PATTERNS OF USE OF SMARTPHONES BY YOUNG ADULTS IN A METROPOLITAN CITY

Srabani Bhattacharya; Rachit S. Shah; Sundaram Kartikeyan

Volume : IX, Issue : VI, June - 2020

PATTERNS OF USE OF SMARTPHONES BY YOUNG ADULTS IN A METROPOLITAN CITY

Srabani Bhattacharya, Rachit S. Shah, Sundaram Kartikeyan

Abstract :

This cross–sectional study was conducted during the corona virus lockdown in May 2020 to determine the patterns of use of smart phones by 161 respondents (83 females: 51.55% and 78 males: 48.45%), who were residents of a metropolitan city in Maharashtra state, India. The participants were recruited into the study by the snowball sampling technique and they answered an online questionnaire, which was administered through Google forms. The mean age of female respondents was 19.88 +/–1.31 years, while that for male respondents was 19.83 +/– 1.12 years. There was no significant gender difference in mean age (Z=0.260; p=0.794). A significantly (Z=2.092; p=0.036) higher number of female respondents reported they would be anxious without their smart phones, while significantly (Z=3.544; p=0.0004) higher number of male respondents slept for less than 6 hours a day. To prevent smart phone addiction, young adults may be introduced to diverse activities to utilize their leisure time