University students who spend significant time online are more likely to develop a fear of being without their smartphones, and this anxiety is in turn driving a habit of ignoring the people around them in favour of their devices. A new study from Spain has mapped out the psychological chain linking heavy internet use to nomophobia and phubbing, offering one of the clearest pictures yet of how digital habits spiral into social disruption on campus.
Researchers at the University of Santiago de Compostela surveyed nearly 2,000 students across eight faculties, using statistical modelling to examine how four elements relate to one another: the frequency of online activity, problematic internet use, nomophobia (the anxiety felt when unable to access a smartphone), and phubbing (the habit of snubbing people in favour of a phone). The results confirmed all four of the study’s central predictions, pointing to a clear progression from casual heavy use through to compulsive smartphone behaviour.
The findings showed that students who used the internet more frequently were more likely to develop problematic patterns of use, characterised by a loss of control, emotional dependence on being connected, and discomfort when forced offline. Problematic internet use then emerged as the strongest driver in the model, significantly predicting both nomophobia and the tendency to phub others.
Nomophobia was found to play a particularly important role in explaining phubbing. Students with higher levels of smartphone anxiety were more likely to check their devices during face-to-face interactions, even when with friends or family. The model explained 38% of the variance in phubbing behaviour, a substantial figure for a phenomenon shaped by so many individual and situational factors.
The research also identified what the team described as a partial mediating role for nomophobia. Problematic internet use influences phubbing both directly and indirectly, partly because it raises levels of smartphone anxiety that then fuel the phubbing behaviour. This dual pathway suggests that tackling phubbing on university campuses requires attention not only to internet overuse itself but also to the fear of disconnection that can develop alongside it.
The sample was drawn from one Spanish public university and was largely female, which limits how broadly the findings can be applied. The cross-sectional design also means the study captures a snapshot rather than tracking how these habits develop over time. The researchers call for future longitudinal work and for models that incorporate additional factors such as self-regulation, personality traits, and the fear of missing out.
From a practical standpoint, the authors argue that universities should consider digital well-being programmes that combine self-regulation training with strategies to reduce anxiety around being offline. Mindfulness-based approaches and brief behavioural interventions have shown early promise in reducing problematic smartphone use among students, and institutional norms around device use in learning spaces could complement these efforts.
As smartphone use among young people continues to grow, understanding the link between internet habits, mental health, and social behaviour becomes increasingly important for anyone working in education.