Understanding the drivers of smartphone addiction among university students: a perspective from Bangladesh

The aim of this study was to empirically analyze the factors that contributed to smartphone addiction proneness among university students in Bangladesh. With the increasing adoption of smartphones and rising rates of excessive smartphone usage, there was a need to investigate the etiology or causal factors of this addiction. A quantitative survey was conducted, which involved 384 students from both public and private universities in Bangladesh. The participants were selected using unequal stratified random sampling, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data through physical participation. The findings indicated that 28.4% of university students were addicted to smartphones, which had implications for the future of educated young people. The study revealed that demographic and academic variables did not have a significant impact on smartphone addiction among university students. The research suggested that addiction to Facebook, YouTube, and Messenger was strongly linked to emotional individuality, pleasure orientation, and virtual orientation, resulting in a loss of social and self-identity. The study called for further research into the effects of smartphone addiction on various socio-economic groups, which could lead to the development of new theories on smartphone addiction proneness.