Attitudes of Psychiatrists towards Smartphone Usage of Children and Adolescents

Yeon Jung Lee; Soyoung Irene Lee; A Reum Lee; Geon Ho Bahn; Tae Young Choi; Ji-Youn Kim; Ji-Hoon Kim; Eun-Jin Park; June Sung Park; Soo-Young Bhang; Moon-Soo Lee; So Hee Lee; Sangcheol Choi

doi:10.4306/jknpa.2015.54.4.556

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Lee, Lee, Lee, Bahn, Choi, Kim, Kim, Park, Park, Bhang, Lee, Lee, and Choi: Attitudes of Psychiatrists towards Smartphone Usage of Children and Adolescents

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association 2015; 54(4): 556-563.

Published online: 30 November 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2015.54.4.556

Attitudes of Psychiatrists towards Smartphone Usage of Children and Adolescents

Yeon Jung Lee, MD, MS¹, Soyoung Irene Lee, MD, PhD², A Reum Lee, MA², Geon Ho Bahn, MD, PhD³, Tae Young Choi, MD, PhD⁴, Ji-Youn Kim, MD, PhD⁵, Ji-Hoon Kim, MD, PhD⁶, Eun-Jin Park, MD, PhD⁷, June Sung Park, MD⁸, Soo-Young Bhang, MD, PhD⁹, Moon-Soo Lee, MD, PhD¹⁰, So Hee Lee, MD, PhD¹¹, Sangcheol Choi, MD¹²

¹Department of Psychiatry, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

²Department of Psychiatry, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, Korea.

³Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.

⁴Department of Psychiatry, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.

⁵Joenmaem Psychiatry Hospital, Suwon, Korea.

⁶Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Busan, Korea.

⁷Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.

⁸Dodream Child Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic, Bucheon, Korea.

⁹Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Eulji University, Eulji Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

¹⁰Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

¹¹Department of Psychiatry, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

¹²Didim Psychiatry Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Address for correspondence: Soyoung Irene Lee, MD, PhD. Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Bucheon Hospital, 170 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon 14584, Korea. Tel +82-32-621-5017, Fax +82-32-621-6950, irenelee@schmc.ac.kr

Received 24 August 2015 Revised 31 August 2015 Accepted 10 September 2015

Abstract

Objectives

In this study, we performed a preliminary investigation for establishing guidelines for the usage of smartphones in children and adolescents.

Methods

From March 2014 to August 2014, 182 board-certified psychiatrists were asked to participate in the survey ; 121 participants completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by the authors, mainly the Public Relations Committee of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It evaluates psychiatrists' opinions on the use of smartphones in children and adolescents. In addition, psychiatrists' attitudes towards their own usage of smartphones were assessed in order to determine the impact on their opinion towards the children's usage.

Results

Psychiatrists have recommended various opinions as the appropriate age to own a smartphone for the first time. Mean age recommended by psychiatrists is grade 7.7. One-hundred participants (82.6%) agreed to the age limit to own a smartphone for the first time. In addition all participants agreed to the necessity of a time limit in children and adolescents. Psychiatrists (17.4%) who disagree on the age limit in children considered the smartphone more useful by themselves compared to psychiatrists who agreed on the age limit.

Conclusion

Most psychiatrists have recommended that an appropriate limit for smartphone usage in children and adolescents is needed.

Keywords: Cell phones, Psychiatry, Child, Adolescent

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Causes of smartphone ownership age limit by psychiatrists.

Fig. 2

Smartphone ownership age recommended by psychiatrists.

Table 1

Demographic characteristics

SD : Standard deviation

Table 2

Psychiatrists's recommended daily time of smartphone usage among children and adolescents

SD : Standard deviation

Table 3

Relationship between psychiatrists's behavior and awareness of smartphone usage and their professional opinion about smartphone usage of children and adolescents

Limited group : group agreed to the age limit to own a smartphone for the first time, Unlimited group : group disagreed to the age limit to own a smartphone for the first time. * : p-value<0.01. SD : Standard deviation

Notes

^{Conflicts of Interest} The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

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