The Extent of Smartphone Addiction and Its Impact on Educational Outcomes Among Sri Lankan Advanced Level Students in the Adolescence Stage

Abstract

Introduction: Smartphone addiction has become a growing concern, especially among students. It refers to excessive and uncontrollable smartphone use that can negatively affect daily life, including academic performance.

Objectives: This study examines how widespread smartphone addiction is among Sri Lankan Advanced Level (A/L) students and how it affects their studies.

Methods: To gather data, researchers selected 506  students from 1AB schools in the Colombo Education Zone. They used the Short Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SV-SAS) along with a questionnaire created to assess smartphone usage habits and self-reported academic performance.

Results: The responses reveal that a significant number of A/L students show signs of smartphone addiction. More importantly, there is a clear negative link between high addiction levels and lower academic performance. Male students were discovered to be more prone to smartphone addiction than female students. On the other hand, many students were unaware of their addiction, which highlights the need for proper awareness on this issue. The study also examined how addiction levels vary among different groups of students and how this impacts their academic success.

Conclusions: These results point to an urgent need for targeted strategies to help students manage their smartphone use while ensuring they stay focused on their education.