Not all Habit is Harm: Social Goals and the Development of Habitual and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescence

Why do we reach for our phones without thinking? When does a phone use habit become a problem—and when might it not? As adolescents navigate a world where peer relationships matter, their phones become tools for connection, status, and belonging.

In this talk, I explore the difference between habitual smartphone use (HSU), like automatically checking notifications, and problematic smartphone use (PSU), when use begins to disrupt daily life. Drawing on data from 1,828 adolescents across British Columbia followed over three years, I examine how teens’ social goals—wanting to be liked or popular—shape these patterns over time.

Together, this work reframes smartphone use as something more than time spent on a screen. It shifts the focus toward phones as tools, where how and why they are used may matter far more than how often.

I’m a second-year MA student in Human Development, Learning, and Culture at UBC. I completed a BA in Psychology and Spanish and spent a year teaching English in Berlin, where noticing how often students turned to their phones sparked my interest in adolescent digital behaviour.

I work in the Developmental Change and Technology Lab under Dr Jennifer Shapka, using CyberTeens longitudinal data to study how adolescents’ social goals shape habitual and problematic smartphone use.

Outside of research, I’ve been an artistic swimmer for over 20 years. It’s shaped how I work: discipline, collaboration, precision, and making the difficult look effortless.