use and poor mental health in youth, and how it displaces healthy habits such as sleep. However, many studies have only used subjective self-report measures, which can be problematic. Thus, additional objective assessments are needed and recent advances in mobile sensing technology offers the unique opportunity to quantify behaviour in a low-burden, unobtrusive manner. The present thesis sought to examine the associations between objectively measured sleep and smartphone use utilizing mobile sensing, and their impact on youth well-being, through two studies. The first study assessed the impact of objectively measured smartphone use on youth mental health, and the second study explored if sleep mediates the relationship between smartphone-based screen-time and mental health outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of sleep, underscore the detrimental effect of excessive smartphone use on youth mental health, and may inform future research and interventions.