According to research by Semmelweis University, excessive mobile phone use, which is typical among younger age groups, has a demonstrable negative impact on health. It is not the amount of time spent on the phone that is the biggest problem, but how and for what purpose the phone is used. Semmelweis University (SE) reports on the recent research by Johanna Takács and Beáta Seregély, published in Acta Psychologica.
The youngest alpha generation, just entering adolescence, was practically born with a cell phone in their hands, while the earlier Z generation—which includes most of the age group under study—grew up with cell phones and social media, and
for them, the digital and physical worlds are almost indistinguishable.
However, this phenomenon, which is mainly observed among older generations, has received relatively little scientific research. According to surveys, Generation Z spends an average of 6-9 hours a day in front of a screen, most of it on mobile phones. This is confirmed by the well-known fact that around 60 percent of websites are viewed on smartphones – you may well be reading this on one yourself.
The problem also poses a challenge for psychologists.
Semmelweis University studied university students aged 18-35 to determine how smartphone use affects their mental and physical health and intellectual performance. The online questionnaires asked whether they had neglected their tasks because of their mobile phone use, how long they used their mobile phones each day, what activities they used them for, and whether they thought about their mobile phones even when they had other things to do. The young people’s personalities and mental states were also examined, including neuroticism, a personality trait related to emotional stability, which refers to a tendency to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, fear, and anger; as well as their level of self-control and their fear of missing out on something their peers are involved in.
The researchers identified three groups based on usage habits:
- Purely social mobile users – they only use their phones for social purposes, to keep in touch with acquaintances and friends, and to build community relationships.
- Moderate process users – they also use their phones for news consumption, entertainment, and „passive scrolling” for less than 4-5 hours a day.
- Heavy users – spend 4-5 hours or more a day on their phones, typically not for communication but for content consumption (one-third of participants belonged to this group).
An important finding of the study is that personality traits (high neuroticism) alone do not make anyone addicted to their phone. „The decisive factor is how well they can control their behavior, emotions, and impulses, and how much they fear missing out on something,” quotes SE’s press release, Johanna Takács, senior research fellow at the Faculty of Health Sciences and head of the research.
According to the researchers, the biggest problem is not the amount of time we spend on mobile phones, but what we use our phones for and how we use them. When someone passively surfs social media, watches short videos, news, and reels, the brain is exposed to constant, rapid stimuli that exhaust attention, impair concentration, and can lead to long-term mental strain.
The „highly process-oriented” group 3
performed worse than expected for their age in attention and memory tasks,
but they also slept worse and had a stronger desire for constant new stimuli, and were less able to stop themselves when they wanted to watch, do, or experience something.
The time spent on mobile phones was mainly evident in its effect on physical health. According to Beáta Seregély, assistant professor and expert in physical measurements for the study,
„text neck,” i.e., the forward-tilted, downward head posture held in front of us while staring at our mobile phones, can be a source of serious damage:
premature wear and tear of the neck joints, painful, permanent poor posture, and balance problems.
The researchers have also proposed solutions, the essence of which is, of course, to use mobile phones less. However, they believe that
taking away young people’s phones or punishing them is not the answer—what is needed is help in using smartphones consciously.
This can be achieved by setting reasonable message notifications, time limits for browsing, phone-free time before bedtime, and exercising more and practicing good posture. In terms of mental health, young people must develop self-control and reduce their FOMO (fear of missing out). This requires behavioral training and psychological support.
Lead image: Pexels
Original Hungarian article translated with the help of DeepL.
