Smartphones and academic performance: evidence from India

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the impact of excessive smartphone use on students’ academic performance. In today’s digitalized world, smartphones have become a vital device in human lives and have taken control over every aspect of day-to-day activities. Design/methodology/approach: After a thorough literature review, the factors associated with smartphone use that impact student performance were identified, and a conceptual framework was developed. Further, a survey was conducted by contacting 264 students pursuing higher education in India to test the model. Structural equation modeling was adopted to test the hypotheses. Findings: Results indicate that there is no direct impact of excessive mobile phone use on student performance. However, it can be observed that excessive mobile phone use impacts student performance indirectly mediated by technoference. Research limitations/implications: This study was conducted among students pursuing higher education in cosmopolitan cities with representation from India. Future studies can test the model among students in tier two cities and rural areas and primary and high school students for more insights. Practical implications: This study has suggestions for college management to promote a hybrid learning model and prohibit using smartphones in classrooms and academic areas. Originality/value: This study is among the earliest to explore the impact of technoference in an academic environment.