Publication date: Jul 01, 2026
Introduction The widespread use of smartphones among adolescents has raised concerns about behavioural addiction and its potential academic consequences. However, evidence from rural Indian school-going adolescents is scarce. The current study aims to estimate the prevalence of smartphone addiction and evaluate its association with academic performance among rural adolescents in Telangana. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 students aged 10-19 years from three randomly selected government schools in the Rural Health Training Centre catchment area. Data on sociodemographics and smartphone use were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. Smartphone addiction was measured using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. The students’ academic performance was obtained from school records. Statistical analysis included the chi-square test, t-test, and logistic regression. Results The mean age of participants was 14. 0 +/- 1. 33 years. A total of 85. 8% (363) participants reported smartphone use, with 32. 2% (117) having smartphone addiction. No significant correlation or association was found between smartphone addiction and academic performance (Spearman’s rho = 0. 06, p=0. 178). Smartphone addiction was associated with other variables such as male gender, personal ownership of a smartphone, poor sleep quality, and initiation of smartphone use before the COVID-19 pandemic in multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusion Smartphone addiction was prevalent in one-third of rural school-going adolescents and was associated with factors such as male sex, personal smartphone ownership, initiation of use before COVID-19, and poor sleep quality. Our study findings identify factors for school-based awareness programmes and further longitudinal research to promote healthy digital habits among rural adolescents.
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| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Pandemic | academic performance |
| Rural | adolescents |
| Smartphones | india |
| Students | rural schools |
| Telangana | smartphone addiction |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | included |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |
| pathway | REACTOME | Reproduction |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Coenzyme M |
| disease | MESH | psychiatric illness |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Methionine |
| disease | MESH | epilepsy |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Etoperidone |