Smartphone use reduces people's attention span.

Is it true that smartphone use reduces people's attention span?

Partly. Evidence is mixed and only partial: one experiment reports that the mere presence of a smartphone lowers attentional performance, and a lecture study found smartphone gaming reduced learning performance, while a field experiment found limiting smartphone distractions reduced hyperactivity but not inattention. None of the placed sources measures general smartphone use reducing people's attention span.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 4 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Jeanette, S., Andreas, S., & Sven, L. (2022). The mere presence of a smartphone reduces basal attentional performance. zenodo.org. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7014618

A smarter way to use your smartphone: an intervention to limit smartphone-related distractions reduces hyperactivity but not inattention symptoms. (2022). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1159/000521693

The mere presence of a smartphone reduces basal attentional performance | Scientific ReportsClose bannerClose banner. (n.d.). nature.com. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-36256-4

Receiving push-notifications from smartphone games reduces students learning performance in a brief lecture: An experimental study. (2022). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100170

Islam, M. R., Mondol, A. A., Kundu, R., Baroi, J. A., Akter, S., & Urmi, T. J. (2024). Prevalence, associated factors and consequence of problematic smartphone use among adolescents and young adults in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308621