In the morning, the first thing many people look at is their cell phone. In the evening, the small screen is often the last thing you see before you fall asleep. No matter whether at home, on the go or at work: almost everyone now carries their smartphone around with them all the time. Some experts fear that constant use could not only be a waste of time, but could also have a negative impact on the brain.
“The effect that cell phone use has on our brain depends on how much we use the devices and what we do on these devices,” says brain researcher Martin Korte from the Technical University of Braunschweig. Basically, the brain’s wiring changes when you do something new – even if you learn how to use a cell phone. “Synapses get stronger, processing pathways change because you get better at using them. And this improvement is a learning effect.”
However, many people use their cell phones in a multitasking mode – for very different purposes. “It’s hard to separate the two because the devices are with us all the time, we’re always looking at them or, if we’re not looking at them, we have to actively suppress picking up the cell phone,” says Korte. This costs computing capacity in the brain.
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According to a study, smartphones can influence attention even when you are not using them. This was reported by researchers at the University of Paderborn in 2023 after concentration tests in the journal “Scientific Reports”. Accordingly, the mere presence of a smartphone reduces attention performance. In addition, cell phones have a negative influence on work speed and cognitive performance. Conclusion: People work slower with smartphones.
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“If you always use part of your brain’s processing capacity to prepare for cell phone use, to think about it, or even to use the cell phone when you’re doing something else at the same time, that makes us more easily distracted over time,” says Korte. As a result, you condition yourself to pay less and less attention to what you are doing and instead concentrate more on what is happening around you. For example, whether the cell phone sends a signal.
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“Some studies show that it takes twice as long to learn something when you multitask. “You make 40 percent more mistakes and are less able to recall what you have learned,” says Korte. “People who work very often in multitasking mode have poorer memory.” However, this is reversible, he emphasizes. “If you change your behavior, then after a while your memory will be just as good as before.”
In addition, according to the expert, with excessive cell phone use, time for daydreaming and doing nothing is lost. “Studies show that digital media can also make you less creative if we use it too much because we lose the idle time,” says Korte. These are precisely the times when you usually come up with the best ideas.
Smartphone use visible in children’s brains
Especially for children, too much time in front of the smartphone or tablet can have negative effects, and the earlier they use such devices excessively, the more serious they become. “You can see from children who spend intensive time in front of tablets and smartphones in kindergarten and elementary school that an important connection between the two large language areas, Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, suffers,” explains Korte. One consequence of this could be, among other things, language development disorders.
In addition, children who spend a lot of time on their cell phones at an early age are often less able to put themselves in other people’s shoes. “They are less empathetic. “It’s not just about having feelings, but also about being able to imagine what other people are thinking,” says Korte.
The brain researcher fears that the dangers of addiction as well as those of passive viewing will increase, especially among children and young people. This also means “less training of the brain and language”. “There is a trend that people exchange less and less with others on social media and instead become more of a passive video junkie à la TikTok,” explains Korte.
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Isabel Brandhorst, head of the research group for Internet-related disorders and computer gaming addiction at the University Hospital of Tübingen, is also concerned about the trend: “The user group is getting younger and younger, especially with TikTok. Written languages are being used less and less and social networks are therefore becoming more and more accessible to children who have not yet mastered written language.”
Ultimately, Internet and cell phone use could make some people addicted, Korte believes. “There are people who become so addicted that using the internet becomes like an addictive behavior because, for example, they leave other things behind and constantly put things off.”
Experts then speak of an internet usage disorder. Online computer games are particularly important here. Computer gaming addiction was recognized as a disease by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017. The criteria for this include reduced control over usage behavior, explains Brandhorst. Also: “Prioritization over other areas of life such as school, family, friends, but also personal hygiene, health and sleep. The third criterion is the continuation of the behavior despite negative consequences.”
To be considered an illness, this behavior usually has to occur over a period of twelve months or recur and cause significant suffering, explains Brandhorst. These criteria could be applied analogously to a social network use disorder. However, this disorder has not yet been officially recognized.
Social media can have a psychological impact
The excessive use of smartphones and especially social media, which are primarily consumed via cell phones, is also suspected of having a negative impact on the psyche. However, this is not certain: although various studies indicate a connection with depression and anxiety disorders, others find no correlation. Data that is needed to make a clear assessment is “often kept under wraps by large companies like Meta,” according to a statement from the Science Media Center.
Nevertheless, it can be assumed that social media promotes social comparison. “Young people in particular compare themselves very strongly. Example Instagram: What do others look like? How do I look? Am I doing it justice?” Korte notes. The fact that social media only reflects a fraction of reality falls into the background.
According to brain researcher Korte, using a cell phone is not inherently harmful. “But the way we use the devices is not good for us.” A healthy approach means that the “barrier between us and the device is so big that we only press the button when it is really necessary.” said Korte.
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To do this, you can increase the spatial distance: for example, don’t put your cell phone next to you when reading a book in the evening or simply switch off the device during social interactions. Brain researcher Korte makes the comparison: “No one carries a bag of chips and chocolate around with them all day because the risk of them eating it would be far too great.”
“I would always question whether I still have it under control or not,” advises Brandhorst. “For example, by asking myself to take social media breaks and then seeing how I feel about it.”