Uso problemático del móvil y diferencias de género en formación profesional

Smartphone use by young Spanish students has been broadly explored, specifically among university, high school, and primary school students. The goal of this article is to analyze smartphone use, its gender differences, and its relationship with Internet gaming disorder and Internet gambling disorder in vocational education and training (VET) students. A retrospective ex post facto study was carried out in which habitual uses of the mobile phone, experiences related to it, Internet gaming disorder, and online pathological gambling were evaluated. The sample consisted of 1,107 VET students (55.1% male) with a mean age of 18.8 years. Problematic smartphone use was observed in 7.9% of the sample and 28.6% used it with occasional problems. Gender differences were obtained, with a higher presence of problematic use among females. According to the regression analysis, the variables that best differentiated participants who presented problematic smartphone use were using it in class, being female, and being a user of movies and videogames. Between videogames and gambling users, the variable that best differentiated participants who presented problematic smartphone use was videogame use. Although the prevalence of frequent problems with smartphone use is relatively low, the percentage of students at risk must not be disregarded by the educational community. It is recommended to promote the appropriate use of technologies in VET students. The gender differences found in this study should be addressed with special consideration.