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 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.
Passive Scrolling Strains Attention
The findings point to passive content consumption as a particularly concerning behavior. 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. At the same time, prolonged changes in head position may interfere with sensory information that helps the brain coordinate posture and balance.
Building Healthier Phone Habits
The researchers do not recommend banning smartphones or blaming young people for using them. Their findings instead support helping users become more deliberate about when, why, and how they reach for their devices.
Practical steps include silencing unnecessary notifications, especially alerts from social media and messaging apps; setting limits on social media use; avoiding phones before bedtime; exercising regularly; and keeping the screen closer to eye level to reduce strain.
Mental health strategies may be just as important. Behavioral training and psychological support can help young people strengthen self-control and become less anxious about missing social events. As those pressures ease, people who are sensitive, anxious, or prone to stress may be far less likely to develop problematic smartphone habits.
Reference: “Parallel mediation of FoMO and self-control on the relationship between problematic smartphone use and neuroticism, at-risk group’s characteristics among young adults” by Johanna Takács and Beáta Seregély, 23 September 2025, Acta Psychologica.
DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105608
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