Journal Article

OntoKratos: An Ontology for Problematic Smartphone Use Identification and Intervention Suggestion

Lazarotto Schroeder, Gustavo, Heckler, Wesllei Felipe, Barbosa, Jorge Luis Victória, Francisco, Rosemary

2026

Overview

Smartphone use has increased globally and has become essential in daily life. Although benefits exist, concerns arise about the negative effects of prolonged hyperconnectivity. The excessive use of smartphones combined with demographic and mental health related risk factors can lead to problematic smartphone use (PSU). PSU is characterized as the compulsive use of smartphones that disrupts an individual's daily life, work, and relationships. Considering this scenario, the present paper proposes OntoKratos as an ontology designed to detect and prevent PSU. The ontology enables inferences, such as determining the individual's mental health and PSU state, inferring context information, identifying PSU demographic and emotional risk factors, and suggesting interventions. OntoKratos includes 89 classes, 43 object properties, 35 data properties, and 1,113 axioms. Evaluations performed through a simulated dataset demonstrated the ontology's effectiveness regarding PSU identification and interventions for PSU behaviors. Ontology's rules allowed the definition of accurate axioms, improving the correct classification and inference of eight instantiated individuals. This study presents the first ontology for PSU identification and intervention suggestions on PSU behaviors. OntoKratos allows to identify and assist individuals by considering mental health and PSU status, inferring potential PSU risk factors, and providing tailored intervention suggestions to cope with PSU.