Is the Smartphone Friend and Foe? Benefits and Costs of Self-reported Smartphone Use for Important Life Domains in a Representative German Sample

Abstract Smartphones are ubiquitous today, yet opinions differ as to whether the benefits or downsides of smartphone use predominate. Using age-representative ‘Innovation Sample’ German Socio-Economic Panel study ( N = 5,131, age M 52.26, 17–96 years), this examined associations between self-reported and three life domains: individual well-being (psychological well-being, sleep); interpersonal relationships (social isolation, network size); work (working hours, job satisfaction). For younger adults, increased was associated with higher psychological longer sleep. In middle late adulthood, moderate highest less The more adults used communicative functions their smartphone, close friends they reported – irrespective age. Employed who work-related working overtime in evening. Exploratory structural equation model trees non-linear combinations demographic characteristics moderators these associations, but observed only few replicable patterns. generally small might indicate that differences ‘normal ranges’ consequential for broad population than often assumed. We discuss challenges future approaches research on consequences use.