“As Long as You Have Your Smartphone, You’re Connected with Friends”
Lower Secondary Students’ Perceptions of Smartphones’ Role in Social Relationships at School
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21019170 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sonja Hartio (0009-0006-4517-7282, University of Helsinki, corresponding author), Kai Hakkarainen (0000-0003-3507-7537, University of Helsinki), Kalle Juuti (0000-0001-8696-2611, University of Helsinki), Kati Sormunen (0000-0002-0775-7044, University of Helsinki) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Youth & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0044-118X • E-ISSN: 1552-8499 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0044118x261465033 |
| OpenAlex | W7166076696 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 30 |
Smartphones’ role in schools has been widely debated in recent years, and this study foregrounds students’ voices on their role in social processes at school. Data were collected from 58 students in two Finnish lower secondary schools through open-ended questionnaires and focus group interviews and analyzed inductively using qualitative content analysis. The findings emphasize that, according to students, smartphone use plays a central role in forming and maintaining relationships in school. Their influence in face-to-face interaction is ambivalent: while smartphone use can facilitate interaction, their pervasive presence may reduce conversations and expose students to social tensions and loneliness. Students describe smartphones as sources of social support and safety, but also as exposing them to inappropriate content and uncertainty. Overall, peer relationships are strongly mediated through smartphones, reflecting a transformed media ecology and underscoring the need for schools to support face-to-face peer socialization and students’ interpersonal and digital citizenship skills
Focus group · Interpersonal communication · Interpersonal relationship · Perception · Qualitative research · Social media · Social relation · Social relationship · Socialization · Child Development and Digital Technology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Literacy, Media, and Education
Sociodigital Revolution
Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture
The Platform Society
Online Communication Among Adolescents
The qualitative content analysis process
To Ban or Not to Ban? A Rapid Review on the Impact of Smartphone Bans in Schools on Social Well-Being and Academic Performance
Smartphones at School
Smartphones in the Swedish upper-secondary classroom
Technologizing Bronfenbrenner
When do smartphones displace face-to-face interactions and what to do about it
Interest and Self-Sustained Learning as Catalysts of Development
What are parents' and children's co‐constructed views on mobile phone use and policies in school
Smartphone Internet access and use
Defining and measuring youth digital citizenship
The platformization of cultural production
Connecting alone
Disconnect To Reconnect
Sound, Presence, and Power
A Rich Landscape of Affordances
TikTok isn't a Hobby
Attachments or Affiliations? The Impact of Social Media on the Quality of Peer Relationships-A Qualitative Study Among Norwegian High School Students
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |