This is how phubbing affects teen minds, says research

In May 2021, 4 senior psychiatrists working in hospitals in Lebanon published the results of a survey based analytical research on phubbing and young adults. The report had a wide impact and is being discussed and cited by researchers and media. It also has psychiatrists worried about a new issue on teen mental health: Phubbing 

First of all, what is phubbing?  
People using smartphones even when a person is engaged in face-to-face conversation is a behaviour described as phubbing. A phubber is the person engaging with the mobile despite being right in front of a live human being, while the person being phubbed is called phubbee. When phubbing occurs, both parties feel distracted and distanced. It’s because phubbing does not have the same quality of communication as actually talking to a person, creating mistrust between people who are together in a real space, but conversing in a virtual space!   

What did the research reveal? 
A strong correlation between phubbing and temperamental disorders were found. Young couples cited this as a reason for drifting apart, while students engaged in phubbing were withdrawn, had trouble concentrating, suffered a major loss of self-esteem and had low emotional intelligence. 

Why does phubbing happen?  
Phubbing is clearly a problem, and on a global scale. But why is it happening? Psychiatrists point out that it starts with massive overuse of smartphones. That leads to internet addiction, decreased self-control, fear of missing out updates, events or conversation on social media, neuroticism, social anxiety and depressive traits. So educating teens on how to use a smartphone within healthy levels is slowly becoming a necessity.  

How was the survey at Lebanon conducted? 
Psychiatrists Zeinab Bitar, Souheil Hallit, Wael Khansa and Sahar Obeid are all senior doctors and researchers at large hospitals in Lebanon. They were worried at the effect of phubbing on high school and university students and people who have joined jobs. So in August-September 2020, they started a study with 461 participants aged between 18 and 29 years. The majority were young women who have just moved out of home to stay in college hostels or hired apartments.