Influence of Smartphones on Students' Life in the Republic of Croatia

Smartphone use has become ubiquitous among all generations and is becoming more common among the student population. Very rarely can we find a student who does not own a mobile (smartphone). Smartphones have replaced many of the activities previously done using desktops, laptops, tablets and other electronic devices. Most of the population has also replaced classic alarm clocks with smartphones, and the first morning activity is usually associated with a smartphone ( browsing the news, social media notifications, etc.). During the night, when time should be devoted to rest and sleep, many people are on their mobile phones, disrupting their biological sleeping and wakeing rhythm (circadian rhythm), which is of paramount importance for human health. For this reason, a questionnaire was developed that was conducted among the student population with a sample of 267 students in Croatia during the academic year 2020/2021. The research examined whether respondents used smartphones and how much they used them just before going to sleep, during the night, and just after waking up, as well as whether they used a smartphone as an alarm clock and if they wake up tired in the morning. The results showed that 81.9 % of respondents, most of whom were aged 20-25 (51.7 %), used their smartphone immediately before bedtime. Immediately after waking up, 78.5 % of respondents viewed notifications, content, and message, on their smartphone, and a total of 43 % of respondents often wake up tired in the morning, while 39.7 % find it difficult to attend classes (lectures) in the mornings. Moderate correlations were calculated between the variables "I also use my smartphone just before bedtime" and "During the night, the smartphone is in my immediate vicinity" (r = .544, p= .000< .01); "During the night I sometimes wake up to the sound of a smartphone (messages, notifications on social networks)" and "When I wake up during the night, I browse the contents on my smartphone" (r = .489, p= .000< .01); and between the variables "In the morning I often wake up tired" and "I find it difficult to attend classes (lectures) in the morning" (r = .569, p= .000< .01).Using smartphones just before bedtime and during the night disturbs sleep and causes fatigue in the morning. Thus, following classes is likely more difficult and student's concentration is likely poorer.