2026-10-15T08:23:44Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32019825 2026-07-28T10:33:14Z category_30409 category_30364 portal_845 item_type_3 month_year_07_2026

ResearchBox 3502, 'Multifacted Nudge-Based Intervention on Smartphone Use', https://researchbox.org/3502 K TENNAKOON APPUHAMILLAGE SANDEESHWARA KASTURIRATNA (SMU) (17068741) Social psychology Health psychology Smartphone use screentime Nudge-based intervention Digital wellbeing Problematic smartphone use multilevel modelling approach checking behaviours Social media -- Psychological aspects Stress (Psychology) Anxiety behavioural interventions using <p dir="ltr">The widespread use of smartphones has raised concerns about problematic usage behaviours, including excessive screentime and frequent phone checking, which can disrupt daily functioning. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted nudge-based intervention in reducing smartphone use through subtle changes to smartphone settings. The intervention incorporated adjustments such as disabling Face/Touch ID, setting longer passwords, switching to greyscale mode, and removing social media apps from the home screen. A randomised within-subject cross-over trial with counterbalancing was conducted over a two-week period using a daily diary approach paired with objective smartphone usage data to track the impact of these interventions on both smartphone screentime and checking behaviour. Multilevel modelling on 163 young adults with 1,508 observations indicated that the intervention significantly reduced both screentime and checking frequency compared to the control condition. However, participants reported higher levels of stress during the intervention, potentially due to the frustration of partial restrictions without full disengagement from their smartphones. These findings highlight not only the potential of multifaceted nudges to reduce smartphone use but also the importance of carefully selecting and combining strategies to avoid unintended stress. This study provides a practical, cost-free, and scalable foundation for refining smartphone interventions, contributing to the growing body of research on nudge-based strategies to promote healthier phone habits.</p> 2026-07-28T10:33:14Z Dataset Dataset 10.5281/zenodo.15040835 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/ResearchBox_3502_Multifacted_Nudge-Based_Intervention_on_Smartphone_Use_https_researchbox_org_3502/32019825 CC BY 4.0