Patterns matter? A cross-sectional study on social and usage patterns of smartphone internet service and self-perceived addiction in Taiwan

The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the level of smartphone online usage patterns and self-perceived addiction in Taiwan. In this study, we argued that differential frequency of online usage patterns gave rise to significant differences between two groups of users in terms of their perception of smartphone addiction. Based on a sample of 1,012 smartphone users aged 12 or above in the nationwide survey of Taiwan’s National Development Council in 2018, we examined the relations between background characteristics, internet-related factors and 10 types of smartphone online usage patterns. The results of multiple logistic regression indicated that social media use can predict the self-perception of smartphone online addiction. Differences between participants of different education levels, age groups and gender in binary smartphone addiction variables were also revealed.