Changes in Chinese college students' mobile phone addiction over recent decade: The perspective of cross-temporal meta-analysis

In recent years, with the rapid advancement of Internet technology and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile phones have been used more frequently, the development trend of mobile phone addiction among Chinese college students is a concern to society. This cross-temporal meta-analysis provides compelling evidence of the rising trend of mobile phone addiction in Chinese college students based on data from 42 independent studies (Sample Size = 49,544) over the past decade (2013-2022), and discuss the three important rising periods. Furthermore, extended research has revealed correlated factors of mobile phone addiction among Chinese college students, including gender, anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, well-being, social support, and resilience. Additionally, the study identified the National internet penetration rate and the National GDP index as significant predictors of mobile phone addiction in Chinese college students. These findings not only reveal the changing trends of mobile phone addiction among Chinese college students, but also enrich the understanding of mobile phone addiction among this population and provide a reference for improving mobile phone addiction among in the future.