Mobile Phone Dependency, Motivations and Effects of Mobile Phone Usage Among Korean Adolescents

청소년의 휴대전화 의존, 이용동기 및 결과에 관한 연구

A mobile phone usage survey was administered to a nationwide sample of 3,617 adolescents. Major motivations of mobile phone usage were mobility/real-time connection, show off, information acquisition, entertainment, dialogue, schedule management, and advice. Maintenance of social relationship with the peer group was most important in mobile phone use. Motivations influenced mobile phone dependency : show off had the strongest influence on anxiety/paranoia followed by dialogue, entertainment, mobility/real-time connection. Without their phones, fashion-oriented adolescents showed mobile phone dependency and anxiety. Stronger dialogue and entertainment motivations were associated with weaker real time connection motivation and stronger paranoia symptoms. Mobile phone dependent adolescents had lower grades, showed lack of attention, had little dialogue with their parents and showed withdrawal from the peer group.