The Overlap Between Problematic Smartphone Use and Problematic Social Media Use: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose of Review: Over the last decade, problematic smartphone use (PSU) and problematic social media use (PSMU) have emerged as new potential problematic behaviours. Several studies have suggested that smartphones are predominantly used for social purposes (i.e., using messaging apps and social networking sites). The aim of the current article is to provide a systematic review of the extant literature that has explicitly analysed the association between PSU and PSMU in order to examine study characteristics in terms of samples analysed and effect sizes of the associations reported. This systematic review is based on the ongoing debate about whether the smartphone can be considered as the medium of one or more problematic activities, including PSMU. Recent Findings: Existing evidence suggests that the effect sizes of the associations between PSU and PSMU are medium to large and large across the 13 studies included, with the largest correlations observed between PSU and problematic WhatsApp use or general PSMU. Overall, reviewed results suggest a partial overlap between the two problematic behaviours. Summary: PSU and PSMU are overlapped mostly because the smartphone is a common medium to use social media, especially concerning instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. Moreover, PSU should be preferentially studied with a focus on specific types of apps used rather than a more holistic phenomenon.