The mental health impacts of smartphone and social media use

Information technology (IT) has revolutionised the ways society communicates and interacts, with a rapid escalation since the advent of the Internet. Social media apps in IT devices, most predominantly the smartphone, have become a gateway to social connectedness. Such devices have many benefits, with the potential to improve productivity through calendars, information sharing through emails and messag- ing, entertainment and relaxation through games or social media, and even bargain hunting through online shopping and discount finders (Elhai et al., 2017).