Association between gadget use and physical and mental health among adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Daeli, Novita Elisabeth
Frisca, Sanny
Manurung, Aprida

Lentera Perawat
Vol. 7 No. 2 (2026): April - June

Background: Gadget use has become increasingly common among adolescents and is closely integrated into learning, communication, entertainment, and daily activities. Although gadgets provide educational and social benefits, excessive or problematic use may contribute to physical complaints, including eye strain, hearing problems, and musculoskeletal pain, as well as mental health problems such as depressive symptoms. However, empirical evidence regarding the association between gadget use and adolescent physical and mental health remains limited. Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between gadget use and physical and mental health among adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional analytic survey was conducted among students at a state vocational high school in Palembang City, Indonesia. A total sampling technique was used, resulting in 50 respondents. Gadget use was measured using an adapted Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale, while physical health was assessed based on eye health, hearing health, and pain-related complaints. Mental health was measured using the 6-item Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis and Kendall’s tau correlation test, with a significance level of 0.05. Results: Most respondents were middle adolescents aged 16–18 years (90%) and male (68%). The majority were classified as at-risk gadget users (90%). More than half of the respondents had moderate physical health problems (56%), and most respondents were categorized as having depressive symptoms (90%). Bivariate analysis showed no significant association between gadget use and physical health among adolescents (r = 0.055; p = 0.687). Similarly, no significant association was found between gadget use and mental health (r = 0.228; p = 0.106). Conclusion: Gadget use was not significantly associated with physical or mental health among adolescents in this study. These findings suggest that adolescent physical and mental health may be influenced by multiple factors beyond gadget use, including lifestyle, social environment, family factors, academic stress, and individual coping mechanisms. Further studies with larger samples and more comprehensive assessment of confounding variables are recommended.