The relationship between sleep and problematic smartphone use among adolescents: A systematic review

Obtaining sufficient sleep is a protective factor against mental and physical ill-health. However, evidence suggests that, among adolescents, the proliferation of mobile devices has contributed to a decline in sleep quality and duration over the past few decades. There is a paucity of research on the relationship between sleep and problematic smartphone use. Of the studies which have researched this association, all have relied on homogeneous samples within specific cultural contexts. Therefore, this systematic review provides an aggregative, critical review of the relationship between sleep and problematic smartphone use. Following a comprehensive search of academic databases, nine studies were found to meet the inclusion criteria. These studies were then evaluated for methodological quality, methodological relevance and relevance to the current research question in line with Gough’s (2007) Weight of Evidence framework. Evidence was found for a weak-to-moderate correlation between sleep quality and quantity and problematic smartphone use. Although this systematic review elucidates the relationship between sleep and problematic smartphone use, the findings must be considered tentative until the relationship between these variables is researched using objective measures and experimental designs.