Table 2 Findings on patterns of MTSD use

(i) High and frequent use, integrated into daily routines with frequent “checking” of device

“From the moment I wake up I will use it to check my messages, and then also [to] check the time, like before I go school, I check how much time [is] left and all. Then I will use my phone in school to check when the next period is, cause I saved my timetable in my phone. Then I use iPhone to communicate with my friends, if I need to find them I will then text them. Then maybe like on the way to school, I will listen to music using my phone, even during my Chinese orchestra practices [school extra-curricular activity]… so basically there’s like a lot of functions for me to use. It’s like every day, every hour [I] definitely will be using it.” (A17)

“Saturday and Sunday I got [have] tuition… I wake up in the morning then after that I use, eat breakfast and use my phone also. Then [when] go tuition, I’ll also use the phone on the bus … After I come back from tuition, I just start doing my homework. Sometimes [when] I’m bored during the middle [of homework], I will also use [phone].” (A24)

“If it’s a weekend, then normally I [will] have time to use [phone]. I’ll probably use my phone before I sleep at maybe like 10 o’clock.” (A25)

“Yeah, just before I sleep I use [phone] in my room because I want to check my WhatsApp. Then after that I sleep.” (A26)

“After school, I go back [home] and open Wi-Fi. Check [if] got any messages, sure [to have] got [messages] after so long. Surely got twitter messages coming. If no messages, I’ll just watch some videos.” (A11)

“After waking up, I’ll check the time again. Then check social media, watch some YouTube videos, [and] read a bit more.” (A25)

“When they come into the house…the first step is they [will] go and on the Wi-Fi. So that means that they want to use it [phone] all the time. And then they will see messages from friends or whatsoever. So this is their lives, part of their lives.” (P18)

(ii) Ubiquitous use

“Use it [phone] anywhere, just bring my cup and use my phone at the same time” (A7)

“…once I reach school, the next time I will be using it [phone] will be [during] lunch...then I will check messages or any others…should be around 5 to 10 min only because the rest of the time I would be talking to my friends and eating.” (A12)

“Wherever she walk her phone must be with her, even [when] go[ing] [to] toilet, [she] also must bring [phone].” (P2)

(iii) Multitasking

“[When] I brush my teeth, the video [on phone] is playing... when I put on the buttons on my school uniform, I will also watch videos [on phone]. Then sometimes when I do homework I also use [phone].” (A30)

“Sometimes I listen to song [on phone] when doing work [homework]. Sometimes if I am not listening to song, I [will] just watch video, put the video [phone] over here…and do work [homework].” (A11)

“...we use Google document to do our project on the computer, but then we [also] use WhatsApp to talk. I don’t know why, WhatsApp is the easiest… For Google document, we just type out whatever we need, but then we [also] use WhatsApp to communicate...” (A17)

“…use my phone and do my homework at the same time…to check for some word meaning that I don’t understand, like go [to] Google and search for the definition of the word.” (A11)