Technology dependence and study habits among Latin American university students: a systematic review

Dependencia tecnológica y hábitos de estudio en universitarios latinoamericanos: revisión sistemática

Abstract

Digital ubiquity in Latin American universities has blurred the boundary between instrumental screen use and behavioral dependence. Its implications for self-regulated learning remain, however, insufficiently systematized. To clarify this intersection, the empirical evidence, linking technological dependence and study habits among university students in the región, was examined. Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, the scientific production, indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and Redalyc for the five-year period 2021–2025, was screened. Fourteen primary studies, mostly correlational in design, met the eligibility and extraction criteria. A dual mechanism of impact emerges from the analyzed corpus. Along one pathway, academic procrastination and fragmented attention erode working memory resources. Along a parallel pathway, self-perceived digital competence buffers the effects of technostress. The most consistent pattern associates heightened dependence with lower self-efficacy and greater emotional exhaustion. The cross-sectional nature of the data precludes firm causal inferences. Nevertheless, the assembled evidence urges a shift from device-restriction policies toward interventions focused on metacognitive self-regulation within hyperconnected environments.