Loneliness and Smartphone Addiction Among University Students in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

The proliferation of smartphones among Nigerian university students has intensified concerns about compulsive phone use and its psychological antecedents, with loneliness increasingly identified as a key driver of smartphone dependency. This study investigates the relationship between loneliness and smartphone addiction among undergraduate students at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State. A cross-sectional survey is applied to 300 students selected through proportionate stratified sampling across five faculties. The UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) and the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version are administered alongside a questionnaire capturing smartphone usage hours per day, primary usage purpose, and social isolation experiences. Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression are computed in SPSS. Available literature from North Central Nigerian universities identifies social loneliness, rather than emotional loneliness, as the more predictive dimension of compulsive smartphone use, with students living away from home for the first time showing elevated addiction scores. Uses and Gratifications Theory and the Compensatory Internet Use Theory provide the analytical framework. Findings are expected to demonstrate a significant positive association between loneliness and smartphone addiction, with social loneliness as the stronger predictor. Results will support university student welfare services in developing targeted smartphone well-being and social connection programmes. Keywords: loneliness, smartphone addiction, university students, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria.