How people use their smartphones may matter as much as how long they use them. Habitually swiping through short videos and social media posts is linked to weaker concentration and memory and poorer sleep quality, according to a new study.
A research team at Semmelweis University in Hungary published the findings in the latest issue of the journal Acta Psychologica, analyzing the relationship between problematic smartphone use and cognitive and physical health, medical sources said on the 14th.
The researchers examined smartphone use among young adults aged 18 to 35 and sorted users into three groups: a "purely social" type who mainly communicate with people they know, a "light process" type who use various functions for less than four to five hours a day, and a "heavy process" type who spend more than four to five hours a day searching for information and consuming content.
The heavy process group accounted for about one-third of all those surveyed. The team looked at how their habits affected cognitive function and physical health.
The researchers focused in particular on passive scrolling — the habit of endlessly swiping through short videos and social media posts. Consuming stimulating content in succession can disrupt sustained attention and increase mental fatigue, they said.
In cognitive tests, heavy process users showed memory and attention scores below the average for their age group. They also tended to have poorer sleep quality and more difficulty controlling impulses.
Smartphone habits were also linked to physical balance. Keeping the head tilted forward to look at a screen — a posture known as "text neck" — can place growing strain on the muscles and joints around the neck.
Sensory receptors that detect the position of the head are distributed around the neck. If poor posture continues over a long period, it can also hurt the ability to maintain physical balance and slow reaction times, according to the study.
Johanna Takacs, who led the research, stressed that the causes of smartphone overuse should not be sought only in depression or anxiety. A lack of ability to regulate impulses and emotions, as well as the fear of missing out on connections with others, or FOMO, is linked to excessive smartphone use, she said.
The team advised that changing habits matters more than avoiding smartphones altogether. Turning off unnecessary notifications and limiting time spent browsing social media can help curb the reflex to check a screen without thinking, the researchers said.
