Adolescent Mobile Phone Dependence Linked to Musculoskeletal Pain: Cross-Sectional Insights

Overview

A cross-sectional study of 622 adolescents found that over half reported musculoskeletal pain, predominantly in the upper back and neck, with higher mobile phone dependence (MPD) scores observed among those reporting pain. The 'abuse and difficulty regulating use' dimension of MPD was significantly associated with general and neck pain, highlighting nuanced aspects of device use beyond total screen time.

Background

The World Health Organization has noted a rise in problematic digital device use among adolescents, which is associated with mental health and somatic symptoms such as headache and musculoskeletal pain. Prior research often focused on screen time alone, but recent studies emphasize dependence-like behaviors and psychosocial factors as important contributors. Understanding the relationship between mobile phone dependence and pain requires careful consideration of confounding variables, activity types, and pain characterization to inform prevention strategies.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• More than half of adolescents reported musculoskeletal pain within the previous six months, mainly in the upper back and neck regions.
• Higher mobile phone dependence scores were observed in adolescents reporting musculoskeletal pain compared to those without pain.
• The 'abuse and difficulty regulating use' dimension of MPD showed significant associations with general musculoskeletal pain and specifically neck pain in logistic regression models.
• Psychosocial factors such as stress, depression, and sleep disruption may confound or mediate the relationship between MPD and pain, but were not fully accounted for in the study.
• Device dependence aggregates diverse activities (social media, gaming, messaging) that may differ in their impact on pain, suggesting the need to parse exposure by activity type for clearer associations.
• Using dichotomous pain outcomes over six months may mask differences in pain severity and frequency; more detailed pain phenotyping and temporal alignment with MPD measures could improve causal inference.

Clinical Implications

Clinicians should recognize that adolescent musculoskeletal pain may be linked not only to total mobile phone use but also to dependence-like behaviors characterized by difficulty regulating use. Assessment of psychosocial factors is important to understand the broader context influencing pain and device use. Tailored interventions targeting specific problematic behaviors, such as late-night use or impaired control, may be more effective than focusing solely on reducing screen time.

Conclusion

This study highlights a significant association between adolescent mobile phone dependence, particularly difficulties regulating use, and musculoskeletal pain. Future research incorporating psychosocial adjustment, activity-specific exposure assessment, and refined pain phenotyping is needed to clarify causal pathways and inform targeted prevention.

References

1. Parra-Fernandez DM et al. 2025 -- Mobile phone dependence and musculoskeletal pain prevalence in adolescents: a cross-sectional study