Abstract Most adolescents in the United States have access to a smartphone. The appropriate timing of smartphone acquisition during adolescence has not been empirically determined. The current study included a diverse sample of 686 late adolescent (18–25 years old; n = 352 female) participants who acquired their smartphones in early (15.45%), middle (60.64%), and late (23.91%) adolescence. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine if age of smartphone acquisition was predictive of well-being outcomes in later adolescence. Results indicated that age of smartphone acquisition was largely not predictive of later well-being (i.e., depression, loneliness, life satisfaction, interpersonal communication, cell phone addiction). A qualitative content analysis approach was used to identify the participants’ experiences with smartphone acquisition during adolescence. Three themes were identified: development and growth, parents: gatekeepers to acquisition, and smartphones necessary for adolescent access. Results suggest that parents, maturity, and responsibility may be more important in determining timing of smartphone acquisition, rather than a specific age.

中文翻译：

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“智能手机让我的生活更轻松”：一项关于青少年智能手机获取年龄和幸福感的探索性研究

摘要 美国的大多数青少年都可以使用智能手机。尚未根据经验确定青春期购买智能手机的适当时机。当前的研究包括 686 名青少年晚期（18-25 岁；n = 352 名女性）参与者的不同样本，他们在青春期早期 (15.45%)、中期 (60.64%) 和晚期 (23.91%) 获得了智能手机。多元线性回归模型用于确定智能手机的购买年龄是否可以预测青春期后期的幸福感。结果表明，购买智能手机的年龄在很大程度上不能预测以后的幸福感（即抑郁、孤独、生活满意度、人际交往、手机成瘾）。使用定性内容分析方法来确定参与者在青春期获得智能手机的经历。确定了三个主题：发展和成长、父母：获取的守门人以及青少年访问所需的智能手机。结果表明，父母、成熟度和责任感在决定购买智能手机的时间方面可能比特定年龄更重要。