Problematic Smartphone Use and Academic Performance in Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2026.65.73996Keywords
problematic smartphone use, academic performance, adolescentsAbstract
Background: Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is common among children and adolescents. Although smartphones may support communication and learning, uncontrolled use can negatively affect education.
Aim: This review summarizes mechanisms linking PSU with academic outcomes and considers the educational potential of smartphones.
Material and methods: A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Articles from the last 5–10 years were identified using terms related to PSU, smartphone addiction, mobile learning, and academic performance. Additional studies came from reference lists.
Results: PSU affects academic performance mainly through indirect mechanisms. Cognitive pathways include attention deficits, media multitasking, cognitive overload, and impaired executive functions, which reduce working memory and learning effectiveness. Physiological mechanisms include delayed sleep onset, shorter sleep duration, and poorer sleep quality, which may impair memory consolidation and cognition. Psychosocial factors such as Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), procrastination, and poor self-regulation may reinforce excessive smartphone use and reduce academic engagement. These mechanisms often interact. Smartphone impact is context-dependent: structured mobile learning can support motivation, resource access, and self-directed learning. Impulsivity, weaker executive functioning, and ADHD symptoms may increase vulnerability, whereas self-control, emotional intelligence, parental mediation, and digital literacy may be protective.
Conclusion: PSU is a multifactorial risk factor for lower academic achievement in youth, acting mainly through cognitive, sleep-related, and psychosocial pathways rather than screen time alone. Smartphones may also support learning when used purposefully. Interventions should promote self-regulation, digital literacy, and responsible smartphone use. Further longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to clarify causality.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Daria Sztefka, Kamila Tasior, Damian Broda, Natalia Sak, Oliwia Dziewięcka, Wojciech Ziębka, Katarzyna Sikora, Julia Wilanowska, Aleksandra Broda, Wiktoria Mikulska
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