Telling people to turn their smartphones off, or set them on silent as a strategy to ease distractions or avoid addictive internet behaviors may backfire on some folks, according to Penn State researchers.

In a study, the researchers report that people checked their phones more often when their devices were in silent mode. They added that those who scored high in “Fear-of-Missing-Out” and “Need-to-Belong” personality tests checked their phones even more when silencing them and, in some cases, stayed on phones longer.

The findings suggest that the one-size-fits-all approach to easing what some consider a growing problem of smartphone distraction and addiction may be misguided.

Read more:

Swayne, M. (2022, June 29). Turning phones on silent may increase phone checking. Penn State News. https://www.psu.edu/news/institute-computational-and-data-sciences/story/turning-phones-silent-may-increase-phone-checking/