Young Women More Affected By Smartphones? Utah Counselor Says Yes

A new study shows gender is a large factor in excessive and problematic smartphone use.

One Southern Utah marriage and family therapist agrees.

The study presented at the European Psychiatric Association Congress 2025 showed that young females are more likely to experience high social anxiety.

And another finding revealed gender is tied to the amount of time spent using smartphones and the fear of being judged negatively by others online.

The study was comprised of 400 young adults. The lead investigator said the results point to a significant difference between genders, with females more likely to face mental health issues while using smartphones.

Other findings:

Gender accounts for significant differences in the mediating factors (time of use per day, Mental Health Continuum Scale (MHC), Assessing Emotions Scale (AES), Fear of Negative Perception Questionnaire (FNPQ)), that affect problematic smartphone use

Young females experience higher fear of negative perception online

Gender is significantly related to the time spent with smartphones, with higher use in young females than other genders

"Women tend to be seeking acceptance through social media," said local therapist Kody Baxter of S and S Counseling. "They're using that social media as more of a measuring stick for themselves. For men, it tends to be other issues. Pornography, for one."

As reported in News-medical.net, more work is needed to understand the study's findings: "It is important that these areas are further researched so we can work to build our understanding of these behavior differences between genders and what methods need to be put in place to support these individuals."