Smartphones can do you physical harm, Israeli study finds

Browsing social media apps on smartphones makes you more likely to grind your teeth, sleep poorly and suffer from jaw pain, an Israeli study has found.

The Tel Aviv University study of 600 Israelis compared the behaviour of regular smartphone users to those with so-called kosher phones, which are stripped of social media and other forbidden apps.

Kosher phones are widely used by Israel’s ultra-orthodox community, allowing them to make phone calls and in some cases basic internet access without falling foul of strict religious practices.

According to Tel Aviv University, 24 per cent of regular smartphone users experienced teeth grinding during the day, compared to just six per cent of kosher phone users.

The study also reported that 29 per cent of regular smartphone users reported jaw pain, compared to 14 per cent of kosher phone users.

Kosher phone users also appeared to get much better sleep than regular smartphone users, with only 20 per cent complaining that they keep waking up during the night.

“We believe these symptoms are related to FOMO, fear of missing out,” Dr Pessia Friedman-Rubin, a scientist at Tel Aviv University’s dental school, told the Times of Israel.

“People are constantly using their phones because they are worried they will miss something, and check WhatsApp, Facebook and other apps,” she added.

“We didn’t just find differences between the groups, but also clear patterns showing that the more you use your smartphone the more likely you are to hurt from jaw pain, grind your teeth, and wake in the night,” Dr Friedman-Rubin said.

She said she hoped that the study would make people more aware of the fact that technology can be damaging to a person’s physical health, as well as their mental health.

“We are of course in favour of technological progress, but as with everything in life, the excessive use of smartphones can lead to negative symptoms,” she said.

“It is important that the public is aware of the consequences it has on the body and mind.”

The study is due to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Quintessence International. All of the participants in the study were aged 18-35.

It is by no means the first time that researchers have found that social media can be bad for your health.

In 2019, a study of 6,000 children aged 12-15 found that those who heavily use social media were far more likely to suffer from depression, loneliness and increased aggression.

In 2017, Facebook, one of the world’s largest social media networks, admitted that it can harm people’s mental health.

The social media network said “passively consuming information” could leave people “feeling worse”in a blog post.

However, not all the research says that extended smartphone and social media use is harmful.

One study last year by Lancaster University measures the amount of time Android and iPhone users spent on their phones and examined their mental well-being.

But “surprisingly,” the researchers said, the amount of time spent using smartphones was unrelated to a person’s mental health.

“A person’s daily smartphone pickups or screen time did not predict anxiety, depression, or stress symptoms,” said Heather Shaw, the leader author of the study at Lancaster University’s Department of Psychology said:

“Additionally, those who exceeded clinical ‘cut off points’ for both general anxiety and major depressive disorder did not use their phone more than those who scored below this threshold,” she added.