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Your Body On... Your Phone

What’s all that scrolling and swiping doing to your body and mind?

March 2022
By Meg Richardson

It’s 9:30 on a Tuesday night. You grab your phone, planning to scroll for a quick minute before heading to bed. The next thing you know, it’s after midnight. Your eyes are watering. Your neck and shoulders ache. Your wrist is sore, and your hand is tingling. You feel like a zombie who feeds on videos of piano-playing cats. What’s going on?

Fact is, your smartphone has a lot of useful features, but when it comes to your body and mind, it can often do more harm than good. The hours we spend scrolling, swiping, and texting can do a real number on our physical health—and our phones aren’t always great for our mental health either. So instead of reaching for your phone the next time you have a spare sec, pause to think about all the ways it’s affecting your body, mind, and mood. Here are just a few examples.

Eyes

You tend to blink less when you’re looking at a screen, which dries out your eyes, making them itchy and sore. Look away from your screen for 20 seconds every 15 minutes or so.

Mood

Seeing new notifications on your favorite apps triggers a rush of the feel-good chemical dopamine. These dopamine hits can be addictive, making you interact with your phone more to get more hits.

Neck and Shoulders 

Tilting your head forward to look at your phone puts added pressure on your neck, creating tightness and pain doctors call “text neck.”

To avoid developing text neck, try to hold your device at eye level instead of in your lap.

Wrists and Fingers

Holding your phone too long can cause wrist sprains or carpal tunnel syndrome, where a nerve in the wrist gets compressed. Similarly, texting and swiping can irritate tendons in your fingers and thumbs.

Body

You’re often sedentary while using your phone. Lack of physical activity can lead to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. But don’t walk and text, especially on the street—you could get hit by a car!

Break Up With Your Phone

Can’t quit your phone? Try these tricks:

Change your screen to grayscale. You’ll be amazed by how boring your screen looks without the bright colors.

Use screen time apps. These apps can help you track or limit the amount of time you spend on your phone.

Turn off notifications. This will help you stop feeling like you need to look at your phone every time it buzzes or chimes with a notification.

Don’t sleep with your phone. Leaving it out of reach will prevent late night scrolling.

Phone Facts vs. Myths

Test your phone smarts.

FACT OR MYTH: Phones can cause headaches.

Fact! Studies show phones can increase the frequency of migraines.

FACT OR MYTH: Phone screens keep you awake.

Fact! Phones emit “blue light,” which reduces production of sleep hormones.

FACT OR MYTH: Earbuds cause cancer.

Myth! But they can cause hearing loss, so keep the volume on a low setting.
Take the quiz again

Phone Zones

On average, people pick up their phones 58 TIMES per day. That’s likely more often than you eat, use the bathroom, talk to your parents, or wash your hands!

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