Abstract
Objective: Verify the effects of mobile phone interference on memory and attention in university students and determinant characteristics of smartphone dependence. Methods: This is an observational and cross-sectional study, in which 235 academics from a public university, of both sexes, aged between 18 to 39 years, who completed a socio-demographic form and a smartphone dependency scale. The volunteers considered “dependent” were divided into three groups: sight telephone; somesthetic telephone and phone out of sight. They underwent a memory and attention tests. Results: No memory or attention differences were observed on this study in the three experimental conditions. The prevalence of dependence was 62.55% in university students, with a greater predominance in women. However, the condition of living "alone" was associated with greater dependency. It was also observed that addiction is more frequent in individuals who don´t work. Conclusion: It is concluded that there´s no deficit for performing activities that involve memory and attention if the telephone is near or far from the student. Nevertheless, the high percentage of university students dependent of the device becomes a public health problem due to the consequences on mental, social or physical health.