# Does FOMO cause phone addiction? What the new study found

> An anxious personality didn't doom anyone to problem phone use in this study, and the headlines about memory and balance came from somewhere other than the data.

Source: https://ivehadit.app/blog/does-fomo-cause-phone-addiction · Research · Published: 2026-10-31

You put the phone face down, and a minute later it's back in your hand "just to check." So does FOMO cause phone addiction, or is that just your personality? A new study of 225 university students can't prove cause, but it found that fear of missing out was the strongest predictor of problematic phone use, ahead of low self-control and ahead of an anxious temperament.

That's the hopeful part. Being prone to worry didn't predict problem use on its own. The link ran entirely through FOMO and self-control, and both of those can shift. The less hopeful part is the coverage: this month's headlines about scrolling hurting memory and balance cite this paper, and the paper tests neither.

## What the Semmelweis study actually measured

Researchers at Semmelweis University in Budapest surveyed Hungarian university students between April and July 2024. Of 324 people who started, 225 were kept after data cleaning. They were aged 18 to 34, with an average age of 22.5, and 61.3% were women. The paper appeared in [Acta Psychologica](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825009217) in October 2025 and is open access.

- A 10-item smartphone addiction questionnaire (short version), which the authors use to measure problematic phone use
- A 10-item fear of missing out scale
- A 13-item self-control scale
- A personality questionnaire for neuroticism, the trait of being prone to worry and stress
- A sleep quality questionnaire
- Daily phone time, estimated by the students themselves

Everything came from questionnaires, filled in once. That matters later. It's also a small convenience sample of students from one country, so read the results as a sketch of people like them rather than a rule for everyone.

## Students who mostly messaged people had the lowest problem scores

The researchers sorted students by what they mainly used their phones for. "Pure social" users (44 people) mostly messaged others. "Light process" users (102) did a mix. "Heavy process" users (79) mostly consumed content, the feeds and videos.

**8.2 hours**: Average daily phone time reported by heavy content consumers, about 35% of the sample. Messaging-focused users reported 5.8 hours. ([Takács & Seregély, Acta Psychologica](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825009217))

Problem-use scores followed the same order: 19.3 for messagers, 21.1 for light users and 26.7 for heavy users. Heavy users scored higher than both other groups, while messagers and light users didn't differ. FOMO climbed the same way, from 19.2 to 21.1 to 24.2.

One detail I like: light users reported 5.5 hours a day, slightly less than the messagers, and still scored no better. (The press release says light users spent "less than four to five hours," but the paper's own table says 5.5.) What you do on the phone seems to matter at least as much as the clock.

## Does FOMO cause phone addiction? It predicted problem use better than personality did

In the statistical model, FOMO had the strongest link to problem use (β = 0.353), followed by low self-control (β = −0.260) and then neuroticism (β = 0.180), according to the [paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825009217). The more someone worried about missing out, the higher their score, and that pull was stronger than either of the other two.

If you've ever thought "I'm just an anxious person, so of course I'm glued to this," here is the result worth keeping. FOMO and self-control fully accounted for the link between neuroticism and problem use. Neuroticism also didn't differ between the three user groups. An anxious temperament only mattered to the extent that it came with more FOMO and less self-control.

### The at-risk students didn't spend more hours on their phones

The authors also grouped students by personality profile. The cluster with higher neuroticism, higher FOMO and lower self-control slept worse and included more poor sleepers. Their phone time, though, "did not reveal a significant difference" from the others. The risk showed up in why and how they used the phone, with hours playing a smaller part.

## The memory and text neck headlines aren't in the paper

[ScienceDaily](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261011211611.htm) ran this study under "Scientists find a hidden problem with endless smartphone scrolling," repeating a [Semmelweis press release](https://semmelweis.hu/english/2026/01/hungarian-study-offers-new-insights-into-the-reasons-behind-smartphone-addiction/) that says cognitive tests showed heavy users did worse on memory and attention, and quotes researcher Beáta Seregély saying "text neck" can lead to balance problems. Here is what the paper itself contains.

- No memory tests, attention tests, posture measurements or balance tests appear in the methods.
- The only neck-related item is one question in the addiction survey about wrist or neck pain while using the phone.
- The balance line is a researcher's comment in the press release, not a finding.
- The data are cross-sectional and self-reported, so the study can't show that anything causes anything.

The team may have tested memory in a separate project. If so, those results aren't part of this paper, and I'd wait to read them. To its credit, ScienceDaily did note that the results "do not establish that scrolling directly causes" the differences in thinking skills. If memory is your worry, I looked at [what studies on short videos and memory](https://ivehadit.app/blog/do-short-videos-affect-memory-study) actually show.

### Nobody knows yet which way the arrow points

A single snapshot can't tell you whether FOMO drives scrolling, scrolling feeds FOMO, or both. The authors say this themselves. They call for longitudinal studies and admit that treating FOMO as a fixed trait inside their model is conceptually tricky.

## What helps when FOMO keeps pulling you back

Low self-control is part of the pattern, so advice that amounts to "try harder" fits badly. Most of what follows changes your setup, so the decision is made before the urge arrives.

1. Check why you unlock: For two days, note each time whether you picked up the phone to talk to someone or to consume something.
2. Cut the notifications you don't need: Start with social media and messaging alerts that aren't from people you'd actually reply to.
3. Let limits do the controlling: Put time limits or blocks on the feeds so you aren't negotiating with yourself at 11 p.m.
4. Schedule your check-ins: Pick two set times a day for social apps, so the fear of missing something gets an answer other than right now.
5. Swap the feed for people: Text three to five friends this week and notice which conversations keep going.
6. Keep the phone out of bed: Charge it outside the bedroom and stop using it an hour before sleep.

Cutting notifications, setting social media limits and avoiding the phone before bed are the researchers' own suggestions in the [press release](https://semmelweis.hu/english/2026/01/hungarian-study-offers-new-insights-into-the-reasons-behind-smartphone-addiction/). The unlock check and blocking feeds while keeping messages are my reading of the finding that messaging-focused use scored lowest, and scheduled check-ins are my idea too, so treat those as sensible guesses rather than tested results. For more setups, see [these fixes that don't require deleting apps](https://ivehadit.app/blog/use-phone-less-without-deleting-apps) and [how to stop scrolling in bed](https://ivehadit.app/blog/stop-scrolling-in-bed-at-night).

The texting tip comes from researchers John Torous and Irwin, who told [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/29/how-leaving-social-media-actually-increased-my-social-activity.html) that stepping back from social media can increase real contact for some people, and that existing relationships tend to carry over. If FOMO comes with anxiety or low mood that doesn't lift, talk to a professional. The study's authors point to behavioural training and psychological support.

> **A fair word on text neck** Holding your phone nearer eye level and getting up to move are reasonable comfort habits, and the researchers recommend both. Just don't read them as protection against balance problems, because this study never measured balance or posture.

## A full social media quit has a weaker case than targeted limits

A meta-analysis of studies where adults were made to stop using social media found no significant gain in positive mood or life satisfaction, as [PsyPost](https://www.psypost.org/taking-a-break-from-social-media-does-not-improve-mental-health-mass-data-review/) reported. The authors note that a forced break may feel different from one you choose.

More targeted approaches look better so far. One two-week experiment with 467 adults that blocked mobile internet reported improvements in attention, sleep, mood and anxiety, according to [ConsumerAffairs](https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/a-two-week-social-media-break-may-help-reverse-years-of-brain-rot-study-finds-052226.html), and some people improved without following the rules perfectly. It's a single trial, so I'd call it promising. Torous and Irwin also point out that you don't have to quit completely to cut back.

If the feed is the part that hooks you, I built I've had it to close social media feeds in your browser and leave the rest of the internet open. It's one way to handle step three without leaning on willpower. ([How it works](https://ivehadit.app/start))

- In 225 Hungarian students, FOMO was the strongest predictor of problematic phone use, ahead of low self-control and neuroticism.
- An anxious personality only mattered through FOMO and self-control, and both can change.
- Students who mostly consumed content scored highest on problem use, while those who mostly messaged people scored lowest.
- The at-risk group slept worse but didn't report more phone hours.
- The paper has no memory, attention, posture or balance tests, and it can't show cause.

## Questions people ask

### Does FOMO cause phone addiction, or does phone use cause FOMO?

Nobody knows yet. The Semmelweis study found FOMO was the strongest predictor of problematic phone use, but it was a one-time survey, so the authors themselves say longitudinal research is needed to tell which comes first.

### Am I addicted to my phone because I'm an anxious person?

Not necessarily. In this study, neuroticism didn't differ between user groups, and its link to problem use ran entirely through FOMO and low self-control, which are things you can work on.

### Is messaging as bad as scrolling?

In this study it looked better. Students who mainly used their phones to message people had the lowest problem-use scores, while those who mostly consumed content had the highest.

### Does scrolling damage your memory or balance?

The study behind those headlines didn't test memory, attention, posture or balance. The text neck claim was a researcher's comment in a press release, so there's no evidence from this paper either way.

### Is phone addiction about how many hours I spend on my phone?

Hours were only part of it. The students most at risk (high FOMO, low self-control) didn't report more phone time than others, though they did sleep worse.

## Sources

1. [Parallel mediation of FoMO and self-control on the relationship between problematic smartphone use and neuroticism, at-risk group's characteristics among young adults](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825009217), Acta Psychologica, 2025-09-23
2. [Hungarian study offers new insights into the reasons behind smartphone addiction](https://semmelweis.hu/english/2026/01/hungarian-study-offers-new-insights-into-the-reasons-behind-smartphone-addiction/), Semmelweis University, 2026-01-21
3. [Scientists find a hidden problem with endless smartphone scrolling](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261011211611.htm), ScienceDaily, 2026-10-12
4. [Taking a break from social media does not improve mental health, mass data review finds](https://www.psypost.org/taking-a-break-from-social-media-does-not-improve-mental-health-mass-data-review/), PsyPost, 2026-05-06
5. [A two-week social media break may help reverse years of 'brain rot,' study finds](https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/a-two-week-social-media-break-may-help-reverse-years-of-brain-rot-study-finds-052226.html), ConsumerAffairs, 2026-05-22
6. [Whenever I leave social media, I hear from friends and family more often](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/29/how-leaving-social-media-actually-increased-my-social-activity.html), CNBC, 2026-04-29