AUTHOR=Xu Yujing , Zeng Kai , Dong Lucong , Zheng Xiaofen , Si Yuxiu TITLE=Understanding older adults’ smartphone addiction in the digital age: empirical evidence from China JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=11 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1136494 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1136494 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=Background

Despite the fact that an increasing number of older adults are addicted to smartphones, the existing addiction literature still focuses primarily on adolescents. To address this issue, this study draws from the perspectives of subjective cognitive decline and family relationship conflict to examine older adults’ smartphone addiction based on their key characteristics.

Methods

This study investigates the effects of subjective cognitive decline and family relationship conflict on older adults’ smartphone addiction through a survey of 371 subjects in China.

Results

The results show that subjective cognitive decline and family relationship conflict affect older adults’ smartphone addiction through a sense of alienation. In addition, older adults’ perceived power moderates the relationship between alienation and smartphone addiction.

Discussion

This study offers new perspectives on the study of smartphone addiction from the perspective of older adults, and sheds light on how to improve the older adults’ quality of life in their later years.