Effects of Smartphone Addiction on Students’ Academic Performance and Self-Efficacy: A Mediating Role of Academic Stress

Abstract

Study objectives: Excessive use of smartphones among students has raised concerns about addiction and its potential impact on academic performance and self-efficacy, while academic stress plays a critical mediating role. This research study aimed to assess the effect of smartphone addiction on students’ academic performance and self-efficacy, with a focus on the mediating role of academic stress. Excessive use of smartphones among students has raised concerns about addiction and its potential impact on academic performance and self-efficacy, while academic stress plays a critical mediating role. Methodology: In this research study, a descriptive survey design was used; data were collected from male degree college students of Dera Ismail Khan (DIK), KP, Pakistan, and thus three hundred twenty-eight (328) students were selected as the sample by using stratified random sampling. The collected data were processed through the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS, Version 26), and similarly, regression and mediation analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. Results: The findings of the study reveal that smartphone addiction significantly predicts academic performance (β = 0.602, p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (β = 0.560, p < 0.001), with academic stress partially mediating these relationships. Contrary to conventional assumptions, higher smartphone addiction was associated with better academic performance, suggesting a paradoxical relationship where smartphone use may also support learning. Academic stress mediated 8% of the effect of smartphone addiction on academic performance and 12% on self-efficacy, indicating its nuanced role in these dynamics. Demographic analysis showed that non-local students experienced higher academic stress (p = 0.035) and marginally higher self-efficacy (p = 0.051) compared to local students. Additionally, students from higher-income families exhibited greater smartphone addiction (p = 0.039) and self-efficacy (p = 0.045), highlighting socioeconomic influences on digital behavior and academic confidence.  Conclusion: The findings of the study show that smartphone addiction among students has both negative and positive impacts on academic performance and self-efficacy of students. In addition, the study also indicates that overuse of smartphones has a significant correlation with academic stress among the students.