What is it about?
We explored the relationship between attention, smartphone habits, and lifelong exposure in Argentine university students. Students who got their first smartphone at a younger age performed worse on an attention task and reported more difficulty putting their phones down. Frequent social media use was also associated with increased signs of problematic smartphone use. These findings suggest that early smartphone ownership may have lasting effects on attention, possibly due to brain development changes during adolescence.
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Why is it important?
There have been few studies that considered lifelong exposure to smartphones as a predictor of cognitive functioning and problematic use, and none of them were conducted on Latin American samples. Our results might inform parents and physicians regarding the recommended age for smartphone ownership.
Perspectives
This article is the first of a series of graduate theses that examined the effects of smartphone use on cognition and mental health. It was an honor and a pleasure to be their director.
dr Angel Javier Tabullo
INCIHUSA, CONICET
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: My first smartphone: Effects of first smartphone age, frequency, and types of use on attention and problematic usage in argentine university students., Psychology & Neuroscience, May 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/pne0000366.
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