A Mixed-Methods Investigation of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Adolescents’ Internet and Smartphone Use: Exploring the Underlying Mechanism

Abstract

The present mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness based intervention (MBI) on internet and smartphone use in adolescents. Using follow-up focus group interviews, the study explored the underlying mechanisms of how students perceived MBI influenced their usage. The study also tested on an integrative framework for mindfulness-based mechanisms to reduce problematic smartphone and internet use. Sixty two participants were 10th grade students in Türkiye. Outcomes were collected using psychometric scales, pre-post, from participants in an eight-session MBI (n = 31) and compared to controls (n = 31). Qualitative data were also collected from participants in the MBI group. The quantitative findings revealed that there was a reduction in internet addiction, problematic internet use, and smartphone addiction reported from participants pre-post in the MBI group, relative to controls. The qualitative findings revealed four primary themes: awareness, self-control, emotion regulation, and nomophobia. Overall, the results demonstrated that MBI was associated with reduction in smartphone and internet use. A revised theoretical framework to explain how MBIs lessen problematic internet and smartphone use was proposed.