# How to stop getting distracted by your phone while studying

> A Budapest study of 225 students points at feeds as the bigger problem than texting, and that gives you something concrete to change before your next study session.

Source: https://ivehadit.app/blog/stop-getting-distracted-by-phone-studying · Focus · Published: 2026-10-29

The most practical answer to how to stop getting distracted by your phone while studying is to change the setup around you instead of trying harder: notifications off, feeds closed, phone out of reach, messages still allowed at set times. A new study of 225 university students, reported by [The Star](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/27/think-your-screen-time-is-hurting-memory-and-sleep-a-new-study-says-the-number-of-hours-isnt-the-biggest-factor), found that the students who spent 5+ hours a day mostly scrolling content did worst on memory and attention tests.

So yes, your phone can get in the way of studying, and the kind of use seems to matter. Below is what the study found, where it is weaker than the headlines suggest, and a short list of fixes ordered from easiest to most effort. Nothing here asks you to give your phone up.

## The Semmelweis study sorted 225 students into three kinds of phone user

The study comes from Semmelweis University in Budapest and was published in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Psychologica. The lead researcher is Johanna Takács, a senior research fellow in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Students aged 18 to 34 reported how long they spent on their phones each day, what they used them for, and whether phone use had made them miss things they had planned to do.

Based on their answers, the students fell into three groups:

- **Pure social:** mostly messaging and keeping in touch with people.
- **Light process:** socialising plus news, entertainment and some scrolling, at under about 5 hours a day.
- **Heavy process:** 5+ hours a day, mostly consuming content instead of talking to anyone.

**About 1 in 3**: students in the study were heavy content consumers, using their phones 5+ hours a day mostly for feeds and videos ([The Star (syndicated from Inc.)](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/27/think-your-screen-time-is-hurting-memory-and-sleep-a-new-study-says-the-number-of-hours-isnt-the-biggest-factor))

That heavy group stood out on almost everything. They had the highest levels of problematic phone use and FOMO (fear of missing out), the lowest self-control, worse scores on memory and attention tasks, and poorer self-reported sleep.

The coverage adds that constant short videos and fast feeds may strain attention and add to mental fatigue. More time scrolling was tied more closely to physical effects such as forward head posture and neck strain. The article also mentions possible effects on balance and reaction time, which I haven't been able to confirm in the paper itself, so I'd hold that one loosely.

## The headline says hours matter less, and the design can't quite show that

The news headline says the number of hours "isn't the biggest factor". Look at how the heavy group was defined, though. Its members used their phones for 5+ hours a day and mostly consumed content. Both things are true of the same students, so the study can't tell you which one did the damage.

There are other limits worth knowing before you rearrange your life around it:

- It was a one-time survey, a snapshot. It can show that heavy scrolling and weaker test scores go together, and can't show that one causes the other.
- Phone time was self-reported, and most of us are bad at estimating our own screen time.
- The sample was 225 students from one country. That is small, and university students are not everyone.
- I've read the news coverage, not the full paper, so I can't tell you which memory and attention tests were used or how big the differences were.

So treat it as a signal worth acting on cheaply, not as proof. It fits with what I covered in [is passive scrolling bad for you](https://ivehadit.app/blog/is-passive-scrolling-bad-for-you), where watching and talking to people also looked different.

While we're on shaky numbers: you may have seen a claim that it takes exactly 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption. I couldn't trace it to a clear published finding, so I've left it out. Be wary of anyone quoting it as settled science.

## Why you can't focus on studying because of your phone: self-control and FOMO

The researchers named two factors as most important: weak self-control and FOMO. They specifically played down the idea that some people are simply wired to get hooked.

> Personality alone … does not make someone addicted to their phone.
>
> [Johanna Takács, quoted in The Star](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/27/think-your-screen-time-is-hurting-memory-and-sleep-a-new-study-says-the-number-of-hours-isnt-the-biggest-factor)

That's good news for a student at a desk at 11pm. Both factors can be worked around. If self-control is the weak point, the answer is to need less of it, by making the feed harder to reach than your notes. If FOMO is the pull, the answer is to make sure you won't actually miss anything that matters.

## Phone distraction while studying: fixes in order of effort

Several of these come straight from the researchers' own advice in the coverage. The rest follow from what the study found about feeds, self-control and FOMO.

1. Turn off non-essential notifications: the researchers recommend it, and it takes two minutes in your settings before a study block.
2. Close the feeds and keep the messages: the heavy content group did worst, so feeds are the sensible target while group chats can stay.
3. Limit social apps, not the whole phone: the researchers suggest time limits for social media, which leaves your calculator, timer and messages alone.
4. Put the phone in your bag or another room: I can't point to solid evidence that this alone helps, but it costs nothing and turns picking it up into a deliberate choice.
5. Plan around FOMO: tell your group chats when you'll be offline and check messages at fixed break times.
6. Protect your sleep: the heavy group slept worse, and the researchers advise keeping the phone away before bed.
7. Look after your neck: hold the phone nearer eye level and exercise regularly, both on the researchers' list.

> **The one-message fix for FOMO** Before you start, send one message to the chats that matter: "Studying until 4, I'll reply then." Then set a timer and only open messages when it goes off. You get to answer your group project and your family without feeling like the whole internet is happening without you.

If late-night scrolling is eating into the sleep you need before an exam, I've gathered the evidence on [scrolling before bed and sleep](https://ivehadit.app/blog/scrolling-phone-before-bed-affect-sleep) in a separate post.

If feeds are what keep pulling you away on your laptop, I built I've had it to close social media feeds in the browser and leave the rest of the internet, including your course sites, open. ([How it works](https://ivehadit.app/start))

## Missing classes or deadlines because of your phone is a sign to get help

The study asked students whether phone use had made them miss planned activities, which is a sensible line to watch. Losing an evening now and then is normal. Skipping lectures, missing deadlines or failing to start work you care about, week after week, is a different thing.

If that sounds familiar, run through this [checklist of signs of social media addiction](https://ivehadit.app/blog/what-are-the-signs-of-social-media-addiction). Most universities also have a counselling or student wellbeing service, and phone habits are a perfectly ordinary thing to bring to them.

- In a study of 225 university students, those who spent 5+ hours a day mostly consuming content did worst on memory, attention and sleep.
- Hours and content type overlapped in that group, so the study can't say which matters more, and a one-time survey can't show cause.
- Low self-control and FOMO were the two factors the researchers singled out.
- Change your setup so you need less willpower: notifications off, feeds closed, phone out of reach.
- Keep messages available at set times so FOMO has less to work with.

## Questions people ask

### Does phone use affect memory in students?

In a 2026 Semmelweis University study, students who used their phones 5+ hours a day mostly for content scored worse on memory and attention tasks. It was a one-time survey, so it shows a link and can't prove the phone caused the difference.

### Is texting while studying as bad as scrolling?

In that study, the students who mostly messaged were not the ones who struggled most. The heavy content consumers were, so feeds are the more sensible thing to cut first, though texting still interrupts you.

### Should I put my phone in another room while studying?

It's worth trying because it costs nothing and makes reaching for your phone a deliberate choice. I wouldn't promise it works on its own, so pair it with notifications off and feeds closed.

### How many hours on my phone is too much for a student?

There's no proven cut-off. In the Semmelweis study, the group that did worst used their phones 5+ hours a day, mostly on feeds, but hours and type of use went together, so treat 5 hours as a rough warning sign.

### How do I study without my phone but still get messages from family or group projects?

Turn off notifications from social apps, keep messages on, and tell your chats when you'll reply. Then check messages at fixed breaks instead of whenever the urge hits.

## Sources

1. [Think your screen time is hurting memory and sleep? A new study says the number of hours isn't the biggest factor](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/27/think-your-screen-time-is-hurting-memory-and-sleep-a-new-study-says-the-number-of-hours-isnt-the-biggest-factor), The Star (syndicated from Inc./Tribune News Service), 2026-10-27