Understanding the Impact of Mobile Phone Addiction on University Students’ Health
Mobile phone addiction (MPA) has emerged as a significant contemporary concern, with a growing body of research highlighting its wide-ranging effects on individual health and well-being. University students, in particular, represent a highly vulnerable demographic group due to their extensive reliance on mobile devices for academic, social, and entertainment purposes. Their daily activities frequently integrate cell phone use, making them a crucial population for investigating the health-related consequences of MPA.
A recent cross-sectional study titled “Effect of mobile phone addiction on hand disorder, eye health, fatigue and cognitive failures”, conducted by Muhammet ÖZALP, aimed to thoroughly examine the relationship between MPA and specific health outcomes among university students aged 18 to 25. The study involved 293 university students, classifying them into an “addicted group” (n=142) and a “control group” (n=151) based on their scores on the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). Data was collected online using Google Forms, and various validated questionnaires were employed to assess different health aspects: the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS) for fatigue, the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) for cognitive status, the Cornell Hand Discomfort Questionnaire (CHDQ) for hand comfort, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) for eye dryness.
The study’s findings underscore significant adverse health effects associated with mobile phone addiction:
- Cognitive Performance: The addicted group exhibited poorer cognitive performance, indicated by significantly higher scores on the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) (p < 0.001). This suggests that excessive mobile phone use may impair attention and memory, leading to daily lapses in cognitive functions. A key mechanism is often poor sleep quality, as excessive screen time, especially before bedtime, can disrupt sleep by suppressing melatonin production, which in turn impairs cognitive functions like attention and memory.
- Fatigue Levels: Significantly higher fatigue scores were observed in the addicted group compared to the control group (p = 0.014). This is partly attributed to the time and energy consumed by excessive phone use, leading to both physical and mental fatigue. Prolonged smartphone use with poor posture and repetitive motions can reduce blood flow to muscles, contributing to muscle fatigue. MPA is also strongly linked to poor sleep quality, which exacerbates fatigue.
- Eye Health (Dry Eye Syndrome): The addicted group presented significantly higher scores on the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) (p = 0.002), indicating greater eye dryness. MPA is significantly associated with dry eye syndrome. This is believed to occur through mechanisms such as a reduced blink rate during smartphone use, tear film instability leading to rapid tear evaporation, increased oxidative stress from blue light emission, and general eye strain.
- Hand Discomfort: Significant hand discomfort was found in specific areas of the right hand, particularly in the thumb, index, ring, and middle fingers (p < 0.05). This discomfort is often localized and not evenly distributed across the hand, largely due to the dominant hand’s intensive and repetitive use for touchscreen interaction. Ergonomic factors, such as holding the phone with one hand, put greater strain on the thumb, while larger screens may necessitate greater thumb extension, increasing the likelihood of discomfort and injury.
These comprehensive findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions and increased awareness regarding the potential health consequences of excessive smartphone use among university students. The study suggests strategies such as educating students on healthy usage habits, integrating ergonomic training sessions into university curricula to teach proper posture and hand positioning, and implementing periodic breaks during academic activities to mitigate eye strain and musculoskeletal discomfort.
Reference for the Article:
Özalp, M. (2025). Effect of mobile phone addiction on hand disorder, eye health, fatigue and cognitive failures. BMC Public Health, 25, Article 2452. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22154-z
