Phubbing: a narrative review

Abstract

The term phubbing was coined as a blend of the words phone and snubbing someone during an interaction by looking at, talking and/or texting on one’s phone instead of continuing to interact with that person. Although this term first appeared several years ago (2012), the research literature has been primarily dated from 2020 to the present. In a recent survey at least 47% of individuals in many countries have experienced phubbing. Its negative effects on adolescents and adults include social media addiction, smart phone addiction, poor job performance, negative affect, psychological distress and depression. Phubbing has also negatively affected romantic relationships and life satisfaction. Phubbing by parents has had negative effects on preschoolers, school-age children and adolescents including excessive screen media use /internet addiction in the youth as well as internet gaming addiction, peer alienation, depression, aggressive behavior and online hostility (cyber flaming). Predictors/risk factors for phubbing include excessive social media, smart phone addiction, poor romantic relationships, “fear of missing out”, nomophobia, boredom, loneliness, anxiety, depression, extraversion, negative body image, neuroticism and narcissism. The data have been limited not only by being based on self-report but also by deriving from cross-sectional studies that cannot determine directionality of effects, and interventions and research on underlying mechanisms have not appeared in this recent literature on phubbing.