Digital disconnection: A systematic review of phubbing behavior

Abstract

Phubbing, or snubbing others in face-to-face interactions by attending to one's phone, has become an increasingly pervasive social behavior with important psychological and relational consequences. This systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, synthesizes empirical research from the past decade to examine the antecedents, consequences, and mechanisms of phubbing across social contexts. A comprehensive search of the ScienceDirect database identified 22 peer-reviewed studies spanning romantic relationships, friendships, family interactions, educational environments, and workplace settings. Findings revealed that problematic smartphone and social media use, along with psychological vulnerabilities such as fear of missing out, social comparison, and attachment anxiety, are strong predictors of phubbing. Environmental and normative factors also contribute, as observed phubbing behaviors reinforce its social acceptability. Across contexts, phubbing undermines relational quality by reducing intimacy, satisfaction, trust, and responsiveness, while increasing conflict, jealousy, and feelings of exclusion. Notably, subjective perceptions of being phubbed often cause greater harm than enacted behaviors themselves, underscoring the significance of relational interpretation. Beyond interpersonal effects, phubbing is associated with loneliness, depression, reduced life satisfaction, and maladaptive technology use. This review also highlights phubbing's cyclical and intergenerational nature, with behaviors transmitted across peers and families, reinforcing digital dependency. Future research should employ longitudinal and experimental designs, objective usage tracking, and cross-cultural comparisons to address current limitations. Interventions promoting digital etiquette, mindful technology use, and relational resilience are critical for mitigating phubbing's adverse effects in an era of pervasive connectivity.