Scientists Identify a Smartphone Habit That May Be Worse Than Screen Time

The most harmful smartphone habit may not be spending hours on a device, but repeatedly surrendering attention to an endless stream of content. Research from Semmelweis University suggests that problematic smartphone use is shaped less by personality alone than by weak self-control and a strong fear of missing out (FOMO). The findings also reveal a […].

Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email Reddit Problematic smartphone use may depend less on how long people spend on their devices than on how often attention is pulled into passive, fast-moving content. The findings also reveal a divide between mental and physical effects: how people use their phones appears closely tied to attention and memory, while total screen time is more strongly associated with bodily consequences. Published in Acta Psychologica, the study examined smartphone habits, mental health, physical well-being, and cognitive performance among students ages 18 to 35.

Participants reported how long they actively used their phones each day, what they did on them, whether phone use had disrupted planned tasks, and whether they thought about their devices even when not using them. Researchers also evaluated neuroticism, self-control, and FOMO. Neuroticism describes a tendency to experience emotions such as anxiety, sadness, fear, and anger.

The results suggest that these personality traits may create vulnerability but do not necessarily lead to problematic phone use without difficulty controlling impulses or anxiety about missing social experiences. Three Types of Smartphone Users Participants were divided into three groups according to their habits. “Pure social” users mainly used their phones to communicate, maintain relationships, and form new social connections.

“Light process” users spent less than four to five hours a day checking news, viewing entertainment, using social platforms, and passively scrolling. About one third were classified as “heavy process” users who spent four to five hours or more on their phones each day, primarily consuming content rather than talking with others.

“Our main finding is that personality alone—such as a high level of neuroticism—does not make someone addicted to their phone. People who are more prone to negative emotions like anxiety, depression, or stress do not automatically become addicted.

What really matters is how well they can control their behavior, emotions, and impulses and how strongly they fear missing out,” said Dr. Johanna Takács, senior research fellow at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Semmelweis University and lead researcher of the study.

Johanna Takács, senior research fellow at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Semmelweis University and lead researcher of the study, and Beáta Seregély, assistant lecturer and expert responsible for the physical measurements in the study. Social feeds and short videos deliver a rapid succession of novel stimuli, continually pulling attention from one item to the next.

Prolonged exposure to that pattern may make sustained concentration more difficult and contribute to mental fatigue. On cognitive tests, “heavy process” users performed worse than expected for their age on measures of attention and memory.

They also slept more poorly, sought new stimulation more intensely, and found it harder to resist the urge to check their phones or satisfy an impulse immediately. Time still mattered, but primarily for physical health.

Longer use was associated with posture-related effects that may extend beyond neck discomfort to balance, reaction time, and everyday movement. Because the research identified associations rather than assigning participants to different smartphone habits, it cannot prove that phone use directly caused the observed mental or physical differences.

The results instead highlight patterns that may help identify which behaviors deserve closer attention. How Text Neck Affects the Body “When people hold their phones at waist or chest level and look down at them, the head moves forward, creating a forward head posture, also known as ‘text neck.’ This puts extra strain on the neck and can cause pain or early wear and tear of the neck joints.

The neck contains receptors that tell the brain how the head is positioned. If a forward head posture is maintained for long periods, these signals can change and lead to balance problems.

These effects are not limited to phone use but can also influence everyday movements,” said Beáta Seregély, assistant lecturer and expert responsible for the physical measurements in the study. The head becomes harder for the neck to support as it shifts forward, increasing the load on muscles and joints.