Using your phone while walking harms your health
A study conducted on university students found that a quarter of people crossing intersections were distracted by their phones.
Wayne Jiang, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Florida, who has studied the relationship between phone use and pedestrian injuries, said, “I don’t think people realize how distracted they are or how much their awareness of their surroundings changes when walking while using a phone.”
In fact, phones can cause what some experts describe as “inattentional blindness,” according to a New York Times report reviewed by Al Arabiya.net.
However, the screen in your hand not only distracts you but also alters your mood, walking style, and posture, hindering your ability to get from point A to point B without encountering problems.
Dr. Jiang noted that when we walk while using our phones, we unconsciously modify our movement. Video footage of pedestrians has shown that people using their phones walk approximately 10 percent slower than those who are not.
Patrick Crowley, a project manager at the Technical University of Denmark who has studied the biomechanics of walking while using a phone, said, “We observe several changes in gait that reflect a slowdown in speed. People take shorter steps and spend more time on the ground with both feet.”
These changes can impede foot traffic on sidewalks. If walking constitutes a significant portion of your daily physical activity, walking slowly may have negative effects on your physical fitness, according to Elroy Aguiar, an assistant professor of exercise science at the University of Alabama.
Looking down at a phone while walking, rather than standing upright, can increase pressure on the neck and upper back muscles, potentially contributing to symptoms of “text neck.”
Research published in the journal Gait & Posture indicates that all of this may weaken balance and increase the risk of tripping or falling.
Another study published in 2023 examined the psychological effects of walking in an outdoor park while looking at a phone, compared to walking without using one.
