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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Beyond the screen: Evaluating the causes and consequences of digital overuse in student life
D. Eswar Tony, S. Chamanthi, N. Vennela, G. Santosh Kumar, P. Divya, Rama Rao Nadendla
Year : 2026 | Volume: 11 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 70-77
Received on: 26/12/2025
Revised on: 17/01/2026
Accepted on: 15/02/2026
Published on: 01/03/2026
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D. Eswar Tony, S. Chamanthi, N. Vennela, G. Santosh Kumar, P. Divya, Rama Rao Nadendla( 2026).
Beyond the screen: Evaluating the causes and consequences of digital overuse in student life
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 11( 2), 70-77.
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Abstract
The increasing integration of digital technologies into daily life has significantly altered student behavior, giving rise to concerns about screen time addiction. This review article presents findings from a survey conducted among 1,200 students to assess patterns, causes, and consequences of excessive screen use. Results show that 70.8% of students primarily use digital devices for social media, followed by 25% for entertainment, 2.5% for academic purposes, and 0.8% each for gaming and online shopping. Device preference patterns revealed that 52% regularly use smartphones, 20.3% laptops, 15.5% TV or gaming consoles, and 12.3% smartwatches. Daily screen time was reported as 4–6 hours by 56.3% of students, 6–8 hours by 19.4%, 2-4 hours by 16.2%, over 8 hours by 4.2%, and less than 2 hours by only 4%. Notably, 70.4% of respondents often felt anxious or restless without digital access, while 17.7% experienced it sometimes, 7.7% always, and 3.5% never. Despite awareness of the problem, 61.8% had unsuccessfully tried to reduce screen time. Alarmingly, 80.7% admitted to staying up late daily due to device use. Additionally, 65% of students reported difficulty concentrating without checking their phones, 84.5% used screens during meals or social settings, and 73.3% experienced sleep disturbances. Other reported health issues included eye strain (8.6%), neck/back pain (3.5%), and anxiety or irritability (3.3%). Most students (63.6%) slept for 4-6 hours, 32.3% for 6–8 hours, 2.2% for over 8 hours, and 2% for 4 hours or less. Alarmingly, 85.5% were unaware of the term "screen time addiction," and 96.9% did not consider it a serious issue. These findings highlight a significant behavioral health challenge in student communities, emphasizing the need for awareness campaigns, digital hygiene education, and institutional interventions to promote healthier screen habits.
Keywords
Screen time addition, Digital Device Usage, Student lifestyle, Social media dependence, Sleep disturbance.
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
