Unravelling the effect of cell phone reliance on adolescent self-control

This study examines whether cell phones are a plausible source of adolescent behavioral problems by testing whether cell phone reliance is associated with adolescent self-control. We estimate two-level random effects regression models using three waves of the Korean Children Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) data. The results revealed that cell phone reliance might have a contemporaneous negative effect on the level of adolescent self-control, but it has no long-term association with self-control. Concerns about the long-term effects of excessive cell phone use on adolescent self-control may be overstated, and any effect of cell phone reliance may be transient.