Despite the increasing popularity of smartphones in our daily lives, their usage among college students has been broadly discouraged because ample studies demonstrate that this usage has a strongly negative impact on academic performance. This study strives to revisit this relationship by scrutinizing the distinctions among mobile applications. Based on a survey of more than 10,000 college students, our study offers robust evidence that, if used appropriately, smartphones can motivate better academic performance. Specifically, based on activity theory and psychological trait theories, we quantify the impacts of using six different mobile applications on students’ academic performance and detect their indirect impacts mediated by both nomophobia (the fear of being unavailable to mobile phones) and behavioral habits. Two kinds of poor sleep habits are investigated: late sleep and insomnia. Our results reveal positive, direct impacts of using mobile learning and news applications on academic performance and adverse effects of playing mobile games, as well as using social media, music and video, and entertainment book-reading applications. Notably, the use of mobile learning applications does not contribute to nomophobia. However, the other five types of mobile applications — social media, mobile games, music and video, entertainment book reading, and news — do.

尽管智能手机在我们的日常生活中越来越流行，但由于在大量研究中表明这种使用对学习成绩产生了严重的负面影响，因此在大学生中广泛禁止使用智能手机。本研究通过仔细研究移动应用程序之间的区别，努力重新审视这种关系。根据对10,000多名大学生的调查，我们的研究提供了有力的证据，表明，如果使用得当，智能手机可以激发更好的学习成绩。具体而言，基于活动理论和心理特征理论，我们量化了使用六种不同的移动应用程序对学生学习成绩的影响，并检测了由恐惧症（担心无法使用手机）和行为习惯介导的间接影响。调查了两种不良的睡眠习惯：延迟睡眠和失眠。我们的结果揭示了使用移动学习和新闻应用程序对学习成绩的正面，直接影响，以及玩移动游戏的不利影响，以及使用社交媒体，音乐和视频以及娱乐阅读书籍的应用程序。值得注意的是，使用移动学习应用程序不会导致恐惧症。但是，其他五类移动应用程序（社交媒体，移动游戏，音乐和视频，娱乐书籍阅读和新闻）也可以。使用移动学习应用程序不会助长恐惧症。但是，其他五类移动应用程序（社交媒体，移动游戏，音乐和视频，娱乐书籍阅读和新闻）也可以。使用移动学习应用程序不会助长恐惧症。但是，其他五类移动应用程序（社交媒体，移动游戏，音乐和视频，娱乐书籍阅读和新闻）也可以。