Keywords
Problematic Technology Use
Academic Performance
University Students
Social Media Addiction
Smartphone Addiction
Gaming Disorder
Digital Behavior
Higher Education
Technology Use in Education
How to Cite
Abstract
The widespread use of digital technologies among university students and the importance of ensuring quality education motivated this study, which aimed to determine the relationship between digital technology addiction and academic performance in Sanitary Engineering students at a public university in Cajamarca, Peru. A quantitative study was conducted using a non-experimental, cross-sectional correlational and applied design, with a sample of 110 students selected through simple random sampling (5% margin of error, 95% confidence level). Validated instruments were employed, including a technological addiction questionnaire (excellent reliability, α = 0.93) and academic records from Mathematics courses. Pearson’s chi-square analyses showed that while internet addiction did not exhibit a significant association with academic performance (χ² = 6.870, p = 0.143), addiction to social media (χ² = 13.354, p < 0.05), video games (χ² = 11.235, p < 0.05), and mobile phones (χ² = 14.246, p < 0.05) were negatively and significantly associated with lower academic performance. These findings highlight the need to design differentiated interventions aimed at regulating the use of specific digital technologies within the Peruvian university context.
References
Afrin, S., Rahman, N. A. S., Tabassum, T. T., Abdullah, F., Rahman, I., Simu, S. H., Kumar, L., Noor, K., Vishal, F. N. U. & Poder, V. (2024). The Impact of Internet Addiction on Academic Performance Among Medical Students in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study and the Potential Role of Yoga. Annals of Neurosciences. https://doi.org/10.1177/09727531241235999
Álvarez, M., & Prieto, P. (2023). Presentación del Dossier temático: “La educación superior en la era digital.” Revista Educación Superior y Sociedad (ESS), 35(2), 28-45. https://doi.org/10.54674/ess.v35i2.879
Alhusban, A., Mismar, T., Al Husban, A., & Alzoubi, K. H. (2022). Problematic Social Media Use and Academic Performance among University Students: An Evaluation from The Middle East. The Open Nursing Journal, 16: e187443462207050. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/18744346-v16-e2207050
Alotaibi, M. S., Fox, M., Coman, R., Ratan, Z. A., & Hosseinzadeh, H. (2022). Smartphone Addiction Prevalence and Its Association on Academic Performance, Physical Health, and Mental Well-Being among University Students in Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3710. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063710
Arteaga Araujo, H. J., Quispe Román, N., Sánchez Ríos, K. M., Polin Andrade, J. J., Coronado Fernández, J., & Cjuno, J. (2022). Adicción a redes sociales y procrastinación académica en universitarios de la selva peruana. Revista Eugenio Espejo, 16(3), 4–12. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=572872037002
Aslan, I. & Polat, H. (2024). Investigating social media addiction and impact of social media addiction, loneliness, depression, life satisfaction and problem-solving skills on academic self-efficacy and academic success among university students. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1359691
Ben Hkoma, M., Almaktoof, A., & Rugbani, A. (2025). Between Addiction and Immersion: A Correlational Study of Digital and Academic Behaviour Among Engineering Students. Education Sciences, 15(8), 1037. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15081037
Chen J, Yu Z, Yu Z, Ni R, Zhou J & Qu J (2025) The effects of social media addiction on college students’ psychological anxiety: the mediating role of self-efficacy and coping styles. Frontiersin Psychology, 16:1676899. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1676899
DATAREPORTAL. (2021). Digital 2021: Global Overview Report. Recuperado el 17 de octubre de 2025, de https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021-global-overview-report
Gallego Sánchez, M., Pasapera Salazar, H. J., Frias Novoa, J. J., Aranda Turpo, J., & Palomino Ccasa, J. (2024). Adicción a redes sociales y soledad en universitarios de la Selva Peruana. Revista Científica Pakamuros, 12(3), 88-100. https://doi.org/10.37787/s03fry48
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Qadri, M.A., & Suman, R. (2022). Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustainable Operations and Computers, 3. 275-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004
Hsieh, C.-Y. (2025). The impact of smartphone usage frequency on university students' academic performance: A meta-analysis of moderating factors. Acta Psychologica, 259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105374
Hernández Sampieri, R., Fernández Collado, C., & Baptista Lucio, P. (2006). Metodología de la investigación (4a ed.). McGraw-Hill Interamericana.
Hernandez, R., Fernandez, C., & Baptista, P. (2014). Metodología de la investigación. Mexico: McGraw Hill Interamericana.
International Science Teaching Foundation. (2022). Qué es la educación STEM | Science Teaching. Science Teaching. Recuperado el 21 de octubre de 2025, de https://science-teaching.org/es/educacion-stem/que-es-la-educacion-stem
Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática. (2023). Estadística de las tecnologías de información y comunicación en los hogares [PDF]. Recuperado el 21 de octubre de 2025. https://m.inei.gob.pe/media/MenuRecursivo/boletines/boletin_tics_3t2023.pdf
Lee, S.-H., & Lee, D.-W. (2023). Impact Analysis of Internet Addiction on Students’ Academic Performance. International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication, 15(2), https://www.koreascience.kr/article/JAKO202317758026952.page
Mahmud, S., Jobayer, A. A., Salma, N., Mahmud, A., & Tamanna, T. (2023). Online gaming and its effect on academic performance of Bangladeshi university students: A cross-sectional study. Health Science Reports, 6(12), e1774. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1774
Miauri Aza, D. S., Alfaro Zuñiga, E. F., & Nájar Soto, M. M. (2024). Analysis of techno-dependence in Peruvian university students. Universidad, Ciencia y Tecnología, 28(124), 17-25. https://doi.org/10.47460/uct.v28i124.840
Mosharrafa, R. A., Akther, T., & Siddique, F. K. (2024). Impact of social media usage on academic performance of university students: Mediating role of mental health under a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh. Health Science Reports, 7(1), e1788. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1788
Organización de las Naciones Unidas. (2023). Informe de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible [PDF]. Recuperado el 19 de septiembre de 2025, de https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2023_Spanish.pdf
Raouf, S. Y. A., Gabr, H. M., Al-Wutayd, O., & Al-Batanony, M. A. (2022). Video game disorder and mental wellbeing among university students: a cross-sectional study. The Pan African Medical Journal, 41(89). https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2022.41.89.31322
Real Delor, R. E., Mendoza Melgar, J. G., Gomes da Silva Neto, P., Oliveira Silva Gomes, C. B., Nascimento de Medeiros, G., & Pimenta Cavalcante, L. (2025). Asociación entre la adicción a la tecnología y el rendimiento académico en universitarios latinoamericanos en 2024 [Association between technology addiction and academic performance in Latin American university students in 2024]. Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Medicas (Cordoba, Argentina), 82(3), 570–585. https://doi.org/10.31053/1853.0605.v82.n3.48138
Roque Herrera, Y., Alonso-García, S., Tenelanda López, D. V., & López Núñez, J. A. (2025). Predictive Capacity of Social Media Addiction on Academic Engagement in University Students. Education Sciences, 15(12), 1677. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15121677
Salcedo Aparicio, D. M., Ibarra Peña, K. A., Parra Haro, A. De L. & Orellana Loo, R. S. (2025). Herramientas digitales, una oportunidad en la educación superior: una revisión sistemática. Revista INVECOM, 6(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15400582
Shabani, Z., Haxhija, E., Pjetri, E., Guli, A. (2025). Smartphone Addiction among University Students. The Open Public Health Journal, 18: e18749445414366. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0118749445414366250828054906
Singh, A. & Srivastava, DK (2021). Understanding the Effect of Internet Addiction on Student Academic Engagement. Revista Internacional de Educación en Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (IJICTE), 17(4), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJICTE.20211001.oa11
Tuesta Panduro, J. (2021). Dependencia de los universitarios peruanos a las redes sociales durante la pandemia de la COVID-19. Investigación y Postgrado, 36(1), 131–144. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8035988
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.