Publication details
Are smartphones stress-inducing or stress-buffering for adolescents? An experience-sampling study
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | NEW MEDIA & SOCIETY |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | article - open access |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448261438432 |
| Keywords | Adolescents; experience sampling; online vigilance; smartphone use; stress |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Despite the far-reaching impact of stress on overall well-being, current research offers little information on whether smartphone use (SU) is stress-inducing or stress-buffering for adolescents. Building on existing media effects theories and the transactional theory of stress, this study is the first to address the effect of SU on perceived stress in adolescents (17,152 observations, N = 184, 13–17 years old) with an experience-sampling design combined with trace data. We found no effects of time spent using smartphones on stress for approximately 80% of our sample. For 20%, SU was stress-inducing, albeit with a small effect size. The results point to the importance of smartphone usage patterns besides the time spent using smartphones. Furthermore, the results provide evidence that media effects are not universal and that adolescents cannot be regarded as a homogeneous group. Our work has important implications for future research, as well as for parents and educators. |
| Related projects: |