Table 3 Findings on influences of MTSD use

Device performance and internet availability

“When I go home, there is no internet so I don’t really use it [tablet]. So if I’m bored I will play like the offline games, but I don’t play for very long, maybe half an hour.” (A6)

“Because my school doesn’t have a wireless Wi-Fi, so I have to use my own data to go to social networks. I like to go to Instagram but Instagram really takes up a lot of data so I can’t go much.” (A8)

Multiple functions and activities

“I can use my phone to do a lot of things. I mainly use my phone to watch YouTube and use WhatsApp...it’s convenient cause it’s nice for watching. When I need to check something else I can Google and WhatsApp… and [go] back and forth between them.” (A35)

Entertainment or relaxation

“… when parents ordering the food [in restaurant], I will play [phone] for a while [be]cause I’m bored. When the food come already, I won’t [use], I will keep [it].” (A27)

“When I do homework after one hour I will watch one short video, then I go back to work…[be]cause sometimes when I do my work [homework], I will get very bored you know.” (A20)

“I will go do my work [homework]. Then after a while, I will come out and use my phone again… then I go and do my work. When cannot take it already, then I use my phone again… I will use it to SMS, then afterwards I will use it to look at Twitter, Instagram.” (A17)

Irresistibility of MTSDs

“My pants [have] almost all no pocket[s]. So I have to hold my phone in my hand…hold[ing] in your hand has [created] temptation to keep using [the] phone.” (A1)

“Sometimes people will spam me [with] messages, so I have no choice but to reply them until I feel tired…” (A11)

“I’ll just check my phone when messages come. Check [phone] already, then won’t be distracted as much, phone makes you know what is happening around [in] the group chat.” (A1)

“I usually use WhatsApp or that kind of group chat...because I don’t want to be like left out in a way. I want to know what’s going on, [so] I’ll just look.” (A28)

“When I’m doing homework, the phone can be distracting [be]cause usually in group chats, they [friends] will usually message us, and you will always see the messages popping out.” (A8)

“He always finds [a] reason to use [phone]. He will ask for permission in between his homework [to use]… he got a lot of reasons.” (P29)

Lack of self-control

“I’ll take and just play every day, busy playing until almost forget homework.” (A36)

“Sometimes I overstretch what I should be doing, for example I accidentally spent 1 or 2 h on the phone when I should be doing my homework… basically is when I get into the chain of watching YouTube videos, or when reading this [online] book [be]cause the book is very long.” (A25)

“There’s this particular blog right, I watch most of their videos. I find it very nice, so I watch it over and over again or find more of these videos [be]cause they seem interesting…then I cannot stop, so I keep on using.” (A34)

Schedule differences affect the amount of time available to use MTSDs

“During weekend, if I need to wake up early the next day, I will just sleep at 11. But if don’t have to, we can stay up until like maybe 12 or 1 then we sleep. So, I use my phone until then… also depends on if I’ve a lot of homework [to do] or not.” (A30)

High use among peers and family members, and for school related matters

“Sometimes like when my parent’s friends come to play with us, their kids right, we all play Minecraft together [on tablet or phone] for quite long, sometimes from 12 am to 3 am.” (A15)

“We have like WhatsApp groups for the class to update us about the next day school or homework and stuff. Sometimes the teacher will post the homework online for us to do, and sometimes we also have to do to hand it up online, so I will [have to] use the phone.” (A21)

Control measures by the school and parents/caregivers

“School only allow [us] to use phone during recess in the canteen…outside canteen, we cannot use.” (A11)

“Can only use [phone] before school, during recess and after school. If you are found using [phone] during lessons, it will just get confiscated.” (A4)

“There are a few restrictions [from parents] like you can’t download anything, and if we like break the time limit, then we might have to…I don’t know…maybe face consequences like get scolded or something.” (A14)

Non-compliance with parental control measures

“During night time when I sleep, he hides inside the room. He locks the door, I also don’t know if he uses phone or not.” (P4)

“She will purposely hide the fact that she is using her phone. Now I think she can’t be bothered because now when I’m at home, she will just use it in front of me. I tried to tell her not to use your phone for like Facebook or Instagram, they are just to trap people but she never listens.” (P8)

“Our phone has got password. So sometimes if I happen to use it and then I didn’t lock it, and [when] I put it down and he sees it, he will grab it and run away [with it] and hope you don’t notice.” (P5)

“I told them, that’s why I told them. But you know right, when you don’t see them, even when you see them, if they are doing that [using tablet or phone] so often, I myself am sick of telling them [not to use].” (P19)

“When I saw that they are sticking to the discipline, then I stop the policing [of their phone use]. But after that I noticed they are not really obeying to our rule already, they slowly slipped back to their old habit.” (P34)

“The father has set up some rules for them, but I [am] hardly at home, so I seldom see whether they do [follow] it or not… he said that there’s a schedule for them [to use phone], when to when, what time to what time, but I really don’t know whether they practice it or not.” (P15–16)

“My mum is constantly working so she is mostly not at home. So, I just keep using [phone]. No one to control me.” (A4)