Many young adults who enjoy staying up late, often called “night owls,” may be at greater risk of becoming addicted to their smartphones and social media.
A new study shows that these late sleepers often use their phones more often and in unhealthy ways.
They might feel anxious if they don’t have their phones nearby, ignore responsibilities to check notifications, or scroll through social media for hours. For many, this behavior becomes a serious problem that affects daily life.
Almost 40% of university students in the U.K. now show signs of social media addiction, especially young women.
While past studies linked being a night owl with depression and poor sleep, this new research helps explain why late sleepers may use their phones so much. The main reasons are feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
The study, published in the journal PLOS One, was done by scientists at the University of Portsmouth and the University of Surrey. They asked 407 young adults, aged 18 to 25, about their sleeping habits, phone use, and emotional health.
The researchers discovered that night owls often feel lonely and anxious, and they use smartphones and social media to deal with those feelings. Sadly, instead of helping, this often makes their emotional distress worse.
Dr. Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo from the University of Portsmouth explained that night owls often feel “socially out of sync” with others. This leads to loneliness and anxiety. Many of them use technology to cope, but it backfires and can lead to worse problems.
The study highlights the emotional reasons behind smartphone and social media overuse. These young people are not just using technology for fun—they are trying to feel better emotionally.
This research is important because it shows that we need to do more than just tell young people to put their phones down. We must help them understand and manage the emotional issues that drive them to use their phones in the first place.
Dr. Simon Evans from the University of Surrey says it’s especially important to offer help during the late evening, when many services are closed and feelings of isolation are strongest.
The researchers believe that schools and universities should create programs to teach students about how their sleep habits and emotions can affect their phone use. If young people can learn to recognize that their phones are not helping them feel better—and may even be making things worse—they might make healthier choices.
In a time when many young people are struggling with mental health problems like anxiety and depression, understanding how these emotional challenges relate to phone use is more important than ever. By offering emotional support and raising awareness, we might be able to help night owls break the cycle of loneliness and addiction.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about Middle-aged women with no kids may have this mental issue and findings of scientists find a cause of mental illnesses induced by childhood abuse.
For more about mental health, please read studies about Frequent painkiller use linked to mental health risks in these people and findings of Common depression drugs may offer new treatment for bipolar disorder.
The study is published in PLOS ONE.
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