Comparing Network Structures of Problematic Smartphone Use and Cognitive Failures Among Junior and Senior High School Students

Problematic smartphone use is a prevalent issue among adolescents; however, there is limited understanding of how different components of problematic smartphone use are related to cognitive failures. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between these components in adolescents. Involving 1439 adolescents (44.54% junior high school students), the study employed a network analysis approach. The results indicated that withdrawal was central for junior high school students, while tolerance and motor failure were central for senior high school students. Additionally, both junior and senior high school students exhibited an association between tolerance and attention failure, as well as between loss control and memory failure. Moreover, the impact of the withdrawal component on memory failure weakened in the senior high school students. Identifying these key components can aid in developing targeted interventions to address the link between problematic smartphone use and cognitive failures.