LINKING PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES TO ADDICTION AND IMPROPER USE OF THE MOBILE PHONE AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN HONG KONG

TLDR

The study aimed to identify mobile‑phone addiction symptoms unique to Hong Kong adolescents, examine how demographics and psychological traits (leisure boredom, sensation seeking, self‑esteem) relate to those symptoms, and determine how these factors and social capital predict improper phone use. The researchers surveyed a probability sample of 402 Hong Kong teenagers aged 14–20 and used exploratory factor analysis to delineate four addiction symptom dimensions. Findings revealed that higher leisure boredom and sensation seeking increased addiction risk, high self‑esteem reduced it, and adolescents with low self‑esteem and high sensation seeking engaged most in improper use, such as covert photo‑taking.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to (1) identify addiction symptoms that are uniquely associated with mobile phone use among adolescents in Hong Kong; (2) examine how demographics and psychological attributes (such as leisure boredom, sensation seeking, and self‐esteem) of individuals are related to the addiction symptoms; and (3) explore how these attributes, mobile phone addiction symptoms, and social capital can predict improper use of the mobile phone. Data were gathered from a probability sample of 402 teenagers and young adults aged 14–20 in Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis identified four addiction symptoms: “losing control and receiving complaints,” “anxiety and craving,” “withdrawal/escape,” and “productivity loss.” Results show that the higher one scored on leisure boredom and sensation seeking, the higher the likelihood one was addicted. Conversely, subjects who scored high on self‐esteem demonstrated less of such tendency. As hypothesized, subjects who scored low on self‐esteem but high on sensation seeking reported the most improper use of the mobile phone (especially in snapping pictures stealthily when nobody notices).