A comparative study of national, gender, and academic differences in smartphone addiction among students from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE

Authors: Shatha Abdulbaki ¹, Hajer Harrathi ², Mohamad A. Khasawneh ³, Mohammad A. Tashtoush ^{2, 4,} *

Affiliations:

¹Faculty of Educational and Psychological Sciences, Amman Arab University, Amman, Jordan
²Faculty of Education and Arts, Sohar University, Sohar, Oman
³Special Education Department, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
⁴Department of Basic Sciences, AL-Huson University College, AL-Balqa Applied University, Salt, Jordan

Abstract

This study presents a cross-cultural comparison of smartphone addiction among university students in four Arab countries: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Oman. It extends previous work by examining differences in addiction levels based on nationality, gender, and academic discipline. Data were collected from 513 students using the Smartphone Addiction Scale. Results confirm previously observed trends and reveal significant differences across the four countries, with Jordanian students reporting the highest levels of smartphone use, followed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman. The findings underscore the importance of cultural and demographic factors in understanding smartphone addiction and suggest the need for context-specific strategies to address this growing issue.

Keywords

Smartphone addiction, Cross-cultural study, Arab countries, Student behavior, Prevalence differences

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.08.010

Citation (APA)

Abdulbaki, S., Harrathi, H., Khasawneh, M. A., & Tashtoush, M. A. (2025). A comparative study of national, gender, and academic differences in smartphone addiction among students from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(8), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.08.010