Teenage Cell Phone Addiction Earns Ames High Student First Place Prize

From Ames Schools

Rachel Kim's curiousity about teen age cell phone addiction led to a first place award in the 2013 State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa held April 5.

Kim, 15, an Ames High School sophomore spent months researching the subject because she was so personally motivated to learn the factors predicting cell phone addiction among her peers in the United States and South Korea.

Kim’s project, “Comparative Study on Cell Phone Addiction Among Adolescents in the United States and South Korea: Factors Predicting Cell Phone Addiction,” won first place in the Behavioral & Social Sciences category and earned the title of Public Reserve Champion Biological Sciences, along with a $1,000 scholarship and a chance to participate in the Intel^® International Science and Engineering Fair^® 2013, in Phoenix, Ariz., May 12-17, 2013.

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Kim said in a press release, “I still can't believe that I have received the honor to attend a science fair at such an elite scale. With more than 1,500 high school students representing more than 70 countries, I’m more than thrilled to have the opportunity to build great relationships with peers who share similar aspirations and pursuits as me. I’m also very excited to receive inspiration from the numerous Nobel Prize laureates who will be attending the event and to receive helpful comments from a very selective group of judges.”

Kim said she considered her chances for winning the award “minimal” as an underclassman without a professional mentor.

“I had to do a lot of self-studying, analyzing research papers about other technological addictions, such as TV and video game addictions, since the cell phone is a relatively new addition to technology,” she said. “Despite such hindrances, this award has once again reminded me that simple inspirations and ideas can develop to become something monumental.”

Kim said her research found that adolescents in the United States have a higher level of cell phone addiction than South Korean adolescents, although South Korean adolescents spend more time on their phones than adolescents in the United States. She said previous studies on technological addictions such as Internet and video game addictions showed high impulsiveness and low self-esteem were significant factors in predicting addictive behavior. Her research found that impulsiveness is a significant factor in predicting cell phone addictions in adolescents in both the United States and South Korea. In Kim’s findings, low self-esteem was a factor predicting cell phone addiction only among adolescents in the United States, however.

“This suggests that psychological traits such as low self-esteem may have a heavier influence on cell phone addiction than physical behaviors,” she said.

Kim said she hopes her research will eventually raise awareness and promote prevention of the potential negative consequences of cell phone addiction.

Science teacher DeAnna Tibben said all the participating students benefitted from projects that engaged them in high-level science learning and gave them experience in research and grant-writing protocols.

“These students represent the next generation of great thinkers, researchers and developers of ideas and products that will enrich our lives,” Tibben said.

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