New research suggests that loneliness significantly contributes to addictive smartphone use among adolescents, with self-esteem and boredom proneness acting as partial mediators. The findings, published in Psychological Reports, also indicate that a greater need to belong strengthens the relationship between boredom proneness and addictive smartphone use. The study was prompted by growing concerns over digital addiction, a problem recognized by both the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization as a public health issue. With the Internet becoming an integral part of ad…